Steamboat Springs students raise $1,000 to repair wild horse water source

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, CO—Erica Gallagher, a science teacher at Lowell Whiteman Primary School in Steamboat Springs, was one of 13 educators who toured the Sand Wash Wild Horse Herd Management Area, located 25 miles northwest of Maybell, in September. She and other teachers learned that two of the four developed water sources supplying the herd had gone dry that summer.

“I realized that these horses are a piece of our living history,” Gallagher said.  “I wanted to bring the connection of American history and the wild horses to my students.”  

She took her experience back to her school, where the student council voted unanimously to get involved in repairing the water source. Gallagher, parents and students began organizing a car wash to raise money.

The students approached Frank Cefaritti, owner of Steamboat Springs’ Mountain View Car Wash, asking if they could rent his facility for a day to host a fund-raiser. Not only did Cefaritti like the idea, he donated the use of his carwash and one of his employees to help with the effort.

The students raised $1,000 during their Oct. 25 carwash. The money will be used to repair water facilities at Coffeepot Spring and Sheepherder Spring in the Sand Wash area.

"I am amazed at the initiative taken by Erica, the local parents, community members and students to make the car wash such a success," BLM Wild Horse Specialist Valerie Dobrich said.  "These individuals recognized the wild horses' dilemma and jumped in to help." 

The Sand Wash wild horse herd has been managed by the BLM since 1974.  The herd ranges in size between 163 and 362 wild horses.  The horses are descendents of ranch stock and cavalry horses and stand between 14.5 and 16 hands.  The herd has colorful variations ranging from pintos to grays, roans, sorrels, bays and palominos.

Dobrich plans to meet and personally thank the students later this month with a visit featuring two tamed wild horses from the Sand Wash herd. Work on the springs is scheduled for 2004. For more information on this project or the Sand Wash Wild Horse Herd Management Area, contact Valerie Dobrich at 970-878-3839.

 -BLM-