{"id":403,"date":"2017-07-03T02:57:58","date_gmt":"2017-07-03T02:57:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.saltriverwildhorsemanagementgroup.org\/?page_id=403"},"modified":"2017-07-03T02:57:58","modified_gmt":"2017-07-03T02:57:58","slug":"faqs","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/staging.saltriverwildhorsemanagementgroup.org\/?page_id=403","title":{"rendered":"FAQs"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Frequently Asked Questions about the Salt River Wild Horses:<\/b><\/h3>\n
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1. What are Salt River wild horses?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Salt River wild horses are the historic and majestic creatures roaming the lower Salt River in the Tonto National Forest in Arizona, USA. They are the pride of the community,\u00a0 and the icon of the wild, free spirit of the American West.<\/p>\n

These wild horses were brought into the limelight during\u00a0 an epic battle\u00a0 for their protection; the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group rang the alarm bell and together with the public, gave them a voice. Through congress with Federal and State governments, we worked toward positive solutions. It worked; while almost gone forever, today the Salt River wild horses are protected pursuant to Arizona Revised Statute 3-1491 (aka the Salt River Horse Act).\u00a0 We are under contract with the AZ Department of Agriculture (AZDA) to manage this herd humanely, which is a great success.<\/p>\n

So close to being gone forever, the Salt River wild horses still roam peacefully on 20.000 acre habitat along the banks of the lower Salt River, enjoyed by the thousands of visitors to the Tonto National Forest.<\/p>\n

However, there are still organizations who would like to see them gone and they have now sued the Tonto National Forest over NEPA requirements and are asking a federal judge to halt the humane management of the Salt River wild horses. Once again, we have to fight to defend them. If you’d like to help, we have started a gofundme for legal fees.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

2. Are the Salt River horses wild and native horses, or stray livestock\/feral horses?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Salt River wild horses are a historic population of unbranded, unclaimed, wild and free-roaming horses that were born in the wild and are now protected by State Law within the national forest.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Evidence indicates that wild horses have been living on the lower Salt River since well before the Tonto National Forest was created in 1902. \u00a0It is believed that the herd is descended from the Spanish horses brought to Arizona by Spanish missionary Father Eusebio Kino in the 1600\u2019s.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]\"saltEarly evidence of their existence is easily found in the Arizona State Archives, in an Arizona Champion Newspaper<\/i> article, dated January 25, 1890, which classifies horses in the Salt River Valley as \u201cnative stock.\u201d To be considered native stock at that time, there had to be at least 5 generations who knew about them, so this article effectively dates them back to 1790.<\/p>\n

The Salt River Horse Act, was passed and signed by Governor Doug Ducey; this bill establishes and clarifies that the Salt River horses are indeed \u201cnot stray livestock\u201d.<\/p>\n

In the research for the 2015 court case and injunction against the roundup, more evidence, and many eyewitness accounts chronicle the presence of free roaming horses on the lower Salt River throughout the modern era, into the 1970s, (when the Wild Free Roaming Horses and Burros Act was passed), to the present day.<\/p>\n

It was found that the FS\u2019 claim in 2015, that the Salt River horses are not \u201cwild\u201dand thus had to be removed, was based on a 1974 FS letter that acknowledged \u201cdense riparian vegetation \u2026 makes it very difficult to \u2026 even observe these animals.\u201d The decision to deny the Salt River horses protection under the 1971 Act ran counter to the longstanding FS policy to manage these horses prior to 1971. In fact, then FS Regional Rangeland Ecosystem Specialist Curtis M. Johnson stated that the horses \u201cwere not considered unauthorized \u2026 they were considered wild horses\u201d and managed as such throughout the 1960s under the Multiple Use Sustained Yield Act of 1960.<\/p>\n

