Why Not Ban Horse Slaughter in NM by Executive Order?

New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez has stated publically that she is against opening the proposed horse slaughter plant in New Mexico:

“. . . I believe creating a horse slaughtering industry in New Mexico is wrong and I am strongly opposed,”

However, since at least June of 2011, the Martinez Administration has lobbied the NM State Legislature strongly in favor of horse slaughter (for human consumption). The Executive Director of the New Mexico Livestock Board, lobbied to the NM State Legislature in June 2011:

“. . . the major reason for the increase in unwanted horses is the close of the slaughterhouses. . . Without slaughter, many horses face less humane treatment and death.”

Is she not aware of her administration’s actions? Really?

The Martinez administration recently has shown a strong negative bias against wild horses, as well as domestic:

• While the Livestock Board has come under fire for alleged abuses at the Dennis Chavez South West Auction house, the New Mexico State Veterinarian has now come under investigation for his own actions at Monero Mustangs Wild Horse Sanctuary.

• New Mexico State Veterinarian also recently stated at a meeting at the Albuquerque Public Library:

“€œThe Placitas Horses are not wild. . . and someday they are going to be mine!”

Though Governor Martinez claims to be working to improve New Mexico’s image and Tourism prospects, she has not advertised the three Wild, federal Horse Territories in New Mexico for Clean Eco-Tourism, nor does she advertise any of the three privately operated wild horse preserves in New Mexico. This failure results in a huge loss to our tourism industry, New Mexico’s largest private sector employer and second largest source of revenue, second only to Oil and Gas.

The Governor’€™s administration has also shown a strong negative bias towards wild horse population management by means of immunocontraceptive vaccine, native PZP opting by default for eradication of the horses, along with the eradication of their natural predators, the mountain lions, bears, and wolves. The jaguars, of course, are already gone.

In what can only be assumed to be a misinformed or mistaken statement, the New Mexico State Veterinarian recently told the Monero Mustangs wild horse preserve in beautiful Tierra Amarilla, NM that “PZP is illegal in the State of New Mexico, and must be delivered by a Veterinarian”. This statement is patently false as individuals certified by Dr. Jay Kirkpatrick, at the Zoo Montana Science Center, may administer PZP with a permit from the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).

Why Not a Horse Slaughter Ban in NM, Governor Martinez?
1. Sale of horse meat (wild or domestic) for human consumption in the United States is illegal, as horses receive medicines not made for food animals.
2. States have the right to Ban Horse Slaughter as California and others have done.
3. In 2007, New Mexico passed WHOA’s Wild Horse anti-horse slaughter bill, SB655, carried by the Honorable Senator Steve Komadina, which defined “wild horse,” and banned their sale, auction, or slaughter.

NM Attorney General Gary King – Also Against Horse Slaughter. . . Again, Really?

“A horse slaughtering plant in Roswell is a terrible idea,”€ said New Mexico Attorney General Gary King. “œSuch a practice, while not illegal, is certainly abhorrent to public sentiment, and I strongly suggest it be abandoned. I come from a ranching family but processing horses for food was never part of the plan for raising livestock. Horses are different and should be treated differently.”

Gary King states above that “€œhorses are different” than cattle and “€œshould be treated differently.”€

OK Then, Gary – Why Are Horses Still Exempt From the Animal Cruelty Laws of New Mexico?
Horses are exempted from the NM Animal Cruelty Law just like cattle, as are ALL “€œLivestock”. Where is Gary King’s call for an executive order stating that horses should not be exempt from the Animal Cruelty Law in New Mexico? What is Gary King doing to make slaughter illegal for horses in New Mexico?

