September 24, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Maureen VanDerStad
860-598-0095
Contact:
Info@grassrootshorse.com
A Motion for a
Temporary Restraining Order was filed at 5 a.m. PT September 24, 2010 in Nevada. The action was brought by Laura Leigh, photojournalist and videographer who is supported by Grass Roots Horse in this matter.
The motion asks for an immediate cessation of all helicopter roundups and all related activities regarding any and all aspects of any actions related to wild horse movement, gathering or rounding up as well as any actions involving all horses in short or long term holding.
This motion is about accountability, access, and transparency. “This is about the horses, each and every horse. Every individual life that leaves the range matters and is important to the American public. This is not about some bulk inventory and it is about time that the government recognizes that fact. We are not going away. The wild horses and burros are living beings mandated to be managed humanely.” said Maureen VanDerStad of Grass Roots Horse, a
nonprofit group based in grass roots activism.
This battle for humane treatment and proper management of the wild horses and burros has been going on for decades and is still going on. It began on a grass roots level when
Velma Johnston first sought to stop the killing and abuse of the wild horses and burros six decades ago. That effort resulted in the Free Roaming Wild Horse and Burro Act of 1971, which mandated, among many other things, the humane treatment of these symbols of our American heritage and pioneer spirit. The Bureau of Land Management and the Department of Interior have steadily and secretly chipped away at those mandates and protections over the years resulting in the abominable situation we have now. Anything to do with the wild horse and burro program or the animals themselves, even their location, is shrouded in secrecy and hidden under layers of excessive bureaucracy.
Copy of the filed motion:
Link
