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Stop the Massive Removal of Cloud’s Herd – video

September 14, 2009 in Uncategorized, activism, advocacy, biodiversity, endangered species | No comments

For more info on this crisis as it unfolds, please visit Ginger Kathrens and
The Cloud Foundation’s new blog at:

thecloudfoundation.wordpress.com, or on twitter @TheCloudFound

TAKE ACTION NOW:

Ask for the release of the older horses from the Pryor Mountain roundup.

Ask for the immediate reform of the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program.
Call daily, email and fax your comments as well!

White House Switchboard – (202) 456-1414 fax: (202) 456-2461
Ask for Senior Advisors: Valerie Jarrett and David Axelrod
Ask for Michelle Obama, too. (Her office is receiving a tremendous number of calls and they need to continue.)
Call your Senators – switchboard (202) 224-3121
and ask that they support S1579, The Restore our American Mustang (ROAM) Act
Call the Senate Committee of Natural Resources – (202) 224-4971 fax (202) 224-6163 Email here.
Ask that they push the ROAM Act through immediately – it must go up for a vote soon in the Senate.
Join the next Advisory Board Meeting – Sept. 28^th, 2009
Please join the Cloud Foundation and many others at the National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board Meeting in Arlington, VA on September 28th (click here for information). Make your voice heard…
“Mustangs on the Hill”- Sept. 29^th
….and then join the Cloud Foundation in DC on the Hill for meetings with key members of the Senate as well as upper-level Whitehouse and Department of Interior staff the following day – Sept 29^th, 2009.

ROAM Act passes in the House

July 21, 2009 in Uncategorized, activism, advocacy, endangered species, politics | No comments

HR 1018 – The Restoring Our American Mustangs (ROAM) Act passed in the House of Representatives on the morning of July 17th, 2009.

This bill amends the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act of 1971. – adding important new protections and provisions which include banning helicopter round-ups and reclaiming land lost by America’s wild horses over the past 30 years.

Thanks to all of you who voiced support for this crucial piece of legislation.
Please continue your support for the Senate vote!

BLM’s Secret Plan to Destroy Wild Horses – Press Release

June 14, 2009 in activism, advocacy, endangered species, politics | No comments

PRESS RELEASE
June 11, 2009 – for immediate release

Documents Reveal BLM Secret Plan to Destroy Wild Horses

Documents obtained from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) via the Freedom of Information Act by a Phoenix-based non-profit, The Conquistador Program, reveal shocking and detailed plans to destroy healthy wild horses in government holding facilities as well as those still remaining in the wild on public lands.

BLM employees as well as a USDA veterinarian held weekly “Implementation Team” meetings beginning in July of 2008 in which they discussed and developed strategies aimed at ridding BLM of thousands of mustangs. In October they completed a 68 page document entitled “Alternative Management Options”. Tactics included in this document are reminiscent of those used to wipe out Native American tribes in the 1800s.

The BLM team created scenarios for killing mustangs using barbiturates, gun shots, or captive bolts. Bodies would be disposed of through rendering, burial or incineration. They discussed killing 1200-2000 wild horses per year. The document states that “the general public would be prohibited from viewing euthanasia.” Additionally, the Team felt that “increased support from public relations and management staff would also be needed to insulate those doing the actual work from the public, media and Congressional scrutiny/criticism.”

“Minutes from these meetings as well as the Draft Plan reveal what amounts to ‘the final solution’ for the American mustang,” states Ginger Kathrens, filmmaker and Volunteer Executive Director of The Cloud Foundation. “Despite a huge outcry from the American public last year regarding BLM plans to kill wild horses in holding, the agency is still pressing forward with a plan to destroy our American mustangs both on and off the range.”

Division Chief of the Wild Horse and Burro Program Don Glenn told The Cloud Foundation that “no decision has been made to move forward on a large scale with this plan, yet.”

BLM meeting minutes speak for themselves. “Security at facilities and at gathers would need to be increased to combat eco-terrorism. Having the people that are willing to put down healthy horses at gather sites could be a problem. Having vets putting down healthy horses at preparation facility[ies] could also be a problem.” Meeting minutes reveal the psychological toll that employees would pay—“have counseling for employees and contractors that have to euthanize the healthy horses because it is very stressful.”

The report created an option in which wild horses of all ages could be sold “without limitation”. In other words, horses could be sold directly to killer buyers in unchecked numbers. The Team admitted that “some wild horses will go to slaughter”.

“Once they are gone, they’re gone” says Karen Sussman, President of the International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Burros. “To lose this incomparable species would be a travesty.”

