Hello and Happy Sunday!

As many of you know, the Devil’s Garden wild horse round up is over for this year. There is still a very real threat to these wild horses! Our friend Mary has written today’s blog which includes a couple of ways that you can speak up and take action for this wild horse herd. Please take a moment to read Mary’s words and take action through the links provided.

While the seventh roundup of Devil’s Garden wild horses in seven years ended a few weeks ago with the removal of 341 horses, the herd is facing an even bigger challenge in the upcoming months – the revised
Territory Management Plan (TMP) for the Devil’s Garden Plateau Wild Horse Territory (DGPWHT).

After the Objectors’ Meeting in October, during which stakeholders had one last chance to comment on the TMP, the United States Forest Service (USFS) is now mulling it over and will most likely implement it
early next year without any changes.

Like the 2013 TMP, this revised TMP continues to favor private livestock grazing over the Devil’s Garden wild horse herd. And like its predecessor, this TMP was bought and paid for by local ranching interests who are proud partners with the USFS. In fact, between 2020 and 2023, the Modoc Farm Bureau contributed roughly $2 million to hire retired federal employees to collect data to show the impacts that wild horses have on land allotments and to assist the US Department of Agriculture to manage the wild horse population.

Given the USFS’s cozy relationship with ranchers, it’s no wonder that the revised TMP maintains a ridiculously low Appropriate Management Level (AML) of 206-402 horses, prioritizes the use of GonaCon that is known to cause sterility in mares, and conveniently leaves out valuable acreage in the much- contested Middle Section of the DGPWHT.

Oh – and because of a 2021 sweetheart settlement between the USFS and the Devil’s Garden Preservation Group et al, another consortium of ranching interests, that mandated the removal of 500 horses over the past three years, 500 more horses could be rounded up next year even though less than 400 horses were left after this fall’s roundup until ALM is reached.

Here’s the irony, though. Over the past three years, the USFS has come nowhere close to capturing 500 horses. In 2022, it was 389 horses; last year – 236; and this year – 341.

The agency claims the low numbers are a result of the horses, and particularly the stallions, becoming helicopter savvy – sometimes refusing to move out from under the trees or even challenging the
helicopters. But given that the 2024 spring census estimated only 723 horses on the DGPWHT, could it be that there just aren’t that many left after almost 3,400 have been removed since 2018?

Although this all sounds pretty pessimistic, there’s still time to make some noise for the Devil’s Garden wild horse herd. If you haven’t already, send an email to your federal legislators. And please sign this new petition to California Governor Gavin Newsom asking him to intervene on behalf of these beloved wild horses. Afterall, it’s the holiday season and small miracles can happen!

Please take a moment to sign this petition that will be delivered to Governor Newsom here: https://secure.everyaction.com/87uDjixP1kWh6aLAT3dePw2

We also are asking that everyone contact their own members of Congress to as that the actions of the USFS be investigated. You can take action here: https://secure.everyaction.com/TUGd9WmX4EqyNwsH08Wnww2

Thank you for helping to support wild horses everywhere! We have a HUGE announcement TOMORROW that you won’t want to miss so be sure to check back!

Have a great day!

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