Wild Horse Advocacy Group Files Lawsuit Against BLM's Checkerboard Roundup
In a significant move to protect wild horses, a prominent advocacy group has announced a lawsuit aimed at preventing the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) from conducting a controversial roundup in Wyoming's Checkerboard region. The lawsuit challenges the BLM's decision to remove approximately 550 wild horses from the Adobe Town, Salt Wells Creek, and Great Divide Basin Herd Management Areas, set to begin on October 18.
Legal Action Against BLM
The American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign), along with Return to Freedom, The Cloud Foundation, and photographers Carol Walker and Kimerlee Curyl, filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Wyoming. They are represented by Bill Eubanks of Meyer Glitzenstein & Eubanks LLP, a public interest environmental law firm.
This legal action is part of an ongoing battle against the BLM's plan to eradicate wild horses from a two-million-acre area of public and private land, influenced by the Rock Springs Grazing Association (RSGA). The RSGA views wild horses as competition for livestock grazing on public lands.
Previous Legal Challenges
On September 19, 2016, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments on a related lawsuit challenging the 2014 BLM Checkerboard roundup, where 1,260 wild horses were removed. The core issue is the legality of the BLM's reliance on private landowner requests to remove wild horses from both private and public lands.
“The BLM is turning over control of more than one million acres of public land to private grazing interests that want wild horses eradicated from the range. This sets a terrible precedent that jeopardizes the safety and future of wild horses across the West,” said Suzanne Roy, Executive Director of AWHC.
Neda DeMayo, CEO of Return to Freedom, added, “The BLM’s concession to wipe out wild horses in Wyoming is not only illegal, but a blatant slap in the face to the majority of Americans who want to enjoy wild horses on our public lands.”
Ginger Kathrens, Executive Director of The Cloud Foundation, stated, “It doesn’t speak well of BLM, when the agency jumps the gun while the jury is, literally, still out on this issue.”
Carol Walker, a photographer who has extensively observed the wild horses in the Wyoming Checkerboard, emphasized, “The BLM once again shows blatant disregard for both legal statutes and the wild horses in its care.”
Seeking an Injunction
The lawsuit seeks an injunction to prevent the BLM from proceeding with the roundup until the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals rules on the initial lawsuit. The outcome of this legal battle could have significant implications for the future of wild horse management in the United States.
Originally posted by Sweet Water Now