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ACTION REQUIRED: Forest Service is fencing the lower Salt River!!

Homepage Government ACTION REQUIRED: Forest Service is fencing the lower Salt River!!
Government, IN THE NEWS, Uncategorized

ACTION REQUIRED: Forest Service is fencing the lower Salt River!!

January 13, 2020
By Kristy
5 Comments
3316 Views

FOREST SERVICE IS FENCING THE LOWER SALT RIVER. MANAGEMENT GROUP WARNS PUBLIC OF DETRIMENTAL IMPACTS;

  • SALT RIVER WILD HORSES TO LOSE HABITAT
  • TUBERS/KAYAKERS TO BE HINDERED BY RIVER CROSS FENCE

What You Can Do To Help

We are declaring the week of Jan. 13th “Salt River Wild Horse Week” #SaveSaltRiverHorses please take one action a day or all in one day in support of these historic and cherished horses! Together, we will ask the Forest Service to nix the badly planned boundary fence, we will ask MCDOT to build an overpass, and will ask AZDA to choose Proposal 2 for the long term management of the Salt River wild horses.

Action #1: Write an email and contact the Forest Service

The new Local Mesa District Ranger Matt Lane

  • Email: matthew.lane@usda.gov
  • Phone: (480) 610-3301

The TNF Forest Supervisor Phoenix office

  • Email: neil.bosworth@usda.gov
  • Phone: (602)225-5200

In your email be polite but OPPOSE the planned boundary fence along 4 miles of the lower Salt river because it is detrimental to the horses and to recreational users of the Lower Salt River! It will also push too many horses into a high use human area, and has not been developed in an open and transparent public process. Ask them to explore alternatives with the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group. Also strongly OPPOSE habitat reductions of the south side of Bush Hwy and ask for an overpass!

Action #2: Email the AZDA

Email the director of the AZDA: SaltRiverHorses@AZDA.gov

Be sure to thank AZDA for its humane management so far and encourage them to continue that path. Please keep these comments very polite, no matter how passionate you feel. Here are some writing points:

[–start email template–]

I, [your name] of [your address]…

SUPPORT the SRWHMG and Proposal 2, the Humane Management Plan for the Salt River horses, including the SRWHMG’s fertility control program to humanely reduce the population of Salt River horses over ten years to achieve population reductions. This is the only proposal consistent with state law and the wishes of Arizonans!

OPPOSE the boundary fence along 4 miles of the lower Salt river because it is detrimental to the horses and to recreational users of the Lower Salt River! It will also push too many horses into a high use human area.

REQUEST the construction of an overpass at the location of Coon Bluff. Without an overpass, the horses will lose their grazing grounds and 40% of their habitat, on the south side of the road. This habitat provides a crucial part of their diet and migrating patterns.
OPPOSE any and all removals of Salt River horses from their historic habitat.

URGE the AZDA to adopt an enforceable and official rule to prevent harassment of the horses by establishing a 50 ft distance for approaching the Salt River horses in order to protect public safety, this would make protection of the horses real as well as consistent with the law.

[–end email template–]

Action #3: Contact the Maricopa Department of Transportation (MCDOT)

John Counts is in charge of improvements on Bush Hwy.

  • Email: JohnCounts@mail.maricopa.gov
  • Phone: (602) 723.6764

His Supervisor

  • Email: TraciRuth@mail.maricopa.gov
  • Phone: (602) 506.8628

In your polite but urgent communications please request a wildlife and wild horse overpass over Bush Hwy ASAP or they WILL lose 40% of their critical habitat and grazing grounds! Please also sign our upcoming petition asking MCDOT for an overpass!

Action #4 : Contact Governor Ducey

Thank Gov. Ducey for his support & ask him to continue to stand strong for the Salt River horses. Ask him to save their critical habitat by appropriating funds for an overpass. #SaveSaltRiverHorses

Also post a graphic on his Facebook page on day 4 of our action plan.

