A Wrap On 2025

Hello there,

I hope you have had a nice holiday season. As the Year of The Snake comes to a close, we are thrilled to welcome The Year of The Horse in 2026!

It's truly mind-blowing that 2025 has already reached its end. This has been another action-packed year filled with projects, happenings, and unexpected situations that require immediate attention. It's on 365 days a year, and there's no slacking off to say the least.

This year we saw our fair share of very large wildfires. Three total, with the third being at our front door. It was surreal to witness and nerve-wracking. Locals and fire crews from about the West descended upon our region with bravery and might as they fought the fast-growing fire, winds, and challenging weather patterns. I am so taken by the way the local community comes together for one another. Fire crews accessed roads through the Preserve to reach our north border and were able to protect our property. It was a nail-biter. That said, fire is necessary for the health of the environment, and I knew I'd end up a bit envious of the green grasses that would replace the charred landscape... I just didn't expect it to be in November and December. The warm temps and moisture have brought the hills to life early with beautiful greens that shimmer in the late-day low sun.

We are continuing to make headway, but this is a Mt Everest-size project, so we still have a long way to go. One foot in front of the other, 15 years and counting. Among the countless infrastructure projects on our to-do list, we completed our corral system, and part three of a long-term research project was successfully accomplished. We’ve continued tackling the arduous task of rocking roads for access, fencing, and spring development. I also ended up taking on the role of farmer this fall and spent eight long weeks clearing our river field of thistle, knapweed and cocklebur, to then seed with 9000 pounds of pasture grass and triticale. It ended up being a monumental undertaking that I did not expect to be so involved and time-consuming. I now have an even greater respect for farmers and what it takes to grow successful crops. The upside is that grasses are already growing with this warm fall weather, and it's quite exciting to see that hard work paying off. The antelope, deer, elk, geese, ducks, and horses are also thrilled by the new green bounty.

This spring I was also able to get back to some remodeling work on the double-wide. Finally, I was able to paint the exterior wood siding we replaced in 2023, and we got the leaking roof replaced. Then the crazy heat and flies hit hard, so further work has to wait for better conditions. Just in time for winter, we were able to replace the old pump. We have been running power to the eight water tanks for heaters, so I don't have to break ice daily in the dead of winter. As well, it's a treat to have some overhead light in the corrals when it gets dark at 5:00. As for the endless equipment and vehicle breakdowns, and the challenges of being an hour from the nearest town... I'm being tested pretty good.

While these are a few of the things we've done in 2025, most important of all is that we have 250 healthy and happy wild horses here at the preserve. We remain hands-off. They continue to live on their terms, and it is fascinating to witness the dynamics between horses, family bands, and herd interaction as a whole. At the end of the day, they always come together as one. Additionally, we had another successful year of conservation work on the range in Idaho with an incredible crew, and we look forward to this continuing in 2026.

My appreciation is boundless for those who continue to support Wild Love Preserve because it makes our work possible. Presently, we have some very big infrastructure projects and equipment to fund. At this eleventh hour, if you would be interested in making a year-end donation, it would have a tremendous positive impact. Thank you so much for your consideration and for choosing to make a lasting difference in wild lives for future generations to equally experience and nurture.

Here’s To A Wild Year of The Horse!

Andrea + Our Whole Wild Crew

Below is a story from November 2025 about Wild Love Preserve. On-Line Read Here.

Magazine cover photo by Spike Mafford.

Wild Love's Mission + Travels

I’m a visual artist and photographer, and in 2010, I founded Wild Love Preserve. We are a grassroots, boots-on-the-ground nonprofit with kindness, respect, conflict resolution, science, and education driving our mission to protect and preserve western wild horses in their natural habitats and nurture the legacy of respective indigenous ecosystems as an interconnected and balanced whole with regional engagement and benefit.

By design, Wild Love Preserve engages public and private lands to address all facets of regional wild horse conservation by bringing diverse stakeholders together in a new light. This includes our longtime collaboration with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and work on the range in Idaho since 2012, to our adopted 225+ Challis-Idaho wild horses following the 2012 and 2019 Challis BLM roundups, bait-trap gathers, returned Idaho wild horses from other adopters, future Idaho wild horses, and Wild Love’s permanently protected wildlife preserve in Oregon. 

