Saving America's Horses

WFLF Humanion Films

Los Angeles, CA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct 18, 2009

WFLF Humanion Films is pleased to announce that Actress, Director, Linda Gray has joined the film production as an Honorary Board Member for Saving America's Horses, A Nation Betrayed.

Linda Gray is a multi-award winning international actress an accomplished director, a long time animal advocate, an environmentalist, and a former United Nations Ambassador. “My role is to meet people, listen to what they have to say and see what we can do to help” says Linda. She has already completed her first mission to Nicaragua, creating a documentary film for the United Nations on women and children’s health issues. Linda is also a supporter of therapeutic horsemanship. She recently helped “Ride On”, a non-profit group that teaches horseback-riding skills to mentally and physically challenged children and adults get a new riding surface through the Ford Motor Co. with their ground up used tires.

Her award winning portrayal of ‘Sue Ellen’, in the legendary TV phenomenon DALLAS, brought her international fame and critical acclaim, earning her an Emmy nomination for Best Actress, Germany’s Bambi Award (which is equivalent to the United States Academy Award), Italy’s Il Gato for Best Actress on television, and she was voted Woman of the Year from the Hollywood and Radio Television Society. After eleven unrivaled years on television, DALLAS is still in syndication around the world and still enthralling audiences. It was during this time that Linda made her directorial debut on DALLAS, gaining experience working as a director on the show.

Filmmaker Katia Louise of Humanion Films just released a special edition Preview Trailer for SAVING AMERICA’S HORSES A NATION BETRAYED. The Preview Trailer presents the inspirational tone of the film while also serving to raise awareness for the CAUSE. The Preview Trailer presents the inspirational tone of the film while also serving to raise awareness for the CAUSE. SAVING AMERICA’S HORSES A NATION BETRAYED depicts a country divided and inspires great hope for the protection of all horses. It’s a tender yet honest look at the reality that our American horses are born into, the love, joy and respect they give us and the disposable mindset of modern day society.

The Official Film Trailer will be released later in November.

Humanitarians, animal lovers and horse enthusiasts are requested to tell their friends and family about SAVING AMERICA'S HORSES A NATION BETRAYED. Donations are greatly needed to bring this film to completion. Please support this film and help us to save America's Horses. We are their voice and they need to be heard.

Saving America's Horses A Nation Betrayed

Director, Producer ~ Katia Louise
Associate Producer ~ Debra Lopez

Executive Advisory Board
Paula Bacon
Laura Allen
Dr Nena Winand
John Holland
Julie Caramante
Shelley Abrams

Ways to support this CAUSE

Donations

Collaborate

Learn more

Contact:

Kate Dudley, Publicist Production

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October 8, 2009- COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO-- On October 7, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced a new initiative for the Bureau of Land Management’s Wild Horse and Burro program. The Secretary announced that this is a “national solution to restore the health of America’s wild horse herds and the rangelands that support them by creating a cost-efficient, sustainable management program that includes the possible creation of wild horse preserves on the productive grasslands of the Midwest and East.”[1]

The Cloud Foundation is encouraged that the Interior Department realizes that there are problems with the management of wild horses on public lands by the Bureau of Land Management and is considering ways to improve the Wild Horse and Burro Program.

However, the Cloud Foundation questions the need to develop seven new preserves in the mid-west and east (at an estimated initial cost of $96 million) when there are 19.4 million acres of designated wild horse and burro of rangelands that have been taken away from them since 1971. In just the past few weeks, 12 herds (620 horses) were zeroed out on an additional 1.4 million acres in Eastern Nevada. “It would seem that the best use of taxpayer dollars and the most humane plan for the nearly 32,000 wild horses in government holding[2] would be to return them to their native lands” says Ginger Kathrens, Volunteer Executive Director of the Cloud Foundation. “These millions of acres were identified for use by wild horses and burros and these lands are already owned by the American public.”

Rather than spending over thirty million dollars this fiscal year (October 1, 2009- September 30, 2010) to remove a record number (over 12,000 wild horses and burros) from the range, only legitimate emergency roundups and removals should be conducted. “The BLM continues to lead the public to believe that exploding populations of wild horses are causing degradation of the range and they must be removed before they all starve. This is without merit because wild horses and burros make up only a fraction of animals grazing the range, far greater damage is caused by the privately-owned cattle who outnumber the horses more than 100 to 1,” states Arizona advocate Julianne French.

The intent of Congress’ 1971 Free-Roaming Wild Horse and Burro Act was not for wild horses to be corralled and penned. The clear intent was that the wild horses and burros be allowed to live on western rangelands designated primarily for their survival in self-sustaining populations.

Initial Recommended Steps for the Management

of America’s Wild Horses & Burros:

1) 1. Cease all roundups until independent analysis can be made of each herd management area. Move forward only with emergency removals if deemed necessary by independent as well as BLM specialists.

2) 2. Return wild horses and burros in good health to the 20.8 million acres of public land designated primarily for their use in 1971 that has since been taken away from them. As per the ROAM Act (§1579): “ensure that, to the extent practicable, the acreage available for wild and free-roaming horses and burros shall never be less than the acreage where wild and free-roaming horses and burros were found in 1971.”

3) 3. Reanalyze appropriate management levels (AMLs) for herd management areas (HMAs). Currently only about 25% of wild horse and burro herds are genetically viable.[3] AMLs should not be reduced due to the private use of public lands for livestock grazing. Currently AML “is based on consideration of wildlife, permitted livestock, and wild horses and burros in the area.”[4] It is not cost-effective to remove wild horses from an HMA at a cost of $2600- over $3000 per individual removed in order to allow a cow/calf pair to graze for a payment of $1.36/month. Cattle, who originated in southeast Asia, damage the land to a far greater degree than wild horses, who are of North American origin.

4) 4. Congress should follow-up with hearings on the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program as recommended by the Government Accounting Office (2008 report).

Photos and more information available from:

The Cloud Foundation

719-633-3842

info@thecloudfoundation.org

[1] Department of Interior press release, 10/7/2009.

[2] Nearly 32,000 wild horses are in holding as of 10/7/2009 according to BLM records. No independent inventory has been conducted and the truth of this number cannot be verified.

[3] Genetically viable defined here as a population of horses 1 year and older that is at or above 150-200 individuals with a Ne (genetic effective number) of 50 or more. This is the bare minimum for genetic viability of wild horse and burro population. More information here.

[4] According to Nevada BLM site, accessed 10/8/2009

Linda Gray Joins Honorary Board, plus Preview Trailer Released!

Return America’s Wild Horses to Their Rightful Ranges: A Response to Secretary Salazar’s Plan for America’s Wild Horses Equids