Action #5 Send a monthly donation to the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group

Send a monthly donation to the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group so we can continue to fight these plans and to help pay for the humane management of these horses. Even a few dollars a month makes a difference. Without your support, we cannot provide the humane management that they deserve, and that would also cause their removal.

MORE INFORMATION:

On our website see:

  • Long Term Wild Horse Management Plan
    • Includes the final collaborative report, which includes the three proposals and on page 13 you can see the comparison between the proposals. Also includes SRWHMG and AWHC final letter to collaborative.
  • Map of river fence planned by Forest Service.

See Press Release below.

—

Mesa, AZ (January 12, 2020)…. The Salt River Wild Horse Management Group (SRWHMG) today reacted to news that the Tonto National Forest intends to begin construction of a nearly four-mile, metal fence along the banks of the lower Salt River, warning that the fence will have devastating impacts to protected wild horses as well as to forest visitors.

The management group urged the Forest Service to drop plans to construct the fence and criticized its failure to disclose and analyze the boundary fence’s many serious impacts, which include blocking wild horses from accessing their critical river and historic habitats on both sides of the river, creating a risk of starvation and dehydration. The fence will also harm tubers and kayakers by forcing them to pass through a gate in the fence across the river, raising public safety and aesthetic concerns.

“We are alarmed that the Forest Service did not consider the fence’s negative impacts to the Salt River wild horses, who are protected under state law, and to the thousands of kayakers, tubers, hikers and wildlife viewers, who enjoy this beautiful area of the Tonto National Forest,” said Simone Netherlands, President of the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group. “We call on the Forest Service to suspend construction immediately and explore alternatives.”

The group is also concerned about Forest Service fencing along Bush Hwy. While SRWHMG shares the goal of keeping horses out of the roadway, the current fencing, once closed, will cut off horses from the entire south side of Bush Hwy, almost half of their historic habitat. This will result in a severe concentration of horses exactly where the most people are, putting people and horses on a course to collision, making future wild horse removals highly likely. SRWHMG has advocated for a wildlife overpass over Bush Hwy as a solution, but this is NOT currently included in the fencing plan. WE NEED AN OVERPASS.

“We believe that cutting the Salt River wild horses off of half of their historic habitat and building fences to keep them away from the river is not consistent with the state law that protects the Salt River wild horses, which mandates that they be protected ‘where they have historically lived,’” Netherlands concluded.

Today, SRWHMG, with its national coalition partner the American Wild Horse Campaign, are launching a Week of Action to Save the #SaltRiverHorses to protest the fence and weigh in on the Arizona Department of Agriculture’s pending decision on a permanent management plan for the horses.

To stay updated please click “see first” on our Facebook page so that you will see our action alerts! Please stay tuned.


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5 replies added

  1. M martin January 16, 2020

    Please put in the over pass.

  2. david Huffman Sr. January 18, 2020

    I think the overpass is the way to go… or maybe an underpass, or very large culvert if you will.

  3. Pingback: We want to be "HERD". - Salt River Wild Horse Management Group

    […] NOTICE: Want to help? View our action plans here! […]

  4. Pingback: Meetings at Tonto National Forest - Salt River Wild Horse Management Group

    […] NOTICE: Want to help? View our action plans here! […]

  5. Pingback: 900 bike riders rally for the horses! - Salt River Wild Horse Management Group

    […] Want to help? View our action plans here! […]

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2022 SRWHMG Calendar

2022 SRWHMG Calendar

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It is our goal to protect and preserve the Salt River Wild Horses in their current habitat. To get our alerts please sign up and get involved!

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UPDATES

  • Who sais stallions can’t be buds? Sunday, 19, Jun
  • Part two of Celise and Ceasar’s story. Saturday, 18, Jun
  • It’s important to be cool to wild horses. Thursday, 16, Jun
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Salt River Wild Horse Management Group updated their profile picture.