Team Members formulated ways in which they could circumvent the National Environmental Policy Act, asking “How many (wild horses) could be euthanized during a gather (roundup) without having NEPA?” BLM discussed ways to circumvent the federal carcass disposal law (43 CFR 4730.2). Conversations included how many wild horses could be rendered at the Reno Rendering plant or “disposed of in pits”. The Team concluded that “there will not be large numbers of horses euthanized during gathers or in the field. This is due to state environmental laws.”

Recommendations include the creation of gelding herds, and sterilization of mares to create non-reproductive herds in the wild in place of natural herds. The team recommended changing the sex ratio from the normal 50% males and 50% females to 70% males and 30% females. Then the experimental two-year infertility drug, PZP-22, would be given to all mares that are returned to the wild. Plans call for rounding up the wild horses every two years to re-administer the drug.

“Mares on the drug will cycle monthly and, with the altered sex ratio, the social chaos will be dangerous and on-going,” Kathrens explains. “Any semblance of normal wild horse society will be completely destroyed.”

Kathrens has spent 15 years in the wild documenting mustang behavior for her PBS television documentaries which chronicle the life story of Cloud, the now famous pale palomino stallion she has filmed since birth. “Even Cloud and his little herd in Montana are in serious danger if BLM implements these options,” she continues. “The BLM plans a massive round up in Cloud’s herd beginning August 30, 2009.”

The BLM will not guarantee that Cloud and his family will remain free.

ACTIONS:

Please share this press release with local and national media, friends, and colleagues.
Voice your concerns over our government’s management of wild horses directly to President Obama

Resources and References:

Related Sites:

The BLM documents referred to above and photos of wild horses are available from The Cloud Foundation.

The American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign
Horse Power
http://www.theamericanwildhorse.com

Testimonials on the the reality of helicopter round-ups - on AWHPC

Related Organizations & Actions

Related Books & Media

Amazon.com Widgets

BLM officials to attend Wild Horse and Burro Summit

October 11, 2008 in Uncategorized, activism, advocacy, conservation, endangered species, politics | No comments

The 2008 Wild Horse and Burro Summit is to be held this weekend in Nevada. (Want to attend? Click here.)

The gathering of wild horse advocates hosted by the International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Burros, a non-profit group, will meet to discuss what can be done to prevent horses and burros from being killed by lethal injections.

The summit is intended to be a learning experience and will bring together leading experts in the world of equine behavior, genetics, research, and range management. Equine scientists, range experts, and wild horse advocacy groups will discuss and bring forth proposed solutions to the problems facing wild horses in America. Focus will be on the current crisis facing America’s wild horses’ threatened existence on public lands.

However, the main goal is to address solutions for the present and
very urgent wild horse emergency – the impending euthanasia of approximately 33,000 wild horses now in federal holding facilities.

Officials from the BLM will also be attending the summit.

During the National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board meeting this June, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced its potential inability to financially support over 30,000 wild horses the agency currently has in its short- and long-term holding facilities due to a “budget crisis”. The BLM proposed a plan to “euthanize” many of these horses as a “solution”.

If a viable plan is not found and implemented soon, this situation could result in the euthanasia of thousands of wild horses.

  2008 Wild Horse and Burro Summit – Open to the public

    Where: South Point casino
                   9777 S. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89183
                   (702) 796-7111 Toll Free: (866) 796-7111

    When: 8:00am – 5:00pm, Saturday and Sunday, October 11 & 12

    Cost:     $25 covers all sessions for both days

For further information:

Go to www.wildhorsesummit.com

or contact Karen Sussman (president of the ISPMB) at (605) 964-6866.

Wild Horses & The BLM

July 18, 2008 in Uncategorized, activism, advocacy, endangered species, petitions, politics | No comments

See our post “Save the Wild Mustangs – important petition” for more information and please sign the petition to stop the BLM’s outrageous plan to kill these wild beauties.

Save the Wild Mustangs – important petition!

July 10, 2008 in Uncategorized, activism, advocacy, conservation, endangered habitats, endangered species, petitions, politics | 1 comment

Majestic wild mustangs have roamed the American West with a history that predates modern land use. They are part of our national heritage symbolizing our country’s freedom and independent spirit. Today, there are less than 30,000 wild horses on the range.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has announced an outrageous plan to kill these wild horses, potentially driving them to extinction, claiming that it can no longer afford to round up wild horses and confine them until it finds people to adopt them. The government agency wants to euthanize or sell these wild beauties to the highest bidder “without limitation” – i.e., sell them to anyone, even if the bidder also plans to kill these horses.

Why do they need to round them up in the first place? Good question. The BLM states that it can’t “allow horses to multiply unchecked on the range without causing an environmental disaster.” But, there are at least 3 million grazing cattle vs. 30,000 wild horses.