Is Horse Slaughter Abusive? Or is it Humane Euthanasia? You Decide

The 2010 GAO Report to Congress on the Humane Slaughter Act

“€œMultiple unsuccessful captive bolt stuns Multiple misplaced electrical stuns. . . FSIS also does not have a current workforce planning strategy for allocating limited staff to inspection activities, including HMSA enforcement. FSIS has strategic, operational, and performance plans for its inspection activities but does not clearly outline goals, needed resources, time frames, or performance metrics and does not have a comprehensive strategy to guide HMSA enforcement. “

The 2010 GAO Action Needed to Address Unintended Consequences from Cessation of Domestic Slaughter. What GAO Recommends :

“€œGAO suggests that Congress may wish to reconsider restrictions on the use of federal funds to inspect horses for slaughter or, instead, consider a permanent ban on horse slaughter. GAO recommends that USDA issue a final rule to protect horses through more of the transportation chain to slaughter and consider ways to better leverage resources for compliance activities.”

“€œLeveraging resources for compliance activities” will cost tax payers much more than it could possibly benefit them, even if it were likely that compliance activities would be properly funded. It is clear from the GAO reports through time, that regardless of the regime, unconscionable abuse at slaughter houses will continue.

Popular (ie successfully promulgated) Misconceptions:
• The 2010 GAO Report listed above is being misleadingly promoted by pro-slaughter advocates including the Executive Director of the New Mexico Livestock Board, as suggesting that slaughter plants need to re-open in order to solve the “€œunwanted horse issue in this economy”€. However, this report clearly shows that horses headed for slaughter need more protections en-route and more protections against conscious slaughter, and which they are not likely to receive. And, moreover, that a BAN on slaughter would resolve all of these issues.
• The US slaughter ban caused horses to go to Mexico where slaughter is unregulated; – Horses were going to slaughter in Mexico, through New Mexico, and other states, prior to the closure of domestic slaughter plants.
• Due to the economy the need for horse slaughter has increased. No excuse for abuse here. Utilizing veterinary assisted euthanasia and rendering service totals about $185, just $35 dollars more than the cost to keep your horse one more month as it costs about $150 per month to maintain a horse at your own home.
o Horses can be sold, given away, or euthanized by a vet for a mere $70. Trip fee if needed, is $45.
o The renderer will pick up your dead horse or cow for a fee of 10 to $ 70.
o Crematories will pick up, and cremate your horse.
o Horses in rural areas can be humanly shot in the head.
o For ranching type or large industries, composting is a cheaper alternative than rendering.
o Some landfills accept dead animals.
• Wild Horses are competition for the US Cattle Industry. Beef Imports, not wild horses, are the real competition for the US Cattle Industry. “U.S. livestock producers face strong competition from Canada and Mexico in domestic livestock and meat markets, causing some livestock producers to question the wisdom of the NAFTA, which opened our markets to competition from the North and South.”€

IN SUMMARY:

1. Please ask Governor Martinez to issue an Executive Order against Horse Slaughter in NM.
2. Please ask Governor Martinez and Attorney General Gary King to change the NM Animal Cruelty law so that horses are not exempted from it as Livestock.

Governor Martinez- Phone: (505) 476-2200

Attorney General Gary King – Phone: (505) 827-6000

This is not a political issue-it is a matter of common decency.

Martin Luther King Jr. “Never, never be afraid to do what is right, especially if the well being of a person or an animal is at stake . . . ”

Horses are Slaughtered (live) for human consumption, not dog food. Horse Flesh is not approved by the US FDA for human consumption. This is because horses are not raised as food animals and are given medicines and wormers which are neither safe or approved for human consumption.

Torture is Legal in New Mexico

There is no law protecting horses against abuse in New Mexico. Horses are EXEMPT from the New Mexico Animal Cruelty Law.

Yes, You Can:
. . . Poke your horse’s eyes out, and leave him to suffer in New Mexico.
Anything Goes In New Mexico!

NM Attorney General Gary King and a Horse at the Southwest Auction

New Mexicans ARE clearly opposed to the unbelievable cruelties perpetrated on horses as discovered by Animals Angels at the Southwest Auction house in Los Lunas, New Mexico recently reported in the New York Times and the Albuquerque Journal.

However, Governor Martinez and Attorney General Gary King seem complicit by their lack of action.

Is this because their administration has been lobbying for a Horse Slaughter Plant?
Might protections for horses interfere?

