The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals denied the American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign’s emergency motion against the removal of wild horses by the Wyoming Bureau of Land Management on Wednesday, Sept. 10, in the Checkerboard area of Rock Springs.
“This ruling allows BLM to blatantly violate multiple federal laws and essentially turns over our public lands to private livestock interests,” said Suzanne Roy, Director of the American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign in an article posted on the Campaign’s website. “It sets a terrible precedent not only for wild horses but also for the responsible management of our public lands by elevating commercial livestock interests over the public interest and federal law.”
“By failing to hold BLM accountable, the court has paved the way for the permanent removal of half of Wyoming’s wild horses and turns on its head the BLM’s legal mandate to protect wild horses,” said Neda DeMayo, President of Return to Freedom, according to the same article. “It is a stinging blow to all citizens concerned with protection of these national icons and the responsible stewardship of our public lands and natural resources.”
The push for the removal of these horses came from local landowners in the Checkerboard area around Rock Springs, and the Rock Springs Grazing Association (RSGA).
Proponents of the roundup argued that these wild horse herds are depleting grazing areas for their personal livestock causing competition for food sources.
“The setback at the Appellate Court is disappointing, but we continue to fight for these magnificent horses,” said the American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign team in a press release. “While we cannot stop the roundup, we can pursue our lawsuit with the goal of establishing a precedent that will prevent BLM from doing this again and hopefully obtain some relief for the Wyoming wild horses, including possibly forcing BLM to return to the range some of the horses captured during the roundup.”
Shelley Gregory, the Bureau of Land Management correspondent in charge of the Checkerboard region explained that public access to the roundups this week will be allowed yet limited.
“Please keep in mind that public observation is not guaranteed and depends on access, terrain, weather and our contractor’s activities,” said Gregory.
“The roundups are planned to begin on September 15,” said Gregory. “Safety is our first priority. The BLM is committed to providing as much public access to the removal as possible as long as participants do not disrupt operations or create conditions that jeopardize the safety of the animals, observers, contractors or BLM staff.”
“Since this is the beginning of operations, things are still fluid. If you prefer not to risk that public observation will not start on Monday, any day in the remainder of the week will have a good chance for observation.”
This round up will result in the removal of 800 horses, adding up to about half of the wild horse population in Wyoming.
