Hello and Happy Friday to everyone! 

I FINALLY had a moment to upload the video from our Horse Talk this week to our YouTube channel!  You can view the video here: https://youtu.be/aHiB0NzwT5k

I also have the slides available for you to download.  There was a lot of information on these slides and I had several requests for them.  You can download the file here:

This Horse Talk is part of a continuing Call to Action we have centered around the Appropriations Bills being drafted as we speak.  Many of you have written to me letting me know that in some cases, TODAY is the deadline for your representatives to request appropriations language.  We have drafted a letter that you can copy and paste and also customize as you see fit.  We also have the easy one click way you can share this with your representatives: https://secure.everyaction.com/dKiY-qRbfEezoqKRzjqryQ2 Please share this link with your family and friends. REMEMBER: Your Congressional representatives ONLY know what you tell them. 

Our sample letter is below.  Please feel free to personalize it to resonate with your own message. 

I am writing to you today to request that the following be considered as language and budgets are approved for FY 2025:

Thank you for adding the following language into the Interior Department/National Park Service 2024 Appropriations language.  Since this issue has not been resolved, I am requesting that it remain in the FY 2025 NPS Bill:

Theodore Roosevelt National Park.–The Committee recognizes that livestock has been present within Theodore Roosevelt National Park since the park was fenced beginning in the 1950s.

The Committee understands the Service is undertaking a planning process to determine the appropriate way to manage livestock within the park. Options include continuing to follow the 1970’s management plans for the park, which accommodate keeping a limited number of livestock on the land. As this process continues, the Committee urges the Service to consider maintaining the historic scene commensurate with the historic herds during the period when President Theodore Roosevelt was a rancher in the area.

I am also requesting that the following language be added and for these issues to be considered BEFORE Congress automatically approves the FY 2025 budget for The Department of the Interior: Bureau of Land Management:

• Transparency – where is the detailed report for the taxpayers showing what the 170 MILLION DOLLARS will be used for with regards to the Wild Horse & Burro Program? The Green Book is deceptive by omission of these facts.  The BLM Budget should not be granted until they can be transparent with their proposed spending of our tax dollars.  The tax paying public is currently only being given a pie chart graphic of spending. 
• We cannot continue to support any additional money being used to care for wild horses in off-range corrals and pastures.  The BLM has over 60,000 horses in holding and wants to add another 20,000 this year.  No additional funding should be granted for this program until it is revamped in a way that provides for wild horses remaining on the lands set aside for them through the Wild Horse & Burro Act of 1971 and until the BLM has a better plan for wild horses taken off the range.  These holding facilities are NOT the answer.
• Congress must NOT support ANY money going to permanently sterilize wild horses and burros.  This radical proposal is inhumane and only supports the BLM’s continued plans to completely eliminate wild horses and burros from the western range.
• Congress should NOT support the baseline capacity increase for their fixed costs without further explanation on what these fixed costs are and how the money will be used. 
• The BLM needs to clearly explain their plans to allow wild horses and burros to remain on the 26.9 million acres of land set aside for them through The Wild and Free-Roaming Horse & Burro Act of 1971 (Public Law 92-195) and why that management plan only involves removing and permanently sterilizing those horses.  The BLM has already reduced the land set aside for wild horses and burros from 53.8 million acres and removed/zeroed over half of the existing herds.

Thank you for your consideration in this matter that is very important to me.  I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Thank you all for your continued support!  We appreciate all of your help and feedback! 

---