In a May 17, 1979,\u00a0Phoenix Gazette<\/i> article, Perl Charles, a former Forest Service official and noted conservationist (for whom many hiking trails are named) confirmed that the horses were wild and had been present on the Salt River \u201cfor 35 years that he knows of, and maybe since the turn of the century.\u201d At the time, Mr. Charles was advocating for protection of the population of around 50 wild horses, stating, \u201cIt\u2019s a delightful thing to watch them running free.\u201d<\/p>\n

During his career with the Forest Service, Perl Charles estimates he rounded up and removed more than\u00a03,500 head of wild horses within the national forests. Therefore, Perl Charles should be a credible authority on identifying wild horses, versus alleged \u201cbranded\u201d Indian horses present at the time.<\/p>\n

Simply put, the claim that these horses were stray livestock\u00a0 was not supported by historical evidence. When the “notice to impound”\u00a0 was published on July 31st 2015, no one – including neighboring tribes or the State of Arizona \u2014 claimed these horses.\u00a0 Therefore, it may be assumed that they are actually wild horses and not stray livestock.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row gap=”30″][vc_column][vc_column_text]2. Do the Salt River horses help or harm the environment?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Of the 8 million annual visitors to the Tonto National Forest and the thousands of animals who call it home, <\/b>the herd of free-roaming horses living along the lower Salt River is compatible with, and supportive of, a healthy ecosystem. \u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

There are\u00a0no scientific data<\/i> published in any peer-reviewed journal about the Salt River wild horses or the lower Salt River habitat. Yet still, some organizations claim there is “no vegetation left” because of the horses. This is 100% false. Horses have both positive and negative affects on their environment, just like any other species.<\/p>\n

\"eagles<\/p>\n

Claims that these horses might pose a threat are based on scant research in other \u00a0geographic regions that are not relevant to the lower Salt River region. The data from these regions indicate that wild horses have both positive AND negative impacts and environmental benefits, much like ANY other wildlife species, including birds.<\/p>\n

In fact, the 12-mile stretch where t\"seedlings<\/a>he horses still roam is one of the most biologically rich areas along the entire 200-mile Salt River, in spite of the human caused challenges it faces. Photo-documentation accumulated by members of the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group supports this observation with evidence over long periods of time. That evidence shows healthy and growing trees, seedlings sprouting from horse manure, abundant plants and flourishing wildlife diversity in the very area on the river where the horses roam.<\/p>\n

Bald eagles on the river have been making a comeback since the early 1980s, and eagle nesting was particularly successful this year in the exact area that the horses call home, according to the Audubon Society.\u00a0 The horses and the bald eagles have been cohabiting \u00a0together successfully and may even have a symbiotic relationship.<\/p>\n

The Salt River Wild Horse Management Group cares deeply about the area, not only about the wild horses, but also about the birds, the environment and all other wildlife.\u00a0 Volunteers pick up trash every single day and we work with conservation groups in any and all environmental projects. Picking up the ever growing trash and pollution benefits the ecosystem in which thousands of species have been harmoniously cohabiting for centuries. The lower Salt River should be preserved as is for future generations to come.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]3. What are other pressures on the environment in this area?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The lower Salt River faces a myriad\u00a0 of human-caused challenges that should be addressed before scapegoating wild horses. \u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

\"stewart-mountain-dam\"<\/p>\n

The Salt River ecosystem in the Tonto National Forest is impacted by many factors, including agricultural activities and heavy recreational use. The Salt River is littered with trash, and the bottom of the river has accumulated several layers of aluminum cans in areas. Legal, as well as illegal, recreational use has impacted the riverbanks and the soil conditions. Items such as fishing wire, lead bullets, metal and downed barbed wire, pose a serious safety hazard to wildlife, as well as to people and wild horses. The SRWHMG Habitat Improvement Program focuses on the cleaning of wild horse habitat and our members pick up bags of trash on the river daily.<\/p>\n

In addition, the health of this natural habitat is heavily impacted by Salt River Project\u2019s (SRP) policies regarding water levels and the volume of water released from the Stewart Mountain Dam.<\/p>\n

