Thanks to You, We Reached Our Goal!

January 11, 2016

Dear AWHC Supporters,

Thank you sincerely for making the American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign)’s End of Year Fundraising drive and matching campaign a big success. Thanks to you, we exceeded our goals and are well-positioned for a productive year of advocacy on behalf of our cherished wild horses and burros.

We are at a crossroads in the fight to protect America’s wild herds. The continued prohibition on the Bureau of Land Management’s sale of wild horses and burros for slaughter, included in the 2016 Omnibus spending bill, has provided us with a temporary reprieve. But we know that slaughter remains the goal of the BLM and its rancher allies. And, the BLM’s renewed push for sterilization of wild free-roaming horses on the range means that slaughter is not the only danger facing our wild herds.

Upcoming Initiatives for AWHC

• Fighting the BLM’s destructive sterilization plans – On January 4, 2016, we filed the first of what will likely be a series of legal challenges to stop the BLM from sterilizing wild free-roaming horses, the first step in the demise of these national icons in the West. Our lawsuit aims to stop the BLM from sterilizing the entire wild Saylor Creek wild horse herd in Idaho. We are also actively involved in fighting the BLM’s proposed gelding of wild stallions in Utah and spaying of wild mares in Wyoming, both of which are being implemented under the guise of “research” studies and are currently in the environmental review stage.
• Expanding and strengthening our on-the-range management programs – We’ll continue to expand our Virginia Range on-the-range management program, implemented under a Cooperative Agreement with the State of Nevada, to become the largest humane wild horse management program in the world. This program is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Jay Kirkpatrick, founder of the Science and Conservation Center and pioneer in the field of humane wildlife management using the PZP birth control vaccine, who passed away in December 2015. He is sorely missed.
• Securing the well-being and lasting protection of wild horses not currently protected by federal law – We’ll continue to support the work of our coalition partner, the Salt River Wild Horse Management group in convincing the U.S. Forest Service to protect and humanely manage the famed Salt River wild horses in the Tonto National Forest near Phoenix, AZ, and we’ll continue to advocate and build support for the protection of a historic population of wild horses in the Mesa Verde National Park in southwestern Colorado.
• Leveraging consumer power to help mustangs and burros – We’ll continue and expand our campaign to get Whole Foods and other high-end food chains to endorse a Wild Horse Friendly label and incorporate wild horse and burro protection into their standards and policies for humane and ethical sourcing of “grass fed” beef and lamb.
• Educating members of Congress and empowering our supporters to reach out to their legislators – This is an election year, and our elected officials will have to pay special attention to the wishes of their constituents. We intend to focus this year on Capitol Hill to educate and build support for wild horse and burro protection and to create a toolkit to assist constituents in meeting with their legislators and making a clear and strong case for humane management and protection of our national icons.
• Building our grassroots army – The power of the people can and must defeat the powerful special interests that want our wild horses and burros permanently erased from the Western landscape. Our grassroots supporter base is growing by leaps and bounds, and we’ll continue our public relations, advocacy, and outreach activities to keep growing the grassroots army of citizens willing to stand up for our mustangs and burros.

With our model management programs, growing and powerful grassroots base, and top-notch legal and lobbying teams, we are uniquely positioned to make significant progress next year. Thank you to all of our AWHC donors who helped us reach our 2015 fundraising goals and whose generous support makes this work possible!

With Gratitude,

- The AWHC Team