Below are the relevant State of New Mexico statutes regarding Animal Cruelty (emphasis added to the portions directly related to horses and their general exemption from Animal Cruelty statutes):

2011 NMSA 1978 (unannotated)/NMSA 1978 (unannotated)/CHAPTER 30 Criminal Offenses /ARTICLE 18 Animals /30-18-1. Cruelty to animals; extreme cruelty to animals;

30-18-1. Cruelty to animals; extreme cruelty to animals; penalties; exceptions.

A. As used in this section, “animal” does not include insects or reptiles.

B. Cruelty to animals consists of a person:

(1) negligently mistreating, injuring, killing without lawful justification or tormenting an animal; or

(2) abandoning or failing to provide necessary sustenance to an animal under that person’s custody or control.

C. As used in Subsection B of this section, “lawful justification” means:

(1) humanely destroying a sick or injured animal; or

(2) protecting a person or animal from death or injury due to an attack by another animal.

D. Whoever commits cruelty to animals is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be sentenced pursuant to the provisions of Section 31-19-1 NMSA 1978. Upon a fourth or subsequent conviction for committing cruelty to animals, the offender is guilty of a fourth degree felony and shall be sentenced pursuant to the provisions of Section 31-18-15 NMSA 1978.

E. Extreme cruelty to animals consists of a person:

(1) intentionally or maliciously torturing, mutilating, injuring or poisoning an animal; or

(2) maliciously killing an animal.

F. Whoever commits extreme cruelty to animals is guilty of a fourth degree felony and shall be sentenced pursuant to the provisions of Section 31-18-15 NMSA 1978.

G. The court may order a person convicted for committing cruelty to animals to participate in an animal cruelty prevention program or an animal cruelty education program. The court may also order a person convicted for committing cruelty to animals or extreme cruelty to animals to obtain psychological counseling for treatment of a mental health disorder if, in the court’s judgment, the mental health disorder contributed to the commission of the criminal offense. The offender shall bear the expense of participating in an animal cruelty prevention program, animal cruelty education program or psychological counseling ordered by the court.

H. If a child is adjudicated of cruelty to animals, the court shall order an assessment and any necessary psychological counseling or treatment of the child.

I. The provisions of this section do not apply to:

(1) fishing, hunting, falconry, taking and trapping, as provided in Chapter 17 NMSA 1978;

(2) the practice of veterinary medicine, as provided in Chapter 61, Article 14 NMSA 1978;

(3) rodent or pest control, as provided in Chapter 77, Article 15 NMSA 1978;

(4) the treatment of livestock and other animals used on farms and ranches for the production of food, fiber or other agricultural products, when the treatment is in accordance with commonly accepted agricultural animal husbandry practices;

(5) the use of commonly accepted Mexican and American rodeo practices, unless otherwise prohibited by law;

(6) research facilities licensed pursuant to the provisions of 7 U.S.C. Section 2136, except when knowingly operating outside provisions, governing the treatment of animals, of a research or maintenance protocol approved by the institutional animal care and use committee of the facility; or

(7) other similar activities not otherwise prohibited by law.

J. If there is a dispute as to what constitutes commonly accepted agricultural animal husbandry practices or commonly accepted rodeo practices, the New Mexico livestock board shall hold a hearing to determine if the practice in question is a commonly accepted agricultural animal husbandry practice or commonly accepted rodeo practice.

Authors note: The provision J. above is a subjective determination made by the Livestock Board which has no equine advocates who are not connected with the horses industry ie making money from horses. Use of provision J. is slow, prejudiced against horses and appears legally ineffective against friends and associates of the Livestock Board.

2011 NMSA 1978 (unannotated)/NMSA 1978(unannotated)/CHAPTER77 Animals and Livestock /ARTICLE 2 Livestock Board /77-2-1.1Definitions. (2001)

77-2-1.1. Definitions.