Our multifaceted approach and pioneering model in wild horse conservation over the last 15 years have been rooted in boots-on-the-ground action and bridging divides. We engage the Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service, cattle ranchers, environmentalists, scientists, wildlife biologists, wild horse advocates, youth employment groups, and regional communities. Our 10,000-acre wildlife preserve serves as an outdoor research environment with wild horses continuing to lead our way in restoring, nurturing, and protecting habitats, water sources, and wild lands for all indigenous species from the river to the cliff tops in a lasting manner. Everyone counts at Wild Love Preserve.  -Andrea Maki

Thank you for continuing to support of our conservation work. Your heart and action have a lasting impact in wild lives and their respective habitats at Wild Love Preserve.

LOVE IS ACTION

SUPPORT WILD LOVE PRESERVE

Wild Love Preserve's 15th Anniversary

In April 2025, Wild Love Preserve marked 15 years of hard work and due diligence. We have remained steeled in our mission, convictions, and the original concepts we set forth in 2010. We have persevered through countless challenges and achieved things many believed were impossible, or didn't want to see succeed. We never followed; instead, we offered change through boots-on-the-ground action, kindness, and mutual respect, because problems can’t be solved at the same frequency they originated.

Wild Love Preserve created a new and inclusive approach to wild horse conservation on home turf that engages diverse stakeholders and has become a model for other wild horse regions throughout the West. Some, who felt threatened and tried to shut us up or shut us down over the years, now follow Wild Love Preserve’s model in wild horse conservation, even attempting to claim our concepts as their own "innovative ideas" and capitalize on them. Truth always prevails. What matters most is that people do the things they can to help and to serve our iconic wild horses and the wildlands they call home. Wild Love Preserve's heart is forever wild, true, determined, and only grows with time.

Wild Love's Mission + Travels

I’m a visual artist and photographer, and in 2010, I founded Wild Love Preserve. We are a grassroots, boots-on-the-ground nonprofit with kindness, respect, conflict resolution, science, and education driving our mission to protect and preserve western wild horses in their natural habitats and nurture the legacy of respective indigenous ecosystems as an interconnected and balanced whole with regional engagement and benefit.

By design, Wild Love Preserve engages public and private lands to address all facets of regional wild horse conservation by bringing diverse stakeholders together in a new light. This includes our longtime collaboration with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and work on the range in Idaho since 2012, to our adopted 225+ Challis-Idaho wild horses following the 2012 and 2019 Challis BLM roundups, bait-trap gathers, returned Idaho wild horses from other adopters, future Idaho wild horses, and Wild Love’s permanently protected wildlife preserve in Oregon. 

Our multifaceted approach and pioneering model in wild horse conservation over the last 15 years have been rooted in boots-on-the-ground action and bridging divides. We engage the Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service, cattle ranchers, environmentalists, scientists, wildlife biologists, wild horse advocates, youth employment groups, and regional communities. Our 10,000-acre wildlife preserve serves as an outdoor research environment with wild horses continuing to lead our way in restoring, nurturing, and protecting respective habitats, water sources, and wild lands for all indigenous species from the river to the cliff tops in a lasting manner. Everyone counts at Wild Love Preserve.

To those who have joined us on the wild ride, I want to express my deepest and most sincere appreciation for your good energy and support over the years. The difference you make carries lasting impact in wild lives and their respective habitats at Wild Love Preserve.

LOVE IS ACTION

Andrea Maki

For our 15th Anniversary, I've brought back the original Wild Love T-shirt I designed in 2010, when Wild Love Preserve first took flight. We’re keeping it wld! -AM

Click on image below or here to get your Wild Love T-Shirt.

An Anniversary Story

Wild Love’s 13th Anniversary + First Anniversary at Our Forever Home

Somehow, another year has spun around, and we find ourselves celebrating two game-changing anniversaries in the life of Wild Love Preserve this April 2023. 

As many already know, April 1 marks 13 years since Wild Love took root in Idaho with a promise I made to 21 adopted Challis wild mares from the BLM’s 2009 Challis roundup to help if I could. In addition, this year we're celebrating our first anniversary at our forever home in Oregon!

In 2022 a generous donor made our move to Wild Love’s permanently protected wildlife preserve a reality. It is a remarkable wild expanse that meets and exceeds our short and long-term conservation goals for our iconic wild horses, native wildlife, and their natural habitats. Our big move also resulted in Wild Love's wild horse conservation work expanding to include Idaho and Oregon.

Keep going. Suffice it to say, at this point I’m exhausted and wish there were more hours in a day. We’ve worked nonstop over the last year on numerous projects that nurture the well-being and lasting wildness of our 225 wild horses. We work for them daily. My dad and I make quick trips home every 2-3 weeks to check the mail, do laundry, and shower. Thankfully, I have a cousin living a couple of hours from the preserve, so some supply runs include swinging by for quick showers.

