A state lawmaker, Rep. Kelly Townsend, wants to officially claim the Salt River horses as state property, hoping to protect the animals from being removed in the future. Townsend has introduced HB2572, which would give the state jurisdiction over the Salt River horse herd, which lives in the Tonto National Forest.
For her concern, Townsend has become the subject of a sleazy campaign by the same group that tried to claim the horses were dying of dehydration. A Facebook post reveals that Simone Van der salm Netherlands, president of the two year old Salt River Wild Horse Management Group (SRWHMG) has planned to attack Townsend through a “fb page against kt (Kelly Townsend). It should be called KT a CN. Or the people of district 16 against KT. Destini and amber can run it under fake profiles though. Netherlands advises “friends” that “Nothing can appear to be driven by SRWHMG.”
According to Forest Service documents, the Salt River horses have literally been loved to death and now those who fostered the deadly situation are rejecting efforts by Arizona Rep. Kelly Townsend to protect the animals. As mentioned above, Townsend’s HB2572, would give Arizona jurisdiction over the horses that currently occupy the Tonto National Forest.
Townsend’s bill is trying to resolve the situation created in part by the fairly new and very controversial organization, Salt River Wild Horse Management Group, made false claims about the horses being “in imminent danger of dying from dehydration,” according to an email from Neil Bosworth of the Forest Service. In response, “a notice of intent to impound livestock on the Mesa Ranger District” appeared in the Arizona Capitol Times, according to the Bosworth email.
In a memo dated December 15, 2015, Forest Service officials noted:
- The stray horse numbers have grown to the point that their safety is in question and the safety of the public has become an issue.
- In spite of easy access to natural water sources, watering troughs, salt and hay were placed on the forest by private citizens away from the river, drawing the horses to the most heavily-recreated and high traffic areas.
- Many of these horses are not used to human contact and are spooked easily. The risk of someone being kicked or hurt has increased as the herd’s population has grown.
- And well-meaning individuals have fed and watered the horses, habituating them to the most recreated areas.
- Between January 1, 2013, and August 4, 2015, Maricopa County documented at least 30 incidents involving these stray horses, from reports of horses on or near a road to vehicle accidents with horses.
- Twenty-six of these calls for service were to report horses on or near roads. Four of the calls for service resulted in a vehicle accident involving a horse, which required one horse to be put down.
- People have asked that the horses be cared for and managed, which is something that the Forest Service has no authority to do.
In early July 2015, horse advocate groups wrote the Arizona Congressional Delegation requesting that the Tonto National Forest take immediate action to prevent inhumane and unnecessary death by dehydration. The Delegation, along with the American Wild Horse Preservation campaign, was notified by the Forest that the horses were not dehydrated. They were, in fact, less than four miles from both Saguaro Lake and the Salt River and there was no barrier preventing them from accessing water. Forest personnel have repeatedly observed these horses along the river and adjacent to the Butcher Jones campground at Saguaro Lake, and news footage confirms this.
Because as Bosworth notes in his email, “… There is no Wild Horse territory on the Tonto National Forest, so these horses are not protected under the Wild Horse and Burro Act of 1971,” Townsend sought a solution that would allow the state to manage the horses.
However despite complaining about the federal government’s treatment of the horse, Van der salm Netherlands is raising money and a ruckus demanding that the federal government take control.
For her part, Townsend, an animal lover, believes that the horses are Arizona’s treasure. She hopes a reputable Arizona group will come forward and enter into a management agreement with the Arizona Department of Agriculture to manage the horses.
HB2572 also would make it a misdemeanor to “take, slaughter or euthanize” a Salt River horse.