Even though Congress, like all of us, is focused on the Covid19 crisis, it is still business as usual for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 appropriations bills, which will fund the government beginning October 1, 2020. This means that wild horses and burros will once again be threatened by anti-horse groups, the Bureau of Land Management and certain members of Congress.

AWHC has been working very hard to make sure that language is included in the FY 21 bill to require the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to utilize the scientifically proven fertility control vaccine, PZP, to humanely manage wild herds and to prohibit the BLM from conducting invasive and dangerous sterilization surgeries, like ovariectomy via colpotomy, as a management tool.

We are very grateful for Congressional wild horse champions Rep. Raul Grijalva (Arizona), Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, and his colleagues Dina Titus (Nevada), Steve Cohen (Tennessee), and Deb Haaland (New Mexico) for requesting the following legislative language:

"No less than 10% of the Bureau's budget shall be spent to implement scientifically proven, humane, reversible fertility control, and the Bureau shall report to this Committee within 12 months of enactment the detailed methodology and results of such a program. Of that 10%, the Bureau shall prioritize pilot public-private partnerships with non-profit organizations for the implementation of scientifically proven, humane, reversible fertility control programs where appropriate. No funds shall be used for surgical sterilization procedures on free-roaming horses and burros."

The members of the Appropriations Committee can take a giant step toward actual reform of the BLM's inhumane and unsustainable wild horse and burro roundup program by incorporating this language in FY 21 spending legislation.

Please personalize and send the letter below to your Representative and Senators asking them to convey support for the language to Appropriations Committee Members and Leadership.