A year ago, we started out camping next to the horses. Through the spring rains, the extreme heat of summer, and crazy 115-degree days with no air-conditioning. I don’t miss having to break down camp to make a water and ice run to town every couple of days. The ticks almost did us in, and I’ll not forget almost stepping on a rattlesnake. 

Fall brought shorter days and cooler temps, and in November, we transitioned to a makeshift indoor camping setup when we took on the remodel of a 2001 double-wide that had housed various ranch hands, all of whom left their marks behind. You've gotta work with what you’ve got, but in this case, it was utterly demoralizing when we first opened the door to find what remained. To best sum it up, one of the dogs walked in and did their business on the floor in response to the situation. 

Regardless, we had to tackle the beast because we needed a roof over our heads through the winter and daily hay feeding of the horses. As my dad scraped the windows to let the light back in, I cleaned and painted the main bedroom for him to move in from his tent and be warm. Next was the living room and creating a clean space for our camp chairs and table. Then, in January, we got a couch, and Santa gifted us a television, both immensely appreciated when it's freezing outside and dark by 4 pm.

The kitchen is a work in progress. Everything seems to take longer than I'd like, even though we're going at it every day. I set up a temporary kitchen in the other bedroom with a single electric burner, a cheap microwave, and a mini fridge. We need to build a pump house and install a new water tank and filtration system for usable water inside. It’s been bottled water for the last year. The rest of the place, small bathrooms, roof, and replacement siding, will happen in time. Outdoor projects for the horses come first. To date, I'm still sleeping in my 2005 Suburban on the dog beds with my German shepherd Kodiak in the passenger seat. She loves the setup, but I’m looking forward to the day I can stretch out on a human bed after a long day's work.

As a wildlife preserve, wild horses continue to lead our way to protect and nurture this wild environment and all its inhabitants as an interconnected and balanced whole. Native wildlife and respective habitats are already benefitting from our work, and the horses are over the moon. Safely moving our 225 Idaho wild horses to our permanently protected home last June and July was a really big job. Now, we're working on the next steps by tackling the many infrastructure projects necessary to ensure their lasting wildness on their terms. We have vital irrigation and water projects facing us, roadwork to address, and miles of wildlife-friendly perimeter fencing to build and secure before we can release the horses to roam thousands of acres of permanently protected habitat at Wild Love Preserve. We have ranching equipment to purchase and repair, corrals to repair, outbuildings to restore, and more. 

Time is flying by. The grasses are growing and greening in the high meadows. Wildflowers will soon follow, and we are working toward opening the gates for our 225 wild horses to roam the preserve on their terms, but we are in need of help to make it happen asap. My hope is that by sharing our position, some may be interested and able to help. I know the world is challenging to navigate these days, so your support at this time is all the more meaningful and appreciated. Our goal is to collectively raise a minimum $250K toward Wild Love's infrastructure and operations fund. While this is a large number, it's just a number that can be broken down into smaller bits. No donation is too small and every bit adds up.

As a 501(c)3 charitable nonprofit, 100% of all donations benefit the well-being of our 225 adopted wild horses. As a legacy project, Wild Love Preserve is a reflection of us all and will carry forward for countless generations. Thank you for considering a special anniversary donation at this time. The difference you make is lasting.

Special Anniversary Donation

Big Love,

Andrea maki + Wild Love Preserve,

A New Year

HERE'S TO A WILD 2023!

May you be as fired up about the new year as our crew this last morning of 2022.
Volume up.

Hello there,

Due to circumstances and challenging internet service here on the wild side, I wasn't able to make the year-end video and wrap-up I had envisioned. 

2022 was a transformational year for Wild Love Preserve. Perseverance and tenacity finally paid off after 12 long yet purposeful years. With our big move to Wild Love's permanently protected wildlife preserve, we expanded our conservation work to include Idaho and Oregon. 

In June, we convoyed 187 of our Idaho wild horses to our forever home in Oregon. In July, we convoyed another 21 wild mares we adopted from the BLM's 2019 Challis roundup, plus heavy equipment. And in September, we rescued five slaughter-bound mustangs, two of which were Challis geldings born to mares from the 2019 Challis roundup. I made and posted videos on the Wild Love youtube page, or you can click here to visit our website's video page.