As used in The Livestock Code:

A. “animals” or “livestock” means all domestic or domesticated animals that are used or raised on a farm or ranch, including the carcasses thereof, and exotic animals in captivity and includes horses, asses, mules, cattle, sheep, goats, swine, bison, poultry, ostriches, emus, rheas, camelids and farmed cervidae upon any land in New Mexico; provided that for the purposes of Chapter 77, Article 9 NMSA 1978, “animals” or “livestock” have the meaning defined in that article. “Animals” or “livestock” does not include canine or feline animals. For the purpose of the rules governing meat inspection, wild animals, poultry and birds used for human consumption shall also be included within the meaning of “animals” or “livestock”;

For more back ground information: NM Governor Susana Martinez- Against Horse Slaughter . . . Really?

Please Help…

1. Please ask that Governor Martinez issue an Executive Order against Horse Slaughter in NM.

2. Please ask that Governor Martinez and Attorney General Gary King change the NM Animal Cruelty law so that horses are not exempted from it as Livestock.

Governor Martinez- Phone: (505) 476-2200
Attorney General Gary King – Phone: (505) 827-6000

This is not a political issue-it is a matter of common decency.

The DOT agreed to either a yellow diamond-shaped caution sign with the picture of a wild horse or a yellow diamond-shaped wildlife corridor caution sign.  WHOA chose the wildlife corridor caution sign, so as to include information regarding all of the wildlife in Placitas, NM. WHOA has provided additional signage regarding the wild horses and the DOT has provided additional signage regarding the deer.

WHOA has also given a proposal for assistance with management of the Placitas Wild Horses to the appropriate agencies.  There has been no official response.

Placitans continue to show strong support and take great pride in the Placitas Wild Horses as well as all the wildlife that grace this area and its beautiful open spaces.

Please stop and see the Wildlife Corridor Mural at the Recycle Center at the entrance of Placitas on the North side of RT 165.  The mosaic mural project “Protect Our Wildlife Corridors”, depicts much of the Placitas wildlife and flora. This is an ongoing project of “Pathways: Wildlife Corridors of NM”, (a 501 c3), which has been co-coordinated by Laura Robbins (Foothills Studio) and Cirrelda Snider-Brian (Pot Hollow Studio) with the participation of literally hundreds of adults and school children from around the region.

WHOA decided this public “naming” in our small community of Placitas would likely stop any future criminal activity and therefore requested the sheriff’s department drop the charges. Hence the case was dismissed. Our thanks to the Sheriff in both cases. Our further thanks to the NM Livestock Board for verifying and certifying the Placitas 8 as Livestock (privately owned) prior to legal transport to their new home at Monero Mustangs Sanctuary in Northern NM.

Original Story

(This post is in response to another misleading Albuquerque Journal article, which was entitled “HORSES ON THE LOOSE” and published on September 4, 2011)

The eight (8) horses mentioned and previously on the road in the Village of Placitas were the property of a Placitan. They were legally Livestock. WHOA worked with the owner, the Sheriff’s Office, and the Livestock Board to lawfully and safely remove these (8) horses and have taken them to safe haven. Local Placitans stopped by constantly to help with hay,  water,  tanks, money,  even their land and man power,  to capture, guard, and then even recapture these owned horses.

Two individuals with a development interest in a Loop Rd (I-40 bypass connecting I-25 to RT 14 through Placitas) harassed WHOA volunteers repeatedly, crossed the “No Tresspassing” signs, and  one released these captured horses back out onto Camino de Las Huertas. A WHOA volunteer witnessed this Act and attempted to stop this action.

The perpetrater then even wrote a letter to the Signpost proudly admitting to this criminal act. WHOA has obtained this letter and a statement from the eyewitness and has asked the Sheriff’s Department to charge this individual with criminal trespass and harassment.

The perpetrator would have you believe that she just wanted these owned horses to be free. However, the two individuals were working toward causing an accident on Camino de Las Huertas that would be blamed on the Wild Horses of Placitas. Development interests and the Albuquerque Journal appear to be working overtime to cause a round up before WHOA can win in court.

What Can You Do?