The recorded levels of output from Stewart Mountain Dam show less than 8 cubic feet per second (CFS) released for months on end during the winter, which is less than 1 percent of the average output of 900 cubic feet per second during the summer months. Then in contrast, every year there are also huge floods of over 20.000 CFS, which have a serious affect on the riparian area sweeping away tree saplings and trash alike.<\/p>\n

Water levels, obviously, have a significant effect on plants, aquatics and animal life in the area. We believe this to be a potential source of adverse outcomes, for both wild horses as well as the riparian areas along the Salt River.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]5.\u00a0 Why is it so important to preserve these wild horses?<\/b><\/p>\n

It is crucial that we make informed decisions based on what future generations of Americans would want us to do. \u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

These wild horses are important to the local, environmental and global communities for many reasons, including recreational enjoyment and economic, cultural and educational contributions. The herd is iconic, representative of nature at its best: wild and free.<\/p>\n

It is also accessible \u2014 tourists and photographers come from all over the nation to see these wild horses, should their numbers be reduced, it would be far too difficult for people to find them.<\/p>\n

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the wildlife viewing industry in the U.S. garners a figure that grows every year. Wild horse ecotourism, in particular, is on the rise. On the Salt River, visitors can spend an entire day with wild horses for \u00a0just $8 \u2014 the cost of a Tonto National Forest day pass. The Salt River wild horses draw visitors to the area, providing a boost for local businesses and the economy.<\/p>\n

These horses are also important to the Salt River Pima and Fort McDowell Sovereign Nations and as such are protected by both tribes because of the horses\u2019 long and rich heritage with indigenous peoples and because of their historic and cultural significance.<\/p>\n

Local high schools and universities have taken their classrooms outdoors to study the wild horses. Very few urban areas exist where students can travel a short distance to gain tremendous experiential knowledge in an outdoor classroom that extends beyond a school\u2019s four walls. Educational seminars about the wild horses are offered routinely at the Usury Pass Center on the Salt River.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]6.\u00a0 Who supported protecting these horses?<\/b><\/p>\n

The USFS notice of intent to remove the Salt River wild horses caused the SRWHMG to jump into action which provoked strong public outrage in 2015. Hundreds of people attended our rallies, thousands of people contacted the Forest Service and our elected representatives in Congress and the State House spoke out. These are links to the letters written by\u00a0 U.S. Senators Jeff Flake and John McCain,\u00a0<\/a>U.S. Representatives Matt Salmon, David Schweikert and Krysten Sinema,\u00a0<\/a>and\u00a0U.S. Representatives Martha McSally, Ann Kirkpatrick, Michelle Lujan Grisham<\/a>, who all sent attached letters to the USFS. In addition, the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community\u00a0<\/a>released a strong statement of support \u00a0for the protection of the horses. Hundreds of organizations and businesses, as well as literally thousands upon thousands of people, were strongly<\/i> opposed to the removal of these animals. In fact, nearly 300,000 people had signed a petition<\/a> calling for their protection. Governor Doug Ducey was instrumental in finding a solution and proposed that if the Federal Government didn’t want to protect them, that the State would. It was the unprecedented outrage and the voice of the public, that saved the Salt River wild horses.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/twitter.com\/dougducey\/status\/628984777807413248?ref_src=twsrc^tfw[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]7.\u00a0 What is the current management arrangement? <\/b><\/p>\n

Pursuant to the Salt River Horse Act, The USFS\u00a0 and the AZDA have entered into an Intergovernmental agreement and the AZDA has hired the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group for the humane management of the Salt River wild horses.
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\"Tonto<\/p>\n

While almost gone forever, today the Salt River wild horses are protected, pursuant to Arizona Revised Statute 3-1491 (aka the Salt River Horse Act). This partnership between the Federal government, the State Government and a Non Governmental Organization (NGO) is a one of its kind and our groundbreaking program is finding the balance between it all. Key components of the humane management plan include:<\/p>\n