22 December 2009
Media Contact: 
Makendra Silverman
Makendra@TheCloudFoundation.org
Tel: 719-351-8187
For Immediate Release
Ecologist Craig Downer and Naturalist- Filmmaker Ginger Kathrens Reply to News of Nevada Wildlife Agency’s Backing of BLM in Wild Horse Case
Agency’s backing of BLM’s massive wintertime roundup misguided, a gift to “welfare” ranchers
Colorado Springs, CO (December 22, 2009)— The Cloud Foundation along with wildlife ecologist Craig Downer dispute the Nevada Department of Wildlife’s (NDOW) claim that horses are leaving insufficient forage for native wildlife. Habitat deterioration, where apparent in the Calico herd management areas is occurring due to the increased cattle grazing allowed in this area, set aside by the 1971 Wild Horse and Burro Act principally for the use of wild horses.
NDOW is supporting another agency, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), in a lawsuit brought by In Defense of Animals and Downer to stop the inhumane and unnecessary roundup of 2400-2700 wild mustangs in northwestern Nevada to start during the holidays on December 28th. The case is to be decided before Christmas in DC District Court.
“It's unconscionable for the Nevada Department of Wildlife to side with the BLM's plans to plunder the Calico Mountain wild horse herds but I'm not surprised. For decades, NDOW has favored livestock and big game animals. The department has been working to overthrow the Wild Horse Act and ignores the will of the American people and Congress to protect wild horses and burros as a national heritage species.” —Craig Downer, ecologist
Public lands livestock grazing costs American taxpayers $123 million a year as grazing fees do not begin to cover the program costs. The true price tag of the damage to public lands is estimated to be $500- $1 billion. Only 3-4% of US beef is raised on public lands. Wild horse and burro herds are consistently removed from their designated lands and wild populations have declined dramatically[1] since the initial census of wild horses and burros in 1974.
"What I try to do in my Cloud series of films about wild horses is to illustrate how beautifully integrated the wild horse is with their environment. We are advocating for the preservation of entire ecosystems in which the wild horse plays a vital role. Cattle are the destructive element in our fragile, dry Western ecosystems, costing taxpayers hundreds of millions per year through a subsidized welfare grazing program on our public lands.”—Ginger Kathrens, Naturalist and Emmy-award winning filmmaker- creator of the popular PBS Cloud Wild Horse Documentaries
Over 185 organizations, celebrities, political leaders and authors including Sheryl Crow, Lily Tomlin, Bill Maher and Viggo Mortenson are calling for an immediate moratorium on roundups in the short term. Long term, advocates desire an open and accessible public process on management issues relating to wild horse herds and horses already held in captivity. Senator Landrieu and Congressmen Rahall, Grijalva, and Whitfield sent out a letter calling for the same this fall. Advocates await a response from the White House and Secretary Salazar.
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Of Interest:
AP: NV wildlife agency backs BLM in wild-horse lawsuit (http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_14026348)
Photos of Calico Wild Horses- Oct. 2009 (http://www.thecloudfoundation.org/index.php/news-events-a-media/photo-galleries/235-calicophotos)
Washington Post/AP: Federal Judge asked to block Nevada wild-horse roundup (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/16/AR2009121604454.html?wpisrc=nl_pmpolitics)
In Defense of Animals et al. v Salazar et al. Court Documents (http://dockets.justia.com/docket/court-dcdce/case_no-1:2009cv02222/case_id-139628/
Calico roundup BLM Documents) (http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/wfo/blm_programs/wild_horses_and_burros/calicomountains_complex.html)
Stampede to Oblivion: An Investigate Report from Las Vegas Now (http://www.lasvegasnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=11285225)
Craig Downer, wildlife ecologist: interview on upcoming Nevada roundup (http://vimeo.com/7135462)
Public lands grazing fiscal costs report from Wild Earth Guardians
(http://www.sagebrushsea.org/pdf/factsheet_Grazing_Fiscal_Costs.pdf)
Managing Wild Equids On Public Lands: A response to the DOI Plan (TCF) (http://www.thecloudfoundation.org/index.php/news-events-a-media/press-release)
*Mustangs and Burros Summary Report: The high Cost of Miscalculating
(http://thecloudfoundation.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/amb_summary_alternative20populations20overview_revis1.pdf) - graph follows of population declines
Crunching Calico- An American Herds Report
(http://americanherds.blogspot.com/2009/11/crunching-calico.html)
AP: Secret Winter BLM Roundup Takes Place without Public Notice 12-12-09
(http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/12/12/state/n095216S07.DTL)
Updated 2009-2010 Roundup Schedule
http://thecloudfoundation.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/roundupschedule2010_3pp.pdf
Oregon Winter Roundups
(http://thecloudfoundation.wordpress.com/2009/12/17/oregon-roundup-started-today-public-welcome-to-watch/)
NY Times: US Plan for Wild Horse Round-Up Faces Opposition
(http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/12/08/us/AP-US-Wild-Horses.html)
Unified Moratorium letter and signatories
Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971
(http://www.thecloudfoundation.org/index.php/news-events-a-media/news/resources/216-whbact)
Frequently Asked Questions on Wild Horses
(http://www.wildmustangcoalition.org/id44.html)
Photos, video and interviews available from:
The Cloud Foundation
719-351-8187 or
719-633-3842
[1] Graph of national wild horse and burro population declines from 2000-2009 follows. From page 3 of Revised 2009 independent analysis summary report of BLM numbers by Nevada resident C.R. MacDonald. “America’s Mustangs & Burros What’s Left, The High Costs of Miscalculating And Will They Survive?”
