iram@gwtc.net Susan Watt http://www.wildmustangs.com

said 2002.07.17 at 04:35:21 PDT

windkistacres@yahoo.com http://www.huntersponyfarm.com/windkistacres/

said 2002.07.17 at 04:34:43 PDT

Volunteers........ By... Bill and Betty Schmidt............ What a magnificent sunrise. I was sitting on the porch at the Visitors Center watching Mule Deer and Merriam’s Turkey feed as the sun rose. No traffic noise, just the peace and quite one finds when away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life of the city. ............ My wife and I were volunteering our help at the sanctuary, and watching the wild game at sunrise had become my ritual before the day’s work began. I say work, but that is not the best word to use, maybe learning experience would be a better term. Let me mention a few of the things we did and I think you will get the feeling that it was indeed a learning experience. .............. My main job was to drive the second tour bus when there were more people than the first could hold. I took 3 or 4 tours with Norm who is the main driver on Tuesday through Saturday, taking notes, and with Jim who drives on Monday’s, doing the same. With this background I was on my own, and after a couple of tours didn’t need to refer to the notes. But you still constantly learn - even from the tourists. On one tour I had an American Indian couple who were well versed on a Sundance, and added more to my knowledge at that stop on the tour. On another occasion, I had a lady who had been studying petroglyphs in Arizona, who added more knowledge at that stop. As you can see, one learns from everyone. ............ Ah the horses - I have ridden horses on and off most of my life, and my knowledge of their care amounted to feeding and watering them. And again I learned. I helped separate mares and fowls at weaning time, and medicated sick foals and mares. ......... My wife worked in the gift shop, selling tour tickets, and the items for sale there, and doing data entry on the computer. Daily she would tell me of something she learned from one of the tourists. It may have been information on a camper (which we are thinking of purchasing) to the experience they had at other parks and places to see. ............. Hal another volunteer, took me with him and we sprayed weeds in Hell’s Canton, and with he and Dayton we built a corral. This may sound like work, but I learned which weeds you want to kill out, how many staples in each panel of wire to hold it to the posts, and how to install the gates in the corral. I spent 35 years practicing Dentistry, and never had the opportunity to do any of these chores, so I learned. ......... Let me mention the people. Dayton Hyde is a wealth of information, and a kidder - at times you aren’t sure when he starts telling a story if it’s true, or if he is pulling your leg. Susan, also a wealth of information and the one who keeps everything running. A person who will do anything for you. Mecca who knows horses from A-Z, and is not beyond pulling a prank now and then. Norm the main tour bus driver, who just loves to joke and cook. Jim who knows more geology than I ever thought one human could. Ryan the college student who still thinks the tale Norm and I made up is the truth. Lastly the other volunteers who were there during our two month stay, from professional photographers to free lance writers, they were all great. ............. And as a day came to a close, Mecca and Norm didn’t disappear to their trailers, and Dayton and Susan didn’t head to their house. Norm was always cooking, Mecca did pork chops, Betty did lasagna, and on Fridays I had my hardest day - I was assigned to catch a mess of trout so that Fridays dinner was always fresh caught fish. Now that’s hard work don’t you think. ........... The comraderie, the surroundings, the interesting tourists, they all make for a fantastic opportunity for anyone interested in volunteering their time. Forget you may not have a wealth of skills, everyone has something they can offer, and with an open mind and a desire to learn, can be of great help at the sanctuary................ ......................... ......................... ..........to learn how you to, can have the experience of a lifetime, visit http://www.wildmustangs.com or email iram@gwtc.net

said 2002.05.07 at 09:11:17 PDT

..... My husband and I stumbled on the IRAM Wild Horse Sanctuary in June of 1995, during a trip to Hot Springs to visit the Mammoth Museum. One tour through this spectacular setting of river and rock, petroglyphs and pelicans, canyons and caves, was enough to capture our hearts and our imaginations. The Mustangs, shining with health and high spirits, are in their element. All was as it should be....................... ................ Mike and I came back for the tour several times, not only to see the horses but also to renew our spirits. In this place where nature and humankind have co-existed for centuries in a mutually beneficial balance, one finds a rare and particular peace. We so enjoyed our visits, we decided to volunteer as a kind of offering to the cause of preserving wild horses and the land................ In the summer of 2000, we came to help out for six days. We stayed six weeks. I drove a tour bus, made runs to town for mail or supplies, helped in the gift shop and groomed the team of huge black Percherons that pulls the wagon full of guests up Cheyenne Canyon to the site of the chuckwagon dinners. Mike put his years of experience with machinery to good use, maintaining equipment and repairing the diesel pump to fill a water tank in high country usually seen only by Mustangs and other wildlife. He also oversaw food preparation for the chuckwagon dinners and grilled to perfection thick, juicy rib eye steaks. ......................... ........ Swapping stories and jokes with the other volunteers proved to be an unexpected bonus. Our ages varied from nineteen to seventy; our backgrounds were equally diverse. The common ground for all volunteers was our deep appreciation of the Wild Horse Sanctuary and the dedication of its founder, Dayton Hyde. We made friends and kept in touch.................... ................ This year, we are volunteering for two and a half months. The work varies. No two days are alike. Most of the volunteers are new this year, but the common ground has not changed. The Wild Horse Sanctuary needs our time and energy. We hope that by offering what we can, we will help the Sanctuary survive and thrive for succeeding generations.............. ......... .......to contact them directly to find out ways you can help, email: iram@gwtc.net or visit their website at http://www.wildmustangs.com

said 2002.05.07 at 08:26:27 PDT

please check out their web site at http://www.wildmustangs.com or email them directly at iram@gwtc.net The Institute of Range and the American Mustang can use your help!

said 2002.05.07 at 08:23:34 PDT

...that were filmed all or in part at the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary in Hot Springs, SD. visit their website at http://www.wildmustangs.com or email them at iram@gwtc.net for information about how you can visit this special place.

said 2002.05.07 at 08:22:21 PDT

...of the hundreds of scenic views that you can see while visiting the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary. Visit their website at http://www.wildmustangs.com or email them at iram@gwtc.net for more information and for ways you can help.

said 2002.05.07 at 08:20:48 PDT

that you get to see here in South Dakota. This wild horse sanctuary is like none other, run by volunteers, supported entirely by donations. Contact them at iram@gwct.net for information about how you can help. Visit their website at http://www.wildmustangs.com

said 2002.05.07 at 08:19:33 PDT

Dayton Hyde is truly a remarkable man. What he has accomplished should be an inspiration to us all! The knowledge that one person CAN make such a difference in this world!

said 2002.05.07 at 08:17:52 PDT