Protect the wild horses in Modoc National Forest from brutal helicopter roundups! By Marybeth Devlin It is good to know that the US Forest Service is promoting adoptions of wild horses. However, no roundup should occur. Inadequate Population of Wild Horses in Devil’s Garden The International Union for the Conservation of Nature recommends a minimum-viable population (MVP) of at least 2,500 for a wild-horse herd. The arbitrary management level (AML) for the wild horses of The Garden — 206 to 402 — is way-below MVP. The AML implies that each wild horse needs 578 to 1,129 acres. But how many acres does BLM estimate each cow or calf needs? Answer: 38 acres. So, absolutely, The Garden’s 232,500 acres could support 2,500 horses at 93 acres per horse. I further note that it was USFS who split the horses’ habitat into 2 sections and, in so doing, took away 25,500 acres, which were then given over to commercial livestock, which already had many more grazing slots than the horses. Indeed, USFS allows nearly 4,000 cattle to graze in The Garden, where the horses are supposed to, by law, have principal use. Read more here: http://protectmustangs.org/?p=9434 Then contact your elected officials and tell them to fix the situation with a fence--not a cruel roundup costing about $600,000. Keep sharing this petition out to double the numbers ASAP. In face of the current mustang-hating climate, America's wild horses need more signatures to let politicians know you are serious and you want them protected not slaughtered. Thank you for helping America's wild horses! With gratitude, Anne Novak Executive Director Protect Mustangs P.O. Box 5661 Berkeley, CA 94705 Contact@ProtectMustangs.org www.ProtectMustangs.org A member of the Alliance for Wild Horses and Burros