International March for Mustangs Centres Around Washington Rally

Written by Press Release, on 24-03-2010 11:45

The US public will gather in Washington and three supporting cities on March 25th for what is becoming an international March for Mustangs. Award-winning Actress and advocate, Wendie Malick will headline the press conference at the D.C. protest press conference in Lafayette Park beginning at 1:30pm.
Country Music Artist, Clay Canfield, will debut his impassioned song “Wild Horses” at the close of the Rally. Advocates are coming from around the country and will conclude the rally by marching to the BLM Office at 1849 ‘C’ street with flags and banners. Malick and Canfield will be joined at the press conference by author Hope Ryden, “America’s Last Wild Horses”, Ginger Kathrens, Emmy-Award winning filmmaker and Cloud Foundation Director, Author RT Fitch and more.

"We are coming together to save America's wild horses, who are in grave danger of disappearing from our public lands” explains Wendie Malick. “We are calling for an immediate moratorium on all roundups, which have proven to be inhumane, expensive and unnecessary."

Building on over 25 protests in the U.S., singer/songwriter Maria Daines will lead the London protest organized by Cornwall’s Voice for Animals in front of the U.S. Embassy, calling for the protection and preservation of the world’s beloved American mustangs. In London voices will ring out with “Obama, hear our voices—protect America’s horses!” The London Rally will take place from 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Sign-wearing advocates will walk the Las Vegas strip from 12:30 - 3:00 p.m. on March 25th, collecting signatures and educating the public about the cruel and expensive mismanagement of American mustangs and burros—over half of which are in Nevada.

Los Angeles will join the March for Mustangs and Actress/Advocate Mariana Tosca will appear at this most recently announced rally. The public will rally from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. in front of the U.S. Federal Building at 11000 Wilshire Blvd. in the Westwood Area.

“Advocates and members of the public worldwide are disgusted with the treatment of America’s wild horses and burros and are protesting Salazar's expensive plan for the removal and destruction of the last American wild mustang herds,” explains Ginger Kathrens, Director of The Cloud Foundation.

March for Mustangs comes to Washington just as Secretary Salazar attempts to persuade Congress to provide at least 42 million dollars to fund moving the first group of 26,600 western indigenous wild horses to the Midwest and East. The horses would be placed on private lands purchased at taxpayer expense. The Secretary proposes leaving only about 27,000 wild horses and burros on their remaining 30 million acres of public rangeland across ten Western states. Herds occupied at least 54 million acres at the passage of the 1971 Wild Horse and Burro Act and the public wants captured wild horses returned to those or equivalent public lands. Highlighting the disconnect between the American public and the Department of Interior/BLM, the Salazar Plan would only further the fiscal train wreck that the Wild Horse and Burro program has become. The Secretary has so far ignored the fact that privately-owned livestock destructively graze public lands by the millions, outnumbering wild horses and burros at least 50 to 1 on BLM-managed lands alone.

As a result of the costly 40-day Calico Roundup, at least 79 mustangs have died and nearly 40 females have aborted their late term foals in the Fallon, Nevada holding pens—where the death toll rises daily as a result of the winter roundup. Neither humane observers nor the public are permitted to observe the branding and BLM “processing” now underway.

The March for Mustangs kicks off with a sneak preview of James Kleinert’s latest documentary film, Disappointment Valley ... A Modern Day Western. Sheryl Crow, Viggo Mortensen, Daryl Hanna, Michael Blake, Ginger Kathrens and others are featured in the star-studded documentary that examines the politics behind the BLM’s controversial policies for public lands and mismanagement of America's wild horses and burros. The screening is Wednesday, March 24th, 6:00 p.m. at Busboys and Poets, 14th and V, in Washington, D.C. Following the screening a Q&A with Kleinert and Kathrens is scheduled. The sneak preview is free and open to the public. RSVPs are appreciated, please contact bslagsvol@mac.com or makendra@thecloudfoundation.org, 719-351-8187.

Protests Planned for Washington D.C., Las Vegas, Los Angeles and London this Thursday.

Visit the Cloud Foundation for more info.


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