The "Pancake case," filed in January of 2022, has finally concluded with a big win for our wild ones.
The courts have affirmed that the Wild Horse and Burro Act is about more than just removal. This precedent setting ruling affirms that BLM has unreasonably delayed creating management plans. Herd Management Area Plans (HMAP) have been ignored for decades as BLM simply creates removal plans instead. The HMAP is where management goals and objectives and the steps that will be taken to achieve them are supposed to be set. The HMAP is where all of the things that YOU want to see addressed (numbers on range, forage, fire fuels, genetics, etc.) are supposed to be analyzed and data disclosed.
The court has told BLM they must finalize an HMAP within one year. Furthermore, she remanded the Gather-EA back to BLM for revision.
This case has far-reaching implications for all of our herds westwide. This ruling opens the door the BLM has steadfastly kept closed, the doorway to address real management. On range management planning (that includes disclosure of data and input from the public) must happen.
Without you, none of this would be possible. This is your victory. This is a victory for our wild ones that can reach far into the future.
Thank you for believing.
Wild Horse Education carries 3 additional cases already active in federal court. These cases continue to address the failures in management planning and data disclosure and build on the victory our wild ones received today. One of the cases we have active in the courts addresses the lack of an enforceable welfare policy; BLM failed to engage in formal rule-making that would make a standard of care enforceable.
Together, we will continue to be a groundbreaking force in the fight to protect and preserve our beloved wild horses and burros.