“Save the Mustangs” Fund Ready to Distribute $200,000
to Wild Horse Organizations for Long-Term Care of Horses
The Bureau of Land Management, Take Pride in America®, and Ford
Motor Company announced today that more than $200,000 raised for the “Save
the Mustangs” fund is ready for distribution to eligible wild horse
and equine rescue groups to help place thousands of mustangs into private,
long-term care.
The Save the Mustangs fund, established in May 2005 by Ford Motor Company
in collaboration with the BLM and Take Pride in America, builds public
awareness and support for wild horses. In less than a year, the
fund has generated more than $200,000 in contributions, including Ford’s
financial support for 2,000 horses, and has educated more than one million
visitors through an informational Website, www.savethemustangs.org. The
BLM, which manages more than 32,000 free-roaming horses and burros on
public lands, places thousands of these animals into good private care
each year. Take Pride in America, which administers the Save the
Mustangs fund, will distribute money to qualified wild horse and equine
rescue groups that purchase horses.
“As we promised last spring, the goal of the Save the Mustangs
program was to provide wild horses with a sustainable future, and we're
delivering on that promise as we assist those who are offering loving
homes for the mustangs,” said Ziad Ojakli, Ford Group Vice President
of Corporate Affairs. “I am very proud of the contributions
that Ford and other mustang lovers have been able to make in preserving
such a marvelous icon of American freedom.”
BLM Director Kathleen Clarke said, “The growth of the Save the
Mustangs fund, and the upcoming distribution of the money raised, is
good news for all who care about America’s wild horses and burros. I
want to thank all of the donors, especially Ford Motor Company, for supporting
our agency’s efforts to ensure good homes for America’s mustangs,
which are a living symbol of our nation’s Western spirit.”
Charged with maintaining public lands and protecting America’s
historic and cultural resources, Take Pride in America is committed to
supporting wild horses as living legacies of Western history and is encouraged
by the initiatives of private corporations, such as Ford, that contribute
to natural resource stewardship. “Save the Mustangs is a
program that not only protects the legacy of our wild horses and burros,
but also exemplifies a creative solution between the American public
and a private organization, a true representation of a cooperative effort,” said Michelle
L. Cangelosi, Executive Director of Take Pride in America.
Save the Mustangs Funds Ready for Distribution
In letters being sent this week to more than 300 non-profit wild horse
and equine rescue organizations, the BLM is urging the groups to buy
saleable wild horses and to apply for financial assistance from the Save
the Mustangs fund to help them in providing for the horses’ long-term
care. To qualify for the funds, groups must verify their non-profit
status by documenting their 501(c)3 standing; must show that they have
the capability to care for purchased horses; and must demonstrate to
the satisfaction of the BLM and Take Pride in America that they will
provide for the long-term care of the animals.
The BLM manages wild horses and burros under the authority of the 1971
Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. Congress amended this
law in December 2004, when it directed the Bureau to sell wild horses
and burros that are either more than 10 years old or have been passed
over for adoption at least three times. Since that time, the Bureau
has sold more than 1,700 wild horses and burros; currently, more than
8,000 are eligible for sale. The BLM’s sales program is separate
from its wild horse and burro adoption program, under which the agency
has placed more than 208,000 wild horses and burros into private care
since 1973. (For further information about the sales program, see www.blm.gov;
for adoption information, see www.wildhorseandburro.blm.gov.)
The Bureau, which is authorized by the 1971 law to make necessary removals
of wild horses and burros from the public lands, seeks to keep herd populations
at a level that allows them to thrive in balance with other rangeland
resources and uses. In managing the public lands for multiple uses,
the BLM has determined that the public rangelands under its jurisdiction
can support a free-roaming population of 28,000 wild horses and burros.
Take Pride in America® is a national partnership program that enables
individuals, civic groups, corporations, and others to volunteer in caring
for the lands shared by all Americans. Take Pride's goal is to
instill an active sense of ownership and responsibility in every citizen
for the nation's natural, cultural, and historic resources. For
more information, visit www.TakePride.gov.
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