The Wild Love Wildlife Preserve will be protected in perpetuity. As we move into 2023, we are full steam ahead as we stay true to our mission set forth in 2010 to protect and preserve western wild horses and their respective indigenous habitats as an interconnected whole on and off our public lands. 

Wild horses continue to lead the way for Wild Love. We have our work cut out for us in the months ahead with habitat restorations, wild horse management, conservation projects, water projects, and perimeter fencing projects, to name just a few. I'm rather late in the game, but in this eleventh hour, if you would be interested in helping us with a year-end tax-deductible gift, our appreciation would be immeasurable. Truly.

As we say adios to 2022, I want to express special thanks to all those who have and continue to support our conservation work. Please know the difference you are making carries a lasting impact in wild lives. Together we are keeping it forever wild! 

Big Love,
Andrea + Wild Love Preserve ❤️

Below are some highlight pics from Wild Love's Instagram page.

Year-End Giving

The Betty White Challenge + Wild Love Preserve

Betty White Challenge: Donate

In honor and memory of the incredible Betty White and her lifelong devotion to loving and helping all animals and creatures, we are participating in the Betty White Challenge. It is a privilege to do so.

Betty White was known for her charitable work and outspoken activism for animal causes. January 17 would have been her 100th birthday. In celebration of her birthday and legacy, the Betty White Challenge invites compassionate hearts to donate to animal causes in her name.

For us, the Betty White Challenge will benefit our daily wild horse operations and winter hay expenses for our 185+ Challis-Idaho wild horses. Our goal is to raise $25K from now through January 17.

Wild Love's 185+ Challis-Idaho wild horses, include the 42 needing placement from the BLMs 2019 Challis helicopter roundup that we successfully adopted. As per our mission, we adopt those not otherwise placed through BLM adoption programs and as we did with the 130+ wild lives we secured following the 2012 Challis roundup.

The ongoing fallout from the pandemic, extreme drought, and inflation have hit us very hard. As we continue with our efforts to raise capital to purchase land for our permanently protected wildlife preserve and subsequent move, it was necessary to orchestrate modified plans to secure the remaining 42 Challis wild horses at our leased location. Because of the drought, supplemental winter hay prices have skyrocketed to $250+ per ton, resulting in additional challenges. 100% of donations made in the name of Betty White will support our 185+ permanent residents that live forever wild and together at Wild Love Preserve. We do not adopt out or gentle any wild horses.

Thank you for helping us help them by considering a special donation to Wild Love Preserve in honor of the one and only Betty White. May her bright light and example forever shine like a beacon for all to follow.

Love is Action,
Andrea Maki + Wild Love

Betty White Challenge: Donate

Mailing Address:

Wild Love Preserve • 8202 NE State Highway 102, #102-33 • Kingston, WA 98346

Help Solve This Crime

ALERT: The BLM is still looking for the person or persons responsible for shooting and killing 2 Challis mustangs in the Spar Canyon area of the Challis HMA. These killings happened around November 14, 2021.

This is an egregious and illegal act which comes with serious consequences. The BLM is offering a cash reward for any information leading to the arrest of the responsible individual(s).

If you have any info, please contact BLM Law Enforcement at 208. 524. 7590.

Thank you for your help in solving these two illegal killings asap.

42 Wild Lives

Well, here we are again at another year's end. It's surreal how quickly time passes. As 2021 draws to a close, we want to share news that 42 is the total number of wild lives we've secured from the BLMs 2019 Challis roundup. This total count of wild horses needing placement includes the first group from July 2020 and wild Challis mares this winter. 



That said, Wild Love is wrapping 2021 with a year-end fundraising drive in hopes of rallying your collective support and meeting our goals for 2021 in this eleventh hour. 100% of all tax-deductible donations directly support wild horse needs for our 185+ and our conservation programs on and off the range. We're sharing our story below, with which many are already familiar. 



In 2010, when I founded Wild Love Preserve in central Idaho, I set about creating a new and inclusive means of wild horse management on home turf by bringing stakeholders from all sides together in a new light. I imagined that if I could turn regional wild horses into an asset for the community, region, and state, everyone would win, and our model could also help other wild horse regions in the West. Many thought I was crazy and said it would not be possible, but I believe we can always find common ground when we choose to rise above drawn lines.

Wild Love Preserve is a WE project, and as a 501(c)3 non-profit engages public and private lands to address all facets of regional wild horse populations on home turf with community engagement and benefit. From our collaborative work on the range with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to our, now, 185+ adopted Challis-Idaho wild horses and the creation of our permanently protected Idaho wildlife preserve. Kindness, mutual respect, conflict resolution, accountability, science, and education drive the Wild Love mission to protect and preserve western wild horses in their native habitats and nurture the legacy of respective indigenous ecosystems as an interconnected whole by way of bridging divides and working together.

