Nina Prize: Women That Saved Wild Animals

every year around the time of the Nobel Prizes being given - I select my own honorees for the Nina Prize.  it comes with no monies or fanfare...just my way of acknowledging those that have made a great leap for humankind toward something to be rewarded.

Previous winners include The New York Times for their historic works on investigative reporting, and Robert Redford for his work on conservation and nature.

The history of the world does not honor women often enough - and many women whose achievements have made this world a better place, go unrewarded.

For me, Conservation is the utmost in contributions to the world, because it leaves our world the way we found it - and there is nothing greater than planet Earth.

Madeleine Pickens, wife of billionaire T. Boone Pickens, dramatically stepped in to come to the aid of the animals. She offered to adopt not only the 2,000 mustangs and burros.  Even though these wild horses were not originally "wild", they have been on these lands long enough to protect them.  Now they need people to step up and give them alternative lands to graze.  There are 60,000 wild horses and burros on these lands covered by BLM.

http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/whbprogram.html

We have 2 wild mustangs that we adopted on our farm, Blackfoot and Blossom.

Dian Fossey lived and died to save wild mountain gorillas in Rwanda.

https://gorillafund.org/who-we-are/dian-fossey/

Jane Goodall has done much for the study of Chimpanzees.

"Jane Goodall's scores of honors include the Medal of Tanzania, the National Geographic Society's Hubbard Medal, Japan's prestigious Kyoto Prize, the French Legion of Honor, Prince of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research 2003, the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Life Science, UNESCO Gold Medal Award, and the Gandhi/King Award for Nonviolence.

Dr. Jane Goodall with United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan. © Jane Goodall Institute

In April 2002 Secretary-General Kofi Annan named Goodall a United Nations “Messenger of Peace.” Messengers help mobilize the public to become involved in work that makes the world a better place. "
fro the Washington State Univ website.





There are many other women than this list worth honoring and I will add them to this list with further research.  But I add this blanket honor to all those, including myself, that have worked to preserve lands and wildlife.

i heard this song on 2 films that i enjoyed - "a walk in the woods" - and "branded"

Horses & Wild Mustangs, so very splendid!

I enjoy my gift of horses everyday, even when I have to do chores in subzero temperatures, even when I get kicked (1998) or trampled (2008), even when making hay is necesssary in the hottest part of the summer and it is hard, hard work. Saving wild horses from the BLM roundup and auctions is its own reward. Giving horses back a "wild life" combined with all the luxuries of domestic life. Just being a good animal caretaker is its own reward. Especially if there is no self gain, just doing it for the sake of giving - giving animals a natural life- one that is becoming harder and harder to attain at a time of tremendous human population and sprawl.

In November of 2008, Madeleine Pickens, wife of Texas oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens, announced she would dedicate 1 million acres for a wild horse refuge. She did a great thing. One in which we can all do a small part. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has been pressured for years by cattlemen to reduce the herd population thereby instituting this adoption program. Every year auctions are held for these horses, at under $200, and the right facilities, you can adopt. I encourage more horse people to give these horses a good home!

Our mustangs are named Blackfoot, and Blossom, they are within a year of each other born in 2003 and 2004, and they are great pals for oneanother. They also fit in great with our Quarterhorse herd. In fact, they all think they are wild horses now! This is Blackfoot shown in the photo on our land - her land!