1. Please ask Sheriff Doug Wood to press charges on the perpetrator of this Act which intentionally tried to endanger Placitans and the horses they love by illegally releasing these horses.  (The police report is available upon request)
2. Drop your subscription to Albuquerque Journal

Please note:  There are no horses in the neighborhoods of Terra or East Algodones (2 miles North of 165) as San Felipe and WHOA together fenced them out of those neighborhoods. WHOA also fenced them out of  La Mesa, Sundance, Los Ranchos, and Santa Ana. WHOA believes that the complaints referenced in this article are mostly old complaints from other neighborhoods where WHOA has already resolved any issue. WHOA has therefore requested copies of all complaints. Also, these quotes from Sheriff Wood we believe were taken long ago, before WHOA resolved the issue.

Wild Horse Observers Association (WHOA) was formed by New Mexico community members to protect and preserve the remaining wild horses in New Mexico as well as others across the US. These horses are re-introduced native species albeit without the full benefit of their natural predators, and as such, WHOA also advocates for the use of PZP a non-toxic immuno- contraceptive where round-ups are being used and in the recent past.

WHOA has worked legislatively with the Honorable Senator Komadina to pass a bill signed by Governor Richardson (2007) declaring free roaming horses which are not estray (not domestic) to be declared legally New Mexico State’s wild horses. As such they are regulated wild animals of the state not under the jurisdiction of the Fish and Game department and not under the jurisdiction of the NM Livestock Board.  WHOA has worked with Senator Komadina to pass a host of Memorials asking the BLM, Forest Service, and Native American Nations in New Mexico to utilize their free roaming/wild horses for Equine Eco-Tourism and to utilize PZP immuno -contraception as needed in lieu of predators.

These horses can be utilized for Heritage Tourism which currently accounts for 81% of US Tourism which is the second largest industry in the US and in New Mexico. In New Mexico, Tourism is a 2.5 Billion dollar industry and is the largest private sector employer.  WHOA has developed a state-wide Equine Eco-Tourism plan which has been supported by the NM Legislature through the passage of the Memorials.   This tourism plan is in line with the 2003 Preserve America Executive Order to the BLM which direct the BLM to aid in Heritage Tourism projects.

Early in 2010, New Mexico made some initial progress toward actualizing this vision of Equine Eco-Tourism with Governor Richardson’s announcement in Washington, DC of his intention to create a Wild Horse State Park.  This was followed up with his proposal for a 12,000 acre expansion of Cerrillos State Park, which would include a wild horse sanctuary.  WHOA continues to be a leading advocate and is a strong and vocal supporter of these initiatives.

County Commission Supports Ranch Buy
        The Santa Fe County Commission on Tuesday expressed its support of Gov. Bill Richardson’s plan to buy the Ortiz Mountain Ranch near Madrid to expand an existing state park and create a wild horse sanctuary.
        The commission voted 4-0 on a resolution supporting the governor’s proposal to buy 12,000 acres of land about three miles south of Madrid. The land would expand the nearby Cerrillos Hills State Park, which sits on land owned by the county.
        The commission “believes this is a unique opportunity to build on New Mexico’s conservation legacy and generate additional assets for a growing ecotourism industry, and strongly supports the purchase of the Ortiz Mountain Ranch as proposed,” the resolution states.
        The governor’s proposal has been controversial. Critics argue that the $2.8 million in federal stimulus funding proposed for the purchase could be put to better use, but the commission didn’t express those same concerns.
        “I think that this purchase is really good for the people of Santa Fe,” said Commissioner Kathy Holian. “It’s going to provide a lot of new, interesting recreational opportunities. I think it’s good for our tourists — we have a budding eco-tourism movement in our community, and it would be ideal for that.”
        Patience O’Dowd, president of the Wild Horse Observers Association, commended the commission on its vote.
        “I think in these hard economic times anybody who does not recognize that tourism is our No. 1 private sector employer hasn’t really looked into the issue of jobs,” she said.

http://www.abqjournal.com/north/132337198236north10-13-10.htm#ixzz12Gd1fAKI

Senator Udall’s office states he is ”prepared” to help us with the BLM in Placitas – but appears to be waiting to see if the Wild Horse State Park passes. The Albuquerque Journal has been railing away with 6 articles so far against the Horses. WHOA has responded to each. Governor Richardson has a plan and is not giving up. He needs our help until the Board votes.   The Board of Finance may vote in Oct or in November. We need to call each week until they do. WHOA has turned in 2,480 comments for a Wild Horse State Park in Placitas which shows that a Wild Horse State Park is wanted but they also need “fresh” and continued calls.

