Wild Horse Groups Seek Injunction to Halt BLM Wyoming Checkerboard Roundup

Motion Seeks to Enjoin Agency from Beginning Removal of 500 Wild Horses on October 18

Cheyenne, WY (October 6, 2016)– TheAmerican Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign)(AWHC),Return to Freedom,The Cloud Foundation, and photographersCarol WalkerandKimerlee Curyltoday filed a motion for a Preliminary Injunction/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. The agency has informed the plaintiffs that it intends to begin the roundup in the Adobe Town, Salt Wells Creek, and Great Divide BasinHerd Management Areas(HMAs) on October 18.

“TheBLMis 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 ofMeyer 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 enjoinBLMfrom 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 thelawsuitchallenging the roundup. It is the latest chapter in an ongoing legal battle over theBLM’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 thepublic landsin the area.

On September 19, 2016, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appealsheard oral argumentson the plaintiffs’ appeal of a lawsuit challenging the 2014BLMCheckerboard 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 theBLM’s reliance on a request from private landowners to remove wild horses from private lands as an excuse to eradicate them from thepublic landsin the area as well.

For the full press release on the lawsuit, pleaseclick here. Links to the legal documents can be foundhere.

TheAmerican Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign)is a national wild horseadvocacyorganization whose grassroots mission is endorsed by a coalition of more than 60 horseadvocacy, public interest, and conservation organizations. AWHC 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(RTF) is a national non-profit dedicated to wild horse preservation through sanctuary, education, and conservation, and also operates the American Wild Horse Sanctuary in Lompoc, CA.

The Cloud Foundation(TCF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and protection of wild horses and burros on our Westernpublic landswith 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 WalkerandKimerlee Curylare renowned wild horse photographers who regularly photograph the wild horses of the Adobe Town, Great Divide Basin, and Salt Wells Creek HMAs.