“This is a blatant attempt at gaslighting under the guise of transparency. There’s only the lies and deception of those tasked with protecting the wild animals of this park.”
~ Brielle (as commented on TRNP’s Facebook page 10/18/2024)
A very long week is FINALLY over and as promised, I wanted to recap the gravity of what happened last week. Welcome to the FINAL episode of The View From Our Side of the Fence. We are all now waiting for that CYA (Cover Your Ass) report Theodore Roosevelt National Park has promised us that will no doubt justify their actions last week. Look for something similar to their CYA Facebook page post justifying 2023 Filly Aspen’s death. In case you missed it, you can view the post here: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/J6EAcoQ2a6wk2wxW/
Don’t forget to read the first two Episodes of this post. You can read Episode 1 here: https://chwha.org/2024/10/20/the-view-from-this-side-of-the-fenceepisode-1/ The 2nd Episode can be read here: https://chwha.org/2024/10/21/the-view-from-this-side-of-the-fenceepisode-2/ And the 3rd can be read here: https://chwha.org/2024/10/22/the-view-from-this-side-of-the-fenceepisode-3/
To be clear: The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) REQUIRES that when an agency – like the National Park Service, embarks upon actions – like the ones that took place in the roundup last week – IF those actions will have an impacts on the park’s resources – like rounding up mares, hand injecting all of the mares with GonaCon, putting collars on mares, microchipping each horse, and honestly, God knows what else – THE GRAVITY OF THOSE PROPOSED ACTIONS WOULD HAVE REQUIRED THEODORE ROOSEVELT NATIONAL PARK TO OUTLINE THOSE PLANS TO THE TAX PAYING PUBLIC IN AN ENVIRONMENAL ASSESSMENT THAT ALLOWED FOR PROPER PUBLIC INPUT – BEFORE – ANY ACTIONS WERE TAKEN.
ACTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES!
Today, let’s talk about the microchipping!
That was a bonus surprise, wasn’t it? Again, if proper NEPA protocols had been followed, THERE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ANY SURPRISES!
I actually talked to McCann and Finley about the microchips when they told me they would be putting those hideous collars on the horses.
I asked why not implant them with chips like you have in the past?
Nope…can’t do it/not the same – not what we are looking for as to tracking the horse’s movement.
Again – EVERY SINGLE THING THEY DID TO OUR HORSES LAST WEEK SHOULD HAVE BEEN PRESENTED TO THE TAXPAYING PUBLIC IN AN ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT THAT ALLOWED FOR PUBLIC COMMENT! THAT is part of the proper NEPA regulations.
Tiffany Craigo admitted that she identified every horse for the park so that they could microchip them.
Now that EVERY one of the 178 horses that were brought in this week have been microchipped, the park now has a database on EVERY SINGLE horse. That’s great, right?
Ummm sure!
Aspen’s microchip ABSOLUTLEY allowed the park to identify her when they came to the scene last week. The information on her microchip allowed the park to know the short history of what she endured while under their care.
These microchips now mean that TRNP KNOWS who just got what done to them last week. They can add the records we have asked for, that the taxpaying public has NOT been allowed to see. And now, they know WHEN those mares need more of GonaCon. Next time, because of the microchips, they won’t need volunteers, like Tiffany, to identify ANYONE.
BUT
Those microchips can ONLY be scanned at a close distance.
Hmmmmm…..
Well… there are the words of Deputy Superintendent Maureen McGee Ballinger. She told a local news station earlier this month that it would take the park about a year to analyze all the “data” they collected this week on the horses. She also said that they would “LIKELY” NOT have another roundup before then.
There you have it. At the next helicopter roundup, that is already in the whisper stage, a simple scan and injection of GonaCon and whalla – we have “a lot less horses than we have in the past” as Nancy Finley so forthcomingly shared with the media several times this month.
THANK GOD for their TRANSPARENCY.
I wonder…
DID EVERYONE FORGET THE LAST 2 YEARS?
How this park openly told us they would eliminate this herd?
Let’s correct this ridiculous rhetoric too: The park DID NOT “allow” the horses to stay. THEY WERE FORCED BY PUBLIC OUTCRY, AND YES, THREATS OF LAWSUITS BY OUR ORGANIZATION AND MANY OTHERS, LOCAL PRESSURE, HISTORICAL FACTS AND ONE DETERMINED FEDERAL SENATOR WHO IS COMMITTED TO WHAT IS BEST FOR HIS STATE – TO KEEP A HEALTHY, VIABLE HERD OF WILD HORSES IN THEODORE ROOSEVELT NATIONAL PARK.
