Terri Farley

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

We Must Be Allowed to See the Treatment of OUR Horses

Dear Readers,

If we can't get BLM to change their treatment of wild horses out of a sense what's humane and right, we must make them allow cruelty while the whole world is watching.

Offering a whiff of sage to the wild ones - photo by Cat Kindsfather

That's what the following court case is about. That's why I testified yesterday & will return today.

The case of Laura Leigh v. Ken Salazar, U.S. Department of the Interior, et al continued in Federal Court in Reno, Nevada, February 19, 2013.

Two years ago, Leigh, a photojournalist, claimed viewing restrictions at the Silver King roundup of wild horses violated her First Amendment rights. Though she was denied injunctive relief, Leigh appealed.

The case continued with an emphasis on the press and public’s diminishing opportunities to document wild horse round-ups throughout the West, beginning in 2001 and continuing to the present.

Witnesses included: Elyse Gardner, humane observer at Pryor Mountain, Twin Peaks and Calico Complex round-ups; Sally Summers, director of HorsePower, an organization which originated Nevada license plates which picture a wild white horse and burro, proceeds from which benefit equine rescue; Bill Bauer, a veteran observer of round-ups in several states and Terri Farley, author of fact-based fiction and an early observer of wild horses round-ups in the Calico Complex.

As testimony ran into the second half of the day, Judge Larry Hicks issued a “heads up,” saying witnesses had established variable and diminishing opportunities to view wild horses at round-ups and BLM pens, however the court needed clarification on what constituted reasonable viewing opportunities.

Over the objection of Department of Interior Attorney Eric Peterson, Judge Hicks declared Leigh “the most knowledgeable journalist to observe wild horse roundups,” and let her take the stand to define reasonable access.

Citing the number of worldwide readers who depend on her research, Leigh insisted “unobstructed views” of her subjects and the ability to identify mustangs as individuals was most important.

On Wednesday, February 19, Federal witnesses are expected to state safety concerns regarding public attendance at the wild horse roundups and facilities they manage.

Labels: Attorney Gordon Cowan, Bill Bauer, Elyse Gardner, First Amendment, Judge Larry Hicks, Laura Leigh, press access, Sally Summers, terri farley