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It is pretty sad that our Salties have to put up with so much human hussle and bustle in order to simply get to the water and survive. But at the same time, the horses deal with it in amazingly smart ways, and most of the public is also very good and loves the horses. It is no small job to watch out for the horses and for people on a daily basis. We try to be where the most public is, to provide information, and the AZDA and MCSO do that as well, which is great. All authorities work together in our neck of the woods, which we are very proud of because it is a testament to the professionalism and capabilities of our group. When people say they worry about the horse overpopulation, we say we worry about the human overpopulation, because we have the horse population 100% stabilized and under control. So far this year we actually have no foals at all yet, which is surprising even to us, who have made these lofty promises about PZP forever and ever. Now there is no more doubt about it, PZP works better than most of us thought it would. When you come see the Salt River wild horses, please take a close look at the mares and you will see that they are healthy as a ....... , lol. When you look at this picture let's also look at the bigger picture, which is: coexistence between wild animals and wild partying people is possible after all. We are very proud of this peaceful coexistence and if people could just spread the message to stay 50 ft from wild horses at all times, and spread the message to pick up after yourselves, then everything may just be ok. We urgently need your support for our programs, with gasprices wildly insane, we still need volunteers on the river patroling, and we still need darters out darting, and we still need caretakers coming to take care of our rescues. Please join us and become a supporter of the Salt River wild horses so that we can make sure they will be here for a long time to come. Thank you, SRWHMG.ORGPicture by Paris Park Photography. ... See MoreSee Less

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Here is the adorable video we promised of Grandma Celeste, yearling mother Celise and Ceasar when he was brand new. We made a little psa with it which we hope you will share, so that people from everywhere can understand how sentient and loving wild horses are. They deserve far better than the treatment they so often get from the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. (BLM). Luckily in our neck of the woods, we have agreements with the Tonto National Forest and a contract with the AZDA that makes it possible for us to manage these wild horses humanely through birth control. It is because of these agreements that a roundup and removal was prevented, and it is why they get to stay wild for all of the public to enjoy. We believe that solutions like this should be possible for all wild horses everywhere. This is why we appreciate your support so much, because wild horses deserve better. Join us in our important mission. Video by SRWHMG Rick Blandford, editing by Simone Netherlands. ### The Salt River Wild Horse Management Group (#SRWHMG) is an accredited non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to the protection and humane management of the Salt River wild horses under contract and partnership with the Arizona Department of Agriculture (AZDA). SRWHMG does not charge the government for this management and does not receive any government grants. We run 100% on donations from the public who loves these horses. We proudly manage wild horses humanely for the public and by the public. To learn more or to join us in this important cause please go to WWW.SRWHMG.ORGOr donate through our Donate button on our page which also gets to SRWHMG directly. Thank you! ... See MoreSee Less

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Sunday, 19, Jun
Who sais stallions can’t be buds?
Saturday, 18, Jun
Part two of Celise and Ceasar’s story.
Thursday, 16, Jun
It’s important to be cool to wild horses.
Thursday, 16, Jun
Look what Neiman is doing this morning!! Aww!
Thursday, 16, Jun
We did something really awesome today….
Tuesday, 14, Jun
Wild horses often share their meals together with the ones they love.

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Salt River Wild Horse Management Group
  • Home
  • Donate
    • Sponsor a Horse
    • Jade’s Legacy Fund
    • Bequest Form
    • Supplemental Feed Program
  • Updates
    • Long Term Plan
    • In the News
    • HB2858
  • Info
    • Background
    • FAQs
    • Wild Horses Have Value
    • History of Wild Horses
    • Horse Viewing Guidelines
    • Protected by AZ State Law
    • How Long Have They Been Here?
    • Humane Birth Control
  • Video
  • What You Can Do
    • Sponsor a Horse
    • Donate
    • Volunteer
    • Corporate Sponsorship
  • Shop
  • Donor Dashboard