Fall in the Arizona high country.

[StarryNite]

These horses part of the Heber wild horse herd. This is the only herd in Arizona with a designated Wild Horse Territory and under the protection of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971. Unfortunately the public lands ranchers want the Forest Service to remove them all so that they can put out more cattle.

These particular horses are all bachelors.

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[Bayard]

1. Ranchers don't get to demand anything!

This seriously pisses me off. This is OUR land, and those are OUR horses!



But, I've done this rant on DU a number of times.

[StarryNite]

2. Exactly Bayard!

But the Forest Service is in the process right now of finishing off their Heber Wild Horse Territory management plan which will allow them to cull the herd down to a nonviable number. We are trying to save the horses. There is a petition being circulated to make the Heber herd a "study herd" for a period of 5-7 years.

Some of the wording on the petition:

That the Secretary of Agriculture, TOM VILSACK, declare the HEBER HERD of NORTHERN ARIZONA a “STUDY HERD” for the next 5-7 years as requested by the NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES IN 1980; (As ordered by PRIA, Public Rangelands Improvement Act and never carried out by the BLM and FS)