These wild horses have a right to inhabit the public lands they have roamed for centuries. The BLM should manage the land effectively to preserve these free-roaming beauties, rather than killing them. Instead, the BLM would seemingly rather placate corporate cattle ranchers who view these horses as foraging competition – despite the environmental damage being caused by cattle overgrazing.

Please oppose this outrageous plan and stand up for our wild horses today. Remind the government to abide by the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burro Act of 1971.

– You can make a difference. -

Send a comment to the BLM today, call or write your government representatives, &
« Sign the petition to save our wild horses! »^*

[*] – Thus far, Care2’s petition has garnered ~~7,141~~ 35,443 signatures with a goal of 50,000.

Wild Horses & The BLM – a selection of videos about wild horses and the current crisis.

Read the rest of this entry »

Toxic Chemicals in Pets – Pets for the Environment!

April 30, 2008 in Uncategorized, activism, advocacy, environment, health risks, pet health, pets, toxins | No comments

The Environmental Working Group has recently conducted the most expansive study of its kind published to date on the extent of exposures to contaminants pets face in the home and outdoor environments. This biomonitoring investigation measured the chemical body burden in pets.

The results were alarming: Of the 70 industrial chemicals tested, dogs and cats were contaminated with 48 of the 70. 43 of those chemicals occurred at levels higher than those typically found in people.

The study looked for toxic chemicals such as plastics and food packaging chemicals, heavy metals, fire retardants, and stain-proofing chemicals. Among other results, it found that:

(1) Teflon chemicals (PFCs – perfluorochemicals) occurred in dogs at a level 2.4 times that found in people;

(2) Fire retardants (PBDE – polybrominated diphenyl ethers) occurred in cats at levels 23.4 times that found in people;

(3) Mercury occurred in cats at levels 5.9 times that found in people.

For cats there were 46 toxins detected – 96% at higher levels than in people. Dogs had 35 toxins detected – 40% at levels higher than that for people. “For certain fire retardant chemicals, stain and grease resistant chemicals, and plastic chemicals called phthalates, dogs and cats had higher rates than 80-100% of all the humans that have been tested.” These are of particular concern because they are of a class of chemicals that are carcinogenic and have been linked to reproductive and developmental risks, and thyroid problems. Cancer kills 20-25% of dogs making it the second leading cause of death in dogs^[1], with certain types of cancer occurring several times more frequently in dogs than in people^[2]. Hyperthyroidism is a leading cause of illness in older cats.

Pets, much like children, ingest pollutants from tap water, lawns with pesticide residue, and indoor air contaminants. Higher exposure to some contaminants in pets and children may be partially attributed to the fact that they both spend more time closer to the floor where contaminants can exist at higher concentrations. However, pets also develop health problems from exposures much more rapidly due to their physiologically compressed lifespans.

Pets also have some unique sources of exposure. As an example, one source of the PFCs mentioned earlier is the greaseproof lining of dry pet-food bags. Unfortunately, products made specifically for pets are mostly unregulated: the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine lets products go to market with untested ingredients and additives even though they have the authority to require manufacturers to submit their ingredient list beforehand, while the Consumer Product Safety Association isn’t even *allowed* to label products which may pose risks.

As such, the EWG notes that pets are unwittingly acting “as involuntary sentinels of the widespread chemical contamination that scientists increasingly link to a growing array of health problems”.

If you would like to find out more about the study specifics, including further results, you may follow the link below:
http://www.ewg.org/reports/pets

In response to this alarming problem and the lack of requirements that chemicals introduced into pets’ food & toys – as well as our household products – be tested for safety, the Environmental Working Group has started a site called “Pets for the Environment”. It is hosted by a very cute furry crusader named Eddie and posts healthy pet tips, information, and provides a voice for action on behalf of our beloved companions.

We encourage you to check them out at PetsForTheEnvironment.org. There is a “wall of cute” and you can sign up for their pet newsletter, if you so choose.

[1] – Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Center (2008),
[2] – Purdue University Department of Veterinary Pathobiology (2000);
other reference:
“Pet dogs as sentinels for environmental contamination” –
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0048-9697(01)00740-9

Looking for a source for natural pet food, toys, & supplies?
Check out Only Natural Pet Store or Paws Choice:

Galápagos Islands Suffering Environmental Crisis – Ecuadorian president calls for habitat to be added to UNESCO’s Endangered List

June 24, 2007 in Galápagos, Uncategorized, United Nations, advocacy, alternative energy, biodiversity, conservation, endangered habitats, endangered species, environment, environmentalism, green, nature, politics, sustainable development | No comments

The president of Ecuador, Rafeal Correa, declared yesterday (June 22, 2007) that the Galápagos are at high risk and should be considered a national conservation priority. He claims that the islands are suffering an environmental crisis and is seeking restrictions on tourism. He has also asked that the habitat be added to UNESCO’s Endangered List – a request which will be considered at a week-long meeting of the UN agency’s World Heritage Committee being held in New Zealand beginning this Saturday.

