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April 28, 2014 The Honorable Gary R.

Herbert Utah State Capitol Complex 350 North State Street, Suite 200 PO Box 142220 Salt Lake City, Utah 84114-2220 Via Facsimile: 801-538-1344 (8 Pages Total) Dear Governor Herbert, On behalf of the American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign, a national coalition, our parent organization Return to Freedom, Inc. and our coalition partner The Cloud Foundation, we write to you regarding your recent public statements about wild horses. As representatives of millions of American citizens who care passionately about the preservation of these animals, we respectfully request that you cease exaggerations regarding the number of wild horses in Utah, acknowledge that livestock grazing is by far the dominant use of federal lands in your state, and stop scapegoating wild horses for range damage to the public rangelands caused by massive livestock grazing. The very reason that the U.S. Congress passed the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act (the Act) in 1971 was to protect these iconic and cherished animals from states, localities and private individuals who were brutally rounding them up, slaughtering them and threatening the very existence of wild horses and burros in the American West. The Act protects wild horses and burros as living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West that contribute to the diversity of life forms within the Nation and enrich the lives of the American people. It was passed unanimously by Congress, testimony to the strength of the publics support for these animals. In fact, at the time, Congress received more mail about protecting wild horses than on any other issue except the Vietnam War. Americas wild horses and burros are the heritage of all Americans, and Americans overwhelming support maintaining and protecting these animals on our public lands. Americas wild horses and burros must be managed in the interest of all Americans, not the few who view mustangs as competition for cheap, taxpayer-subsidized grazing on our public lands.

American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign, PO Box 1048, Hillsborough, NC 27278

National polls demonstrate solid public support for protecting wild horses and burros on our public lands and strong opposition to the slaughter of horses for human consumption. By contrast, only 29 percent of Americans want to ensure that our public lands are available for livestock grazing. (Please see attached.) At the same time, the number of wild horses in Utah is dwarfed by the huge number of privately-owned cattle and sheep that graze the public rangelands. According to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM): Livestock grazing occurs on 22 million acres of BLM land in Utah, while wild horses are restricted to just 2.1 million acres. Fewer than 3,500 wild horses are estimated to live on BLM land in Utah (one horse per 600 acres), while hundreds of thousands of sheep and cattle graze the public rangelands in your state. The BLM allocates 55 times more forage to privately-owned livestock in Utah than to federally-protected wild horses. (23,472 AUMs [Animal Unit Months] to wild horses vs. 1.3 million AUMs to livestock)

Given the scarcity of wild horses in your state and the small amount of federal land designated as their habitat, your focus on these nationally-cherished animals is simply not justified. Please do not attempt to scapegoat wild horses for the damage to our public rangelands caused by livestock; the facts are clearly not on your side if you do. The media attributed the following statement to you on April 24, 2014, Some federal land sections are supposed to have 300 such animals allowed, but now have 3,000. Please specify the areas to which you are referring, as this assertion is simply not substantiated by facts. The BLM land use planning process provides the state of Utah with ample opportunity to have input into and influence over federal decisions. This influence is responsible in part for the grossly inequitable treatment of wild horses and burros on federal lands in your state. Ranchers in Utah and other areas of the West graze their livestock on our public lands for fees that are a fraction of market rate, thanks to our tax subsidies. It is highly ironic that the very individuals who avail themselves of federal subsidies are hostile to federal management of the public lands on which their livestock graze. If you continue to recommend that the state take over management of wild horses (something that would violate federal law), we trust that you will also recommend to Utah ranchers that they reject federal subsidies and instead pay market rate to graze livestock on the lands at issue. After reviewing the facts contained in this letter, we are hopeful that you will acknowledge the disparity of resources allocated to private livestock versus wild horses on federal land in Utah. Further, we urge you to clarify that all citizens, including those in Utah, must respect federal laws that mandates the protection of wild horses and burros. We understand that you do not

endorse the unlawful and violent behavior that has occurred in Nevada related to the case of Cliven Bundy, and we are certain that you would not want your public stance against wild horses to inspire similarly unlawful activity in your state. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely,

Suzanne Roy, Director American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign sroy@wildhorsepreservation.org 919-697-9389 On behalf of: Neda DeMayo, President Return to Freedom, Inc. Neda@returntofreedom.org 805-735-3246 Ginger Kathrens, Executive Director The Cloud Foundation ginger.kathrens@thecloudfoundation.org 719-633-3842

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