Lawsuit Filed for the Kiger Wild Horses in Oregon

For Immediate Release

October 2, 2024

Contact

Theresa Barbour, Oregon Wild Horse Organization, 541-315-6650, tjbarbour.owho@gmail.com  

Grace Kuhn, Western Watersheds Project, 804-218-4252, grace@westernwatersheds.org

Gayle Hunt, Central Oregon Wild Horse Coalition, 541-447-8165, gdhunt4@gmail.com 

Greens Sue Bureau of Land Management for Neglecting Livestock and Blaming Horses for Land Health Issues

BURNS, Ore. – Yesterday, a coalition of organizations filed a formal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court against the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to stop the agency’s controversial plan to gather and drastically reduce two herds of horses in southeast Oregon without first considering whether privately-owned livestock operations are to blame for degraded conditions. The lawsuit alleges that the BLM’s plan ignores the agency’s mandates to consider the environmental impacts of its actions and provide for a balanced use of public lands.

The plaintiffs argue that the true ecological threat to public lands in the Management Areas is overgrazing caused by livestock. Livestock grazing on public lands contributes to the depletion of native vegetation, soil erosion, and water pollution, negatively impacting biodiversity and fragile ecosystems. Despite this, the BLM continues to scapegoat wild horses while allowing commercial livestock to graze extensively, degrading the environment and outcompeting wild horses and wildlife for resources.

A report from Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) highlights that more than two-thirds of BLM-managed lands that fail to meet minimum Land Health Standards do so due to commercial livestock overgrazing. Meanwhile, wild horses account for less than 1% of these issues. The plaintiffs argue that rather than targeting wild horse populations, the BLM should scale back on livestock grazing to preserve the health of public lands and protect the Kiger herds.

The Kiger mustangs are revered for their distinct Spanish lineage and indigenous traits. Known for their distinctive dun coloration and striping, these horses have attracted the attention of horse enthusiasts globally. Their unique heritage even inspired the iconic animated film Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. The proposed population reduction threatens to strip these wild horses of their genetic diversity, putting their survival at serious risk.

“The BLM’s plan will reduce the Kiger herds to a point where their genetic uniqueness will be lost forever,” said Theresa Barbour, Executive Director of the Oregon Wild Horse Organization. “We cannot allow such a vital part of our natural and cultural heritage to be erased in favor of commercial interests.”

The lawsuit, filed by Greenfire Law, PC, claims that the BLM has violated several federal statutes, including the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, the Federal Land Policy Management Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. The plaintiffs argue that the BLM’s plan fails to properly assess the ecological impact of reducing the Kiger mustang populations to dangerously low levels and neglects its obligation to manage public lands in a way that ensures a thriving natural ecological balance.

“The Central Oregon Wild Horse Coalition is honored to support this challenge to BLM’s agenda to homogenize wild horse herds across the West—including the Kiger Mustang—and to proceed with removals without adequate analysis showing true HMA carrying capacity,” said Gayle Hunt, President and Founder of the Central Oregon Wild Horse Coalition.

“Wild horses make for convenient scapegoats for the Bureau to divert attention away from the true ecological catastrophe on the sage-steppe, the domestic cow,” said Grace Kuhn, with Western Watersheds Project. “If the BLM wants to get serious about managing public lands and maintaining ecological balance, they need to start properly attributing the cause of land health degradation.”

The plaintiffs are calling for the court to halt the gathers and require the BLM to consider alternative management strategies, such as reducing private livestock grazing in the HMAs.

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The Central Oregon Wild Horse Coalition is a nonprofit organization which exists to preserve wild horses in America; integrating the multiple aspects of advocacy to uncover the past and ensure the future of the native wild Horse.

Western Watersheds Project is a nonprofit environmental conservation group dedicated to protecting and restoring native wildlife and watersheds throughout the American West.

Oregon Wild Horse Organization is a national nonprofit organization that protects our native wild horses and their habitats to prevent them from becoming only a historical memory.