Please email or call the Board of Finance each week:  suzanne.romero@state.nm.us

Or call Suzanne Romero at:   505-827-4980 – Just say “For the Wild Horse State Park”.

Please note that the email is changed, and was wrong last time. If you have your previous email please resend it. This was my mistake. If you had copied me on it , I will re-forward it.

Thanks Much!!

A listing of the “news articles” and editorials shows the increasingly strident view of the Albuquerque
Journal with each item: 

• $2.8M Set Aside for Horse Sanctuary – Sept 17th – Mark Oswald
• Horses, Kids And Stimulus – Sept 18th – Thomas J. Cole, Upfront Column
• Governor Delays Vote on Sanctuary – Sept 22nd – Thomas J. Cole, Upfront Column
•  Wild Horses Couldn’t Drag Sense into Deal – Sept 23rd -Editorial 
•  Horse Haven Would be Exclusive Club – Sept 25th – Thomas J. Cole, Upfront column 
• Somebody Holler Whoa on Sanctuary – Sept 29th – Editorial

None of the news articles presented any information or quotes from proponents of the wild horse sanctuary, besides Governor Richardson himself, even though a chief proponent for New Mexico’s wild horses, the Wild Horse Observers Association (WHOA), sought out the Journal’s Thomas J. Cole to  provide comment.  In fact, the headline of their most recent editorial against the wild horses snarkily incorporated the organizations acronym.

In the earlier news articles and editorials the Journal clearly tries to promulgate a false choice: funding childcare assistance vs spending on wild horses. Why is it a false choice? The $2.8 million being allocated for the park expansion calculates out to a mere 0.07% of the $3.9 billion Federal stimulus  funds being directed to New Mexico. The budgetary category of “Family Safety Net” has already been allocated 8.18% of New Mexico’s share of stimulus funds. Also, the $2.8 million is but a fraction of the shortfall in childcare assistance funding.

Here’s an anecdotal sampling of other stimulus funded projects in New Mexico:

• 0.21%: Reconstruction of Existing Lanes fo NM 128, a rural road in Lea County (birthplace of Governor-Candidate Diane Denish). 
• 1.31%: Levee improvements in Dona Ana County (home to Governor-Candidate Susana Martinez 
• 0.06%: Improvements to Columbus US Land Port of Entry in Luna County (home of NM Senate Finance Chairman John Arthur Smith)

The primary point being made here is that, clearly, the expansion of Cerrillos State Park is not preventing the funding of childcare assistance, as there are many other choices, many of them larger, which comprise the allocation of the $3.9 billion of stimulus funds for New Mexico.  False Choice.

Many of the news articles and editorials attempt to make great hay (sorry for the pun) out of the  opposition of Governor candidates Diane Denish and Susanna Martinez, and State Senate Finance Committee Chairman John Arthurs Smith to the proposal. Here are some other anecdotal figures to  chew on:

• $1.9 million: Increase budget for DA office of Governor-Candidate Susana Martinez, from 2003 to 2009. 
• $2.8 million: Approximate cumulative budget for Lt. Governor office of Governor-Candidate Diane Denish, 2007-2010.
• $7.5 million: Expenses for 2010 NM Legislative Session
• $4.2 million: FY2010 Budget Recommendation for Legislative Finance Committee.

True, these numbers have no direct relationship to the proposed wild horse sanctuary, however, it does provide a sense of proportion to the cost of a project which is an investment into New Mexico’s and the  nation’s largest private sector employee, tourism. The Albuquerque Journal takes little note of the  financial benefits this investment in tourism will bring throughout the years to come.

Just to throw out another loosely related fact: 

• Energy and Natural Resources: Biggest Campaign Contributors to NM Senate Finance Chairman John Arthur Smith, 2004/2006/2008.

I’m just saying….