The Idaho BLM's November 2019 helicopter roundup of the Challis wild horses was the first conducted since 2012, versus every 2-3 years, due to our collaborative work on the range following the 2012 roundup and successfully slowing population growth with the fertility vaccine Native PZP-1YR. Wild Love Preserve also ensures that Idaho wild horses removed from public lands have an opportunity to remain wild and together on their native turf.  In July 2020 and winter 2021, we secured the 42 wild horses from the 2019 Challis roundup needing placement. As per our mission, Wild Love adopts and purchases those Challis-Idaho wild horses that do not find homes through BLM adoption programs, and is in keeping with the 130+ wild lives we secured following the 2012 Challis roundup. Once with us, they live a forever wild and together and on their terms at Wild Love Preserve. 

The pandemic and extreme drought have severely impacted us and our vital fundraising efforts. While continuing to work tirelessly to raise the capital to acquire our permanently protected wildlife preserve and subsequent move, it was necessary to orchestrate a Plan B and C to adopt these 42 Challis wild horses at our leased location. Supplemental winter hay prices have skyrocketed because of the drought adding additional challenges. As we continue to address these multi-layered logistics, our 2021 capital campaign has been in motion to raise $500,000 for wild horse operations for our 185+ permanent residents, wild horse conservation and education programs. Your support helps us help them, and keep us moving forward at this most purposeful time.

As a legacy project, Wild Love Preserve includes our innovative wild horse conservation program, conflict resolution, education platform, youth programs and employment, comprehensive range health fixed on sustainability, and public engagement. Since 2013 Wild Love programs, on and off the range, have saved taxpayers over $8.5 million and resulted in new forms of revenue for the regional community. The creation of our permanently protected Idaho wildlife preserve is central to our work, nurturing and ensuring the lasting wildness of this indigenous ecosystem as an interconnected whole through our diverse partnerships. Our preservation of America’s iconic wild mustangs and respective wild places speaks to our greater good, now and for future generations.

As a humanity project, Wild Love Preserve was created to show through action what we can achieve by working together. The seeds we plant today, shape our tomorrow. Your support translates into lasting wildness for our iconic wild horses and respective wild places. If you would like to learn more or help with a tax-deductible donation, click below.

Thank you for your instrumental support.

Andrea Maki + Wild Love Preserve

Make A year-End Donation

Stakeholder Interviews in Wild Mustang Doc Featuring Wild Love

This 30-minute segment from the one-hour documentary "Off The Beaten Path: Wild Mustangs" that aired Sept 25, 2021, includes interviews with some of the diverse stakeholders Andrea Maki and Wild Love Preserve have brought together and worked with over the last 11+ years in Idaho and nationally. Please note, while host Tony Naddaf's descriptive intros are in Arabic, all of the interviews are in English. We hope you will find this segment and the respective views of stakeholders helpful and of interest as it relates to the work of Wild Love Preserve and conflict resolution.

Stakeholder interviews include Andrea Maki, Wild Love Preserve Founder + President; Stone Gossard, Pearl Jam; Stephen Bauchman, Challis Creek Cattle Co; Kevin Lloyd, Idaho BLM, Challis Wild Horse + Range Specialist; John W. Turner, Ph.D., Dept. of Physiology + Pharmacology at University of Toledo College of Medicine; Kim Frank, Executive Director, The Science and Conservation Center; and Steve Adams, Executive Director, Youth Employment Program in Salmon, Idaho.

Film footage by Andrea Maki features Challis-Idaho wild horses at Wild Love Preserve and on the range, remote darting with the fertility vaccine Native PZP, and the 2016 Science and Conservation Center training workshop taught by Kayla Grams with WLP stakeholders and Idaho BLM. Helicopter roundup footage is courtesy of Ginger Kathrens, founder of The Cloud Foundation.

Imperative to note, remotely darting wild horses does not harm them, albeit no one enjoys getting a shot in the rump. Watch the video to learn about the production and implementation of Native PZP in the field.

In October 2020, a film crew traveled to Challis, Idaho to film this wild horse documentary featuring Wild Love Preserve and the Challis wild horses on and off the range for Alhurra public television with the host Tony Naddaf.