Did we already forget the SECRET DOCUMENTS about their SECRET MEETINGS where they talked about how they would get rid of the horses? If you forgot, you can read NPS 2022h here:
HOW MANY secret meetings do you think took place for the events that Theodore Roosevelt National Park carried out last week?
How MUCH did this roundup cost us as taxpaying citizens? Do you think that information will make it into the CYA report the park gives us this week? I, for one, would NOT hold my breath!
WHO was the helicopter contract awarded to? My other advocate friends are baffled that we don’t even have THAT simple piece of information! The BLM and Forest Service AT LEAST give them that! Not to mention that it takes time for the federal government to review applications for contracts like these BEFORE they award them to someone. Meaning – they could NOT just so happen to have access to a helicopter for this roundup, as they would like the public to believe.
We have given you a lot to think about over the last couple of days. Again, please do your own research and please ask your own questions. THAT is how you educate yourself and find the answers that are right for YOU.
Those answers might be very different than ours. That is ok too. All we are asking is that you do not take the words of ANYONE at face value. We are asking you to dig deeper and find your own answers.
When you find YOUR answers, and IF you feel, as we do at CHWHA, that an injustice has been done to our wild horses that call Theodore Roosevelt National Park home, I ask you, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?!
REMEMBER: SILENCE IS ACCEPTANCE!
We are also asking that when Theodore Roosevelt National Park’s CYA report is finally released, don’t take that at face value either! Dig deep, ask questions – TO THE PARK! Afterall, THEY work for US!
The truth is that taxpaying public will NEVER know what really happened last week to our wild horses. EVEN IF Theodore Roosevelt National Park tells us in the CYA (Cover Your Ass) report, they have already SHOWN us with their actions that we CAN NEVER trust them again.
Lastly, these posts are OUR observations based on what we saw from our side of the fence. There is no doubt that what was seen on the inside, out of the taxpaying public’s view, was very different.
Chasing Horses Wild Horse Advocates had 3 personal meetings with Superintendent Nancy Finley and Chief of Resource Management, Blake McCann between September and October. We were offered repeatedly to be a part of this roundup and to be on the inside, where the public could not view what was happening. We did not make the decision to NOT be inside lightly. It is something that weighed on us for WEEKS!
Should we, as others have professed, be on the inside: FOR THE HORSES?
We personally did NOT see a benefit of that: FOR THE HORSES. Especially when Blake McCann let us know there would be no arguing or debating what was happening in there as decisions were made. After seeing what we did from our side of the fence, and hearing the things we did that were going on inside, I highly doubt I would have been able to keep any commitment to remain inside soon after the first group of horses was brought into the chutes.
The purpose of these posts is not to say that other individuals or organizations were wrong in the decisions they made and that CHWHA was right.
Did we, at CHWHA, make the right decision? We think so and we stand by the decisions we have made. We believe that every other individual or organization should also stand proudly by the decisions THEY made. This was a HUGE moment in what is now part of the history of this herd. The gravity of this moment absolutely required every single person who professes to love this herd to take a stand.
Like it or not, each and every one of you took a stand either by being there, supporting Theodore Roosevelt National Park last week or by working with us to try to stop the actions proposed by the park for this roundup. And if you sat in silence, as plans were revealed, you too made a choice.
A lot of people want to just turn the page and move on from this moment. And some people will.
IF we simply walk away and allow Theodore Roosevelt National Park to NOT be held accountable for their actions last week, we are not only failing these historic wild horses, but we are also failing as US citizens who are charged with holding our government accountable when they do not follow laws and regulations.
Again, we know we have given you A LOT to digest over the last few days and even the last week. I will end this series where it started:
Please don’t believe every word I say. Please do your own research. Find YOUR own answers. We already have and what we shared this week is based on our research. If anyone has FACTS to disprove what we are saying, please bring them forward. REMEMBER: opinions are NOT facts AND you cannot say something is not a fact just because you don’t like it!
The time for TRANSPARENCY has passed. Theodore Roosevelt National Park needs to be held ACCOUNTIBLE for their heinous actions against the wild horses in this park!
We have 2 Calls to Action for you to speak up for the wild horses of TRNP and demand ACCOUNTIBILITY for their heinous actions.
This one is a petition to DEMAND that these collars come off OUR horses!
Please sign just ONCE and share!
https://secure.everyaction.com/x-5WrjPo20Cb4LGbj5PD-A2
This one is to send an email to elected officials DEMANDING TRNP be held accountable for their heinous actions against our wild horses!
You can send this as many times as you like! https://secure.everyaction.com/brPfquNQ2EqN-6XVh-16Rg2
Please share!
We also hope that you will consider making a tax deductible donation to help us with our critical advocacy work! You can make your tax deductible donation here: https://secure.everyaction.com/cBmDbRA6cUuzERpShcQOCg2
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