Ep #23: A Vision for Wild Horses
January 1, 2024
Ep #25: Spending Time with Wild Horses: Interview with Angelique Rea and Sandy Sisti
January 29, 2024
I am very delighted to have Erik Molvar with me today. He’s a guest with vast knowledge about the health of our Western public lands, the role of wild horses on it, and the unfortunate, long-running systematic abuses that occur to both.
A wildlife biologist and executive director of the Western Watersheds Project, Erik Molvar is also an author of many hiking and camping guidebooks, a contributing writer and professional photographer for fiction and non-fiction work, and a lifelong activist/supporter for natural ecosystems. The Western Watersheds Project is a conservation nonprofit whose mission is to protect and restore wildlife and watersheds throughout the American West.
Today’s episode focuses on the intersection of our beloved wild horses, ecosystem/land health, and various government agencies and livestock industries more interested in profits. Listen to this informative interview with Erik Molvar as he shares his expertise and insight about these issues, along with solid solutions to protect those without a voice.
Subscribe to my blog to get more information on how you can help America’s wild horses.
What You’ll Learn from this Episode:
- What wild horses, livestock grazing, and public lands have to do with a wildlife biologist.
- Why the livestock industry is responsible for most ecological damage to ecosystems, not wild horses.
- How the BLM and livestock managers manipulate, in their favor, wild horse management and grazing leases.
- When solutions such as checkerboard areas, land swaps, and consolidation of private and public lands can help prevent ecosystem erosion and save resources.
- Why and when public pressure and congressional action have come together to create impactful positive change.
Listen to the Full Episode:
Featured on the Show:
- Follow along on Facebook and Instagram!
- Living Images by Carol Walker
- Wild Hoofbeats Blog
- Wild Hoofbeats: America’s Vanishing Wild Horses by Carol Walker
- Western Watersheds Project
- Map: Livestock grazing on Wild Horse Herd Management Areas
- Wyoming’s Red Desert: A Photographic Journey by Erik Molvar
- Wild Horse Annie Act
- The Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Protection Act, HR 3656
- Erik Molvar: “How federal land and wild horse management really work” – Elko Daily Free Press (Nov. 2023)
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11 Comments
Thank you for sharing this so sad for Our wild horses 🙏I will share this news.
Excellent pod cast. Eric always has beneficial, educational information and I agree with his opinions regarding range management. He is definitely a super star in efforts to save the wild horses and burros.
This interview with Erik Molvar of WWP was just excellent. Congress and Senate and President should all be required to listen carefully to this, as well as the officials of BLM and USFS! If we are going to save these wonderful returned native horses! I would also like to add that people should support the Voluntary Grazing Permit Retirement Act bill, H.R. 6314 as a very important way of restoring the wild horses and burros and other wildlife at truly long-term-viable population levels in commensurate complete habitats, respective to each of these equid species.
Excellent! Finally this issue of livestock grazing on public lands and HMAS is being addressed! Erik has done the research and knows his topic very well!
Rock Springs Grazing Association is very powerful,and the checkerboard ownership is a huge issue!
Sad indeed the only way to seek change is with a lawsuit!
Our government refers to wild horses as “livestock”,they are not livestock under any definition.
wow just WOW so informative. It really is about $$$ not environment or natural wildlife or range management. Thank you for your AMAZING pictures Carol and information Erik.
This is a no brainer. The cattle damage the land let alone the issues with the methane. How can people forget how horses are beneficial to the land for several reasons. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to figure this out. Many of us have home vegetable gardens. Who uses cow manure for their veggie gardens? Nobody. But, horse manure is like gold. That is just one example.
If we can stop the inhumane and horrific helicopter roundups and the transport of horses to slaughter that would be a big win. The cruelty to these animals has to be a top priority.
Whatever it takes. Some may be animal lovers and some may care about the environment. We have both sides. Thanks to Erik !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is a great podcast and very informative! One of the main things I have started working on is stopping livestock grazing on public lands since it really affects all wildlife. The book, Welfare Ranching: The Subsidized Destruction of the American West, is so helpful with understanding how ranching affects the West. I learned a lot from it.
The BLM has to be made to get out of bed with the cattle ranchers! This land was designated long ago for the wild horses and burros, NOT CATTLE! Stop the cruel roundups and see the wild horses and burros have access to water. There is no overpopulation, that’s manufactured by the BLM to try and legitimize their horrific abuse of these majestic animals!
This session gave me renewed inspiration to continue the fight to get the BLM to make the changes to save our wild horses. So much info in here. More “ammo” points to use against the BLM and cattlemen. Range degradation by cattle, non-edible cheat grass taking over the range and turning it into barren land, save the range, save the horses. Many good points brought up and a bigger picture. Thank you both for such an informative session.
I found this information, by chance must have been God.
Thank You the chance to find out what is happening is priceless thank you.