Since 2004, Alhurra is a United States-based public Arabic-language satellite TV channel broadcasting news and current affairs programming to more than 16.5 million people in 22 countries in the Middle East and North Africa funded by the U.S. Congress through the U.S. Agency for Global Media.

Watch the full-length "Off The Beaten Path: Wild Mustangs" documentary on YouTube here.

All stakeholder interviews are in English.

2022 Wild Love Calendar

Our 2022 Wild Love Calendar is now available to purchase online!

PURCHASE HERE

Special thanks to all who have contacted me asking about this year's calendar. It means a lot that they are so enjoyed and looked forward to each year. I've included mini-pics of this year's selection below, featuring some treasured moments I have had with Challis-Idaho wild horses on the range and at Wild Love Preserve. They are magnificent sentient beings with unique personalities and curiosities, and their love and trust are an honor, privilege, and gift like no other. This love is pure, wild, and forever.

As always, the calendar is full-color and available in two sizes: 8.5x11" and 11x14"
100% of the proceeds benefit Wild Love Preserve.

Thank you for your kindness + support, Andrea Maki

NEW Wild Horse Documentary Features Wild Love

Last October 2020, we had a great time filming with the awesome crew that traveled to Challis, Idaho to film “Off The Beaten Path: Wild Mustangs” for the Alhurra TV documentary on America’s wild horses for public television. We filmed at Wild Love Preserve, on the Challis HMA, and host Tony Naddaf interviewed the BLM and some of the stakeholders we've worked with over the last decade+. It has been a much-appreciated opportunity to share our story and wild horse conservation work with this extended global audience.

Below is a 10-min segment and interviews with Andrea and Stone Gossard, along with the 1-hr documentary on YouTube. All of the interviews are in English and make up the majority of the show, however the narrative by the host is still in Arabic. Note: Footage includes demonstration of remotely administering the fertility control vaccine, Native PZP-1YR.

Watch stakeholder interviews.

WATCH ABOVE: This 30-minute segment from the one-hour documentary includes interviews with some of the stakeholders Andrea Maki and Wild Love Preserve have brought together and worked with over the last 11+ years in Idaho and nationally. While host Tony Naddaf's descriptive intros are in Arabic, all of the interviews are in English. We hope you will find this segment and the respective views of stakeholders helpful and of interest as it relates to the work of Wild Love Preserve and conflict resolution.

Stakeholder interviews include Andrea Maki, Wild Love Preserve Founder + President; Stone Gossard, Pearl Jam; Stephen Bauchman, Challis Creek Cattle Co; Kevin Lloyd, Idaho BLM, Challis - Wild Horse + Range Specialist; John W. Turner, Ph.D., Dept. of Physiology + Pharmacology at University of Toledo College of Medicine; Kim Frank, Executive Director, The Science and Conservation Center; and Steve Adams, Executive Director, Youth Employment Program in Salmon, Idaho.

Film footage by Andrea Maki features Challis-Idaho wild horses at Wild Love Preserve and on the range, remote darting with the fertility vaccine Native PZP, and the 2016 Science and Conservation training workshop taught by Kayla Grams with WLP stakeholders and Idaho BLM. Helicopter roundup footage is courtesy of Ginger Kathrens, founder of The Cloud Foundation.

Imperative to note, remotely darting wild horses does not harm them, albeit no one enjoys getting a shot in the rump. Watch the video to learn about the production and implementation of Native PZP in the field.

WATCH BELOW: Full Length Documentary on YouTube. *All Interviews Are In English.

Alhurra is the United States-based public Arabic-language satellite TV channel that has been broadcasting news and current affairs programming to more than 16.5 million people in 22 countries in the Middle East and North Africa since 2004. Alhurra is operated by the Middle East Broadcasting Networks based in Virginia and is funded by the U.S. Congress through the U.S. Agency for Global Media.

Horsetalk Magazine in New Zealand shared this story about Off The Beaten Path: Wild Mustangs Idaho Mustangs Featured in New Wild Horse Documentary

Updates + Ask For Action

Friends - We have game-changing updates to share. As I write this, things are fast-moving and I'm working to meet the shifting demands. As such, I'm reaching out to ask for your help in meeting our goal.

First up is the drought in the West. As of July, we're being hit hard. Hay prices have skyrocketed to $200 per ton and the price continues to escalate. As part of our Keeping It Wild in 2021 campaign, we now have $150K to raise asap to lock in the price and supply for our supplemental winter hay to Spring 2022. To note, while we remain at our leased 400-acres supplemental winter hay is necessary from late Fall to Spring. This will change once we're finally able to move to our permanent home and wild expanse.



