“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” ~ Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
This quote by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has always been a favorite of mine. I have found myself referring to it more often than usual since Theodore Roosevelt National Park announced the start of their wild horse management plan. The quote has become even more meaningful than ever since the park came back in December and announced their plans to eliminate the entire herd of horses from the park.
At least a couple of times a week we get asked about the silence on other pages that also document these horses. We don’t have an answer and redirect those questions back to the organizations in question.
Sometimes silence also speaks volumes, doesn’t it?
I know we sound like a broken record at times, but the truth is this is a very critical time for this herd. On a weekly basis I meet people who either have not heard about the park’s plans to remove all of the horses or people who think that this battle has been won because of Governor Burgum’s press conference or the ND legislators passing SCR 4014.
The silence on other pages only reinforces this.
So….Where are we now?
The park is working on their Environmental Assessment (EA). Remember when they had a public comment period that ended January 31st? They looked at those comments and then based on those, decided what other reasonable alternatives they would consider in the EA.
They will be coming back in the spring or summer with their draft EA. This will reinforce their proposed action – TOTAL elimination of this herd from the park and then the EA will justify the removal of the horses. Then we will have another public comment period. They will then go back and look at the comments before they come out with the final EA.
This is an extremely critical time for these horses, and it is NOT a time to be silent. On our Horse Talk last week with Dr. Castle McLaughlin (https://youtu.be/0RA8SlJ3oro) , we talked about the fact that if they are able to remove this herd from the park boundaries, they will NEVER bring them back.
What can we do during this waiting time?
A LOT!
Have you emailed Congressman Armstrong? We have not received a response from his office in 2 weeks now. It would seem he has NOT changed his position. We made it easy for you to email him. If you have already emailed him, EMAIL HIM AGAIN! We made it easy for you! Simply click on this link – you can also personalize your message! Click on this link to send your email: https://secure.everyaction.com/Rg-lK-HiAkSz6nxuYsiKmw2
TODAY at 2 pm MST we will be having a NEW Horse Talk with Heather & Linda from Save Our Wild Horses. They will be talking about the 2nd Annual Save Our Wild Horses Conference. There is still time to join us live! The event is FREE but we do ask that you pre-register! You can register here: https://secure.everyaction.com/XKCkBhUpokG1qQvv9MePtQ2
Will you be joining us at the event? You can get more information about the conference on their website: https://saveourwildhorses.net/2023-dc-conference.html
If you can’t make it to Washington DC in person, there are still A LOT of things that can be done to help wild horses everywhere!
Send postcards! Heather and Linda have a postcard campaign to help raise awareness about the plight of America’s wild horses. You can find more information here: https://saveourwildhorses.net/2023-postcard-campaign.html We at Chasing Horses Wild Horse Advocates have also designed a special postcard to bring attention to the plight of our iconic group of wild horses! You can request yours here: https://secure.everyaction.com/_FHTeHpTOUG1Er7wwscTYw2
Our friends at Veterans for Mustangs have gained the attention of our federal legislators! You can help them by sending an email to your federal legislator. We made that easy too! https://secure.everyaction.com/lvHbJOoIp0yJ5rH-nZ2UFQ2
We will have some new Calls to Action for you this week – so be sure to check back.
Also, remember sharing posts is a GREAT way to help! It is obvious that there is still a large group of people who don’t know about how and why we are fighting so hard for the Theodore Roosevelt National Park wild horses.
We are also grateful to everyone who has been sharing some really GREAT ideas with us on how to help these horses! Most of those great ideas require money to execute. Please consider making a donation to help us continue our advocacy work. You can find ways to help on our website: https://chwha.org/support-chwha/
Thank you for your support and enjoy the last of your weekend!
Chasing Horses Wild Horse Advocates is committed to advocating for a wild horse management plan and protection for these unique wild horses that call Theodore Roosevelt National Park home! We are fighting for a management plan that is guided by science especially when it comes to decisions regarding the removal of horses and the administration of birth control. Many other wild horse management plans have proven to be successful with their science-based plans. We are asking for the same for this amazing group of wild horses that call Theodore Roosevelt National Park home.