When Governor Richardson addressed the childcare assistance shortfall, the Albuquerque Journal changed tack and attacked the wild horses themselves, in the “Horse Haven Would be Exclusive Club” front page, below the banner news article (no, it was not labeled an Editorial or Opinion). The Journal  writer, Thomas J. Cole, merely repeated misinformation fed to him by the BLM regarding the existing wild horse herds in New Mexico, both underestimating their numbers and calling many of them “feral”.   The writer makes no mention of the role the BLM has played in the creating the current sad state of the  wild horses in the West.  The article also conveyed the BLMs viewpoints on the proposed wild horse sanctuary, without any countervailing viewpoints. The BLM is hardly a disinterested party when it comes to wild horses and certainly should not be the sole source for information on the subject.

Interestingly, when a Farmington-area BLM manager’s questionable ethics came into the spotlight last  month, the Albuquerque Journal could not be bothered to assign a reporter to the issue, but relied on AP reporting.

Amazingly, five negative articles and editorials in eight days was not enough. The Albuquerque Journal published another editorial on September 29th denouncing the wild horse sanctuary, “Somebody Holler Whoa on Sanctuary”. The Editorial contained no new information and no new insight, and so it seemed unnecessary, except to add more stridency to their opposition and to fit the acronym of the most vocal proponent of a wild horse state park to the headline, the Wild Horse Observers Association.

Press Release:  Governor Richardson Leads the Nation

• Creates First State Wild Horse Sanctuary
• Advocates for Wild Horses in Placitas NM

Governor Richardson has taken a bold step toward protecting the nation’s remaining wild horses and wildlife with his 9/16/2010 announcement that the State of New Mexico is purchasing the 12,000 acre Ortiz Mountain Ranch to create a wild horse sanctuary.  This is a strong message in opposition to the Secretary of Interior Salazar’s current plan that removes wild horses – our living heritage – from the West, to holding pens, at great and unnecessary on-going cost to tax payers.  

Richardson’s plan provides great opportunity for rural economic development through tourism, New Mexico’s and the nation’s, largest private sector employer.

At the same time, Governor Richardson in his September 6^th 2010 letter to the BLM, signed by Energy Secretary Jim Noel, has strongly advocated for the nearby, beautiful, free roaming, Wild Horses of Placitas.  These wild horses are also on the north end of the Sandia Mountains .  Governor Richardson effectively has asked that they be preserved and protected where they exist.

With each of these acts, and in unison, he has also taken significant action toward the protection of the Wildlife Corridor of the Sandia Mountains , as well as the overall Rocky Mountain Wildlife Corridor from Canada to Mexico .  Richardson has long worked to protect this corridor as chair and member of the Western Governors Association.

Richardson’s list of accomplishments for the wild horses of New Mexico is long, which go alongside his many renown accomplishments for the protection of New Mexico’s environment and animals, wild and domestic:

In 2007 Governor Richardson signed SB655, carried by the honorable Senator Komadina, which gave New Mexico ’s state wild horses legal status with commensurate protections on certain state lands.

In  2006 Governor Richardson wrote a letter to the USDA Forest Service Regional Manager to stop the round up at the Jicarilla Carson National Forest, advocating to maintain a herd size to preserve genetic viability and to preserve New Mexico’s last sizeable wild horse herd for Eco -Tourism. He even asked for the return of those horses already removed.

(2004 – 2007) Governor Richardson also presided over the New Mexico State Legislature during the unanimous passage of three Memorials in 2 years (2006, 2007) asking the BLM, USDA Forest Service, and First American Nations of New Mexico, to protect and preserve New Mexico’s wild horses where they exist, to utilize the Wild Horses for Eco-Tourism, and to utilize PZP, an immuno – contraceptive for population management. Another Wild Horse Study Memorial was passed under his auspices in 2004.

WHOA and wild horse advocates across the nation celebrate Governor Richardson’s action, bold leadership, and advocacy for this nation’s living legacy- our symbol of freedom – the Majestic Wild Horse. 

For the Open Spaces and the Wild Ones that grace them,

Patience O’Dowd President WHOA