Second, back in July 2020 we adopted and secured the lives of the first group of 24 Challis wild horses first group of 24 Challis wild horses from the BLM's 2019 Challis helicopter roundup, bringing our number of permanent residents to 165. (Watch the video below.) Now, we have the second group of 20 wild Challis mares to adopt in early September. As per our mission, we are adopting and purchasing the Challis-Idaho wild horses from the 2019 BLM roundup not otherwise adopted, and as we did following the 2012 Challis roundup. Once with us, they live forever wild and together on their native turf in Idaho at Wild Love Preserve. We do not adopt out or gentle any wild horses.  
Due to the impacts of the pandemic, we’ve made necessary adjustments to ensure our work remains in full-swing on all fronts, albeit we are not where we had worked so hard to be by this time. We continue our search for like-minded benefactors to support our permanently protected Idaho wildlife preserve and subsequent move. During this 11th year of Wild Love's wild horse conservation work in Idaho, our Keeping It Wild in 2021 in 2021 campaign goal of raising $500K is to fund operational expenses with our 165+ Challis-Idaho wild horses, our 400-acre lease, supplemental winter hay, the implementation of our wild horse conservation and education programs on and off the range, and the logistics of adopting the remaining Challis wild mares from the 2019 BLM roundup. Time is of the essence.

While writing this letter, I feel compelled to share that fundraising is not something I enjoy. It is a necessity. More often than not, it is incredibly demoralizing. I know times are very challenging for everyone, and for that reason, I'm all the more appreciative of your time and consideration.

Lastly, I want to share a giving method some donors prefer because it does not cut into their disposable income or cash assets. It is a stock donation. And for those hesitant to redeem stock that has increased significantly in value because of capital gains tax, donating the stock to Wild Love Preserve can avoid this tax. It is a win-win! To learn more, visit: Donate Stock To Wild Love Preserve

As a 501(c)3 nonprofit, 100% of every donation helps fund our boots-on-the-ground work. Special thanks for considering a tax-deductible gift at this time. The difference you make with your support makes all the difference in wild lives and lasting wildness.

Love is Action. Thank You!

Andrea Maki, Founder + President

Donate To Wild Love Preserve

Keep Going

In light of the current landscape with wild horses, public lands, stakeholders, and the new administration, I was asked to comment regarding our work in Idaho, so I am sharing this message. Many of you are already familiar with this material.

Established in 2010 as a non-profit, Wild Love Preserve is a legacy project that reflects upon America's heritage. Wild Love's mission is to 1) nurture a legacy of lasting wildness for our iconic wild horses on their native turf and in conjunction with indigenous wildlife and respective habitats as an interconnected whole; 2) implement humane, fiscally responsible, and sustainable population management practices on the range; 3) address fluid coexistence with livestock where applicable; 4) ensure healthy, genetically viable herds and sustainable indigenous ecosystems for future generations to equally experience, nurture, and treasure.

When I created Wild Love Preserve eleven years ago, the cornerstone of this mission was my belief that we could find new solutions by bringing stakeholders together in a new light and finding common ground. Some thought it was a far-fetched idea. Others felt I was a traitor for working with all sides. One told me to stop trying to re-invent the wheel and follow the lead of her circle of advocates. I continued on my path. Along the way we've experienced intentional blocks, attempts to silence us, ignore us, or shut us down, all the while sourcing our work in Idaho.

By 2013 Wild Love's inclusive approach to addressing the wild horse controversy was viewed as a paradigm shift by stakeholders from all sides. Still, I was of concern and threat to others who in turn acted out. I took a lot of heat in the first five or six years, especially leading up to the 2012 Challis roundup, but that made no difference because I was following my truth. I was boots-on-the-ground, knocking on doors, meeting with stakeholders face-to-face, bridging divides, and building working relationships by walking my talk. Experiencing resistance and attempts to undermine or derail Wild Love's efforts were not surprising, albeit unfortunate and rather disappointing considering the sources. The actions of others were reflections of themselves and had nothing to do with my path and Wild Love's mission in attaining lasting wildness.

Time and again, I’ve been accused of being altruistic, and frankly, I'm proud of that. I've dealt with my share of self-serving characters and blow-hards, and have taken countless hits on behalf of truth and working to help others. It comes with the territory. I’ve upset apple-carts with my honesty and my concern for our collective well-being. All said, Wild Love has always remained steeled in our origins, as I am hell-bent on integrity, truth, action, and follow-through. Together we have turned a page in the history books. We have led by example and have had a substantial positive influence via our methods of conflict resolution and our conservation platform. I’ve said it time and again, we are saving wild lives by working together. 

