Newsdate: Mon 10 October 2016 – 9:00 am
Location: CHEYENNE, Wyoming

The American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign (AWHPC), Return to Freedom, The Cloud Foundation, and photographers Carol Walker and Kimerlee Curyl today filed a motion for a Preliminary Injuction/Temporary Restraining Order in U.S. District in Wyoming to block the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) from conducting the roundup and removal of 500 wild horses from the Wyoming Checkerboard.

Wild horses held in BLM holding pen

Motion seeks to enjoin BLM Agency from from conducting the roundup and removal of 500 wild horses from the Wyoming Checkerboard on October 18, 2016.
© 2016 by AWHPC

The agency has informed the plaintiffs that it intends to begin the roundup in the Adobe Town, Salt Wells Creek and Great Divide Basin Herd Management Areas (HMAs) on October 18.

“The BLM is treating over one million acres of public land in the Checkerboard as private land, and is proceeding to eradicate wild horses from these public lands at the request of private livestock grazing interests,” said Bill Eubanks of Meyer Glitzenstein & Eubanks LLP, which is representing the plaintiffs.

“This unprecedented action is illegal and the subject of a pending appeal at the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. We believe the court must enjoin BLM from proceeding with this roundup at least until the Tenth Circuit has ruled on this precedent-setting issue that has implications for wild horses across the West.”

On Monday, October 3, the groups filed the lawsuit challenging the roundup. It is the latest chapter in an ongoing legal battle over the BLM’s plan to eradicate wild horses from a two million acre area of public and private land at the request of the Rock Springs Grazing Association (RSGA).

The RSGA owns or leases the private land blocks in the Checkerboard and views wild horses as competition for taxpayer subsidized livestock grazing on the public lands in the area.

On September 19, 2016 the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments on the plaintiffs’ appeal of a lawsuit challenging the 2014 BLM Checkerboard roundup in which 1,263 wild horses were rounded up by helicopters and removed from the range.

At issue in both cases is the legality of the BLM’s reliance on a request from private landowners to remove wild horses from private lands as an excuse to eradicate them from the public lands in the area as well.

For the full press release on the lawsuit, please click here. Links to the legal documents can be found here.

The American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign

The American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign is a national wild horse advocacy organization whose grassroots mission is endorsed by a coalition of more than 60 horse advocacy, public interest, and conservation organizations. AWHPC is dedicated to preserving the American wild horse in viable, free-roaming herds for generations to come, as part of our national heritage.

Return to Freedom

Return to Freedom (RTF), is a national non-profit dedicated to preserving the freedom,  diversity and habitat of wild horses and burros  through sanctuary, education, advocacy and conservation, and has operated the American Wild Horse Sanctuary in Central Coastal, CA. since 1998.

The Cloud Foundation

The Cloud Foundation (TCF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and protection of wild horses and burros on our Western public lands with a focus on protecting Cloud’s herd in the Pryor Mountains of Montana. Cloud is the subject of Foundation founder Ginger Kathrens’ groundbreaking PBS/Nature documentaries.

Carol Walker and Kimerlee Curyl are renowned wild horse photographers who regularly photograph the wild horses of the Adobe Town, Great Divide Basin and Salt Wells Creek HMAs.