The Galápagos lie in the Pacific Ocean some 600 miles west of Ecuador at the confluence of several ocean currents and are comprised of some 19 islands. The isolation of these striking volcanic isles has produced one of the highest concentrations of endemic species in the world, and the archipelago is considered “a natural museum of geological, ecological and evolutionary processes”. The seismic and volcanic activities that formed the islands are still going on today.

The habitat’s unusual animals, including the land iguana and giant tortoises, helped to inspire Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. (He visited the islands in 1835 on the HMS Beagle.) 30% of the marine life in the surrounding seas are endemic, as are roughly 1/3 of the island’s vascular land plants, all of the reptiles with the exception of two species of marine turtle, and almost half of its bird species. Among its unique species is the marine iguana, Amblyrhynchus cristatus – the only sea-going iguana in the world.

As a place of “outstanding universal value”, the Galápagos Islands were added to UNESCO’s (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) list of Protected Areas and World Heritage Sites in 1978 and designated as a Biosphere Reserve in 1984.

This extraordinary archipelago of unrivaled beauty is an “almost pristine” treasure trove of biodiversity, but is being threatened today by large-scale tourism and unsustainable fishing practices by mainland fishermen whose activities are financed by foreign companies. Visitation by tourists has increased three-fold in the past 15 years with an annual growth rate of about 14% for the tourism economy. The consequences of this growth include threats to endemic species by introduction of non-native invasive species, pollution, over-harvesting, and greater pressure on valuable marine resources. Partially as a result of these changes, 24% of the endemic plant species and 50% of the vertebrate species are considered endangered.

Click here for an image of the Galápagos Penguins on Bartolomé Island.

The islands are subject to the 1998 Special Law for Galápagos but have been neglected by previous management, and the rapid economic growth of the islands, coupled with increased immigration, has taxed the capacity of the Galápagos’ management authorities. The president’s solutions will focus on the proper implementation of this special law and will include strengthening Galápagos management authorities, ensuring the development of sustainable businesses, strengthening the work of the Galápagos National Park Service and CDF (Charles Darwin Foundation) to manage endangered species and control invasives, and educational reform.

The declaration of the Ecuadorian president addresses concerns that have been held for many years regarding the future of this fragile ecosystem.

For more detailed information on the Galápagos, visit UNEP’s (United Nations Environment Programme) World Conservation Monitoring Centre page at http://www.unep-wcmc.org/sites/wh/galapago.html
or the Charles Darwin Foundation at http://www.darwinfoundation.org

Organic farmers funding jeopardized in this year’s $76 billion Farm Bill. You can help!!

June 21, 2007 in Uncategorized, activism, advocacy, agriculture, organics, petitions, sustainable development | 1 comment

Organic farmers are working hard to grow more organic food and want to keep prices reasonable… However, Congress is failing them. Despite the growing scientific consensus that even small amounts of pesticides are harmful – especially to children, big agribusinesses and their allies in Congress are trying to strip funding for organic farming. In this year’s $76 billion Farm Bill, less than 1% is going to organic farmers! This would mean fewer organic farmers and fewer healthy options for us all.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) Action Fund is working to help level the playing field by securing the funding organic farmers need and supporting those thousands of farmers transitioning to organic agriculture.

Your help is crucial and right now you can double your impact! From now until June 30, 2007, thanks to matching grants from several of their very generous donors, any donation you make to their fund will automatically be doubled, up to $20,000.

Donations will help fund the EWG Action Fund’s campaign in Congress to shift subsidies away from pesticide-ridden, chemical agriculture and towards organics and environmentally sustainable agriculture. Help secure a rightful place for organics in this year’s Farm Bill! Donate if you can, but definitely sign the petition to “Help Grow Organics.”

Visit their website at http://www.ewg.org, which serves as the home for both the Environmental Working Group and the EWG’s Action Fund. There you can learn much more about this and other issues, or make a donation. Their website has a wealth of information and access to informative and useful databases. I’d strongly recommend visiting even if you are not interested in donating.
To link directly to the donation page for this issue you can link to their page at https://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1144/t/661/shop/custom.jsp?donate_page_KEY=2516.

Blue-Green Marble is not affiliated with EWG, but appreciates their invaluable efforts to promote the organics movement and their championing of safety for and disclosure to consumers as regards food, product ingredients, and environmental toxins & hazards through their legislative advocacy, research, and publications. We have chosen to relate this information as we believe it to be a timely and important issue our readers can help to impact.