In recent years, a few who now stand on the side of working with all stakeholders state they've brought opposing sides together for the first time, claiming their efforts a paradigm shift. They choose not to recognize the grassroots work that has come long before and for which they are well aware. Never is there mention of their stance in years prior, nor do they publicly acknowledge our collaborative work in Idaho and joint successes with stakeholders for over a decade because that doesn't fit with their agendas. They have unfortunately created greater divides in wild horse advocacy with their approach. I continue to receive calls and questions from many who are quite put-off by this, and I continue to answer, "It's no surprise." That's the nature of humans and corporate entities - to take what they want and protect their interests.

For Wild Love Preserve, wild horses have led the way in protecting the whole and have offered a unique opportunity to implement change by walking new paths together. By way of knocking on doors, face-to-face communications, and boots-on-the-ground action, Wild Love has blazed a trail in teamwork, creating a wild horse conservation model in coexistence that has gone on to help and inspire others. Our inclusive approach to addressing all facets of wild horse population on their home turf, while nurturing the health and sustainability of respective indigenous habitats as an interconnected and balanced whole, has offered a viable and beneficial alternative to the government system of roundups and removals. Subsequently, Idaho has set a new precedence in taking care of our own at home by working together. We have demonstrated that Wild Love's model benefits wild horses, stakeholders, the region, and the state in a multi-layered manner. We have brought new sources of revenue to the community and have saved taxpayers well over $8.5 million since 2013 with our programs on and off the range. That was the goal from the onset, to turn the Challis-Idaho wild horses into an asset and create a wild horse conservation model in Idaho that we could share in hopes of also helping other wild horse regions in the West. 

Conflict resolution and human relations have been essential facets of this project. Folks were understandably suspicious of me in the beginning, "that wild horse girl." I am incredibly appreciative of all those who have given me and Wild Love a chance - those who have helped us, worked with us, supported us, and joined us on this wild adventure. I have listened and learned, and perhaps some feel the same in return. The organic evolution of this project is rooted in the willingness of the Bureau of Land Management, ranchers, cowboys, environmentalists, scientists, wildlife biologists, youth groups, and advocates to engage in conversations and negotiations with myself on behalf of Wild Love. Without the help of stakeholders from all sides in Challis and the region, and supporters from around the country and beyond, Wild Love Preserve would not be what it is has become, and for that, I am forever appreciative. To those who have been instrumental to this project, thank you for working with me, for trusting in me, for your kindness, your patience, understanding, and willingness to try something new all those years ago and to this very day. Wild Love is a WE project that is about us all and a reflection of our humanity. It does take a village to implement positive change and do big things. It also requires extreme tenacity and sleepless nights. 

Our greatest challenge, which has also slowed our efforts over the years, has not been with stakeholders - it has been raising the necessary project funding for our education and conservation programs and land acquisition. It has been a longtime frustration that has required great sacrifice, but no matter the steep climb, we have remained true to our mission on behalf of our iconic wild horses and wild places because this matters - now and for future generations. 

Thank you for walking with us.

Andrea Maki, Founder

Watch: Behind the scenes filming wild horses in Idaho and at Wild Love Preserve for public television. We look forward to sharing more soon.

Idaho Gives 2021

We’re feeling hopeful. IDAHO GIVES starts today and runs thru May 6. We are rallying support to raise pressing funds for Wild Love operations with our 165 adopted Challis-Idaho wild horses and our conservation and education programs. Everyone, no matter your locale, can make a difference here:
 bit.ly/wild-love-idaho-gives-2021

Thanks a million for your consideration and support!  -Andrea Maki + Wild Love 

Wild Love Preserve was created to show what we can achieve by working together. Today you can help us keep Idaho’s wild horses wild and together on their home turf for generations to come with your support. Our appreciation is immeasurable.

"Wild Love Preserve is named such because it is committed to the greater good of our wild planet, now and for future generations - centering on humanity, compassion, sustainability, two-legged accountability, and our responsibility to the whole. It is not but a mere fenced wild horse sanctuary. The objective of Wild Love Preserve is the protection and preservation of our iconic wild horses and native ecosystems as an interconnected and balanced whole. Great beauty and benefit lie in the fact indigenous wild horses offer such a unique opportunity to achieve this intent by walking new paths together.” -Andrea Maki, Founder