The AML for the Pryor Mountain HMA did not increase in the updated management plan but the interval between high and low decreased, suggesting the birth rate will be going down and the death rate will be going up (as the age of the herd increases).

The range between the endpoints is usually based on a doubling of herd size every four to five years, which might make sense in areas where nature is allowed to run its course.

For example, at the Fifteenmile HMA in Wyoming, the AML is 100 to 230.

What about HMAs where the advocates are involved?

At Stewart Creek, where WYWHIP poisons the mares with PZP, the range is 125 to 175.

The closer the endpoints the lower the growth rate.

The previous AML at Pryor, 90 to 120, yields a growth rate of roughly 5.9% per year for five years.

The new AML, 107 to 120, yields a growth rate of 2.3% per year over the same period.

You can determine the growth rate by solving this relationship for GR, where AML_H is upper endpoint, AML_L is the lower endpoint, GR is the growth rate in percent and n is the period in years.

Or you can use this spreadsheet.

You can check the calculation by plugging the results into the formula.

How will the new AML be achieved?

Long-term use of PZP, much to the delight of the advocates, with the inevitable result of permanent infertility and herd collapse.

HOMEWORK: What are the expected growth rates at Fifteenmile and Stewart Creek?

EXTRA CREDIT: Stop giving the advocates money.

PREVIOUS: Foal-Free Friday, Casting a Wider Net Edition.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

The agency posted a request for information on SAM to identify qualified contractors capable of capturing and removing up to 2,000 animals from the Black Mesa and Lakeside Ranger Districts using low-stress methods such as bait and water trapping.

The solicitation does not constitute a Request for Proposal or a promise to issue an RFP in the future.

Refer to the scope of work for more information.

Contractors will be responsible for transportation, delivery and sale of the horses.

Sale barns must be located within 900 miles of Overgaard, AZ.

Would that reach Texas?

Jackie Hughes, please pick up the white courtesy phone.

RELATED: OUTDOOR LIFE Interviews Jackie Hughes.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

The incident concluded on June 13 with 1,001 horses captured, 985 shipped, none released and 16 dead.

There were no unaccounted-for animals.

The death rate was 1.6%.

Eleven deaths were intentional.

Youngsters represented 16.3% of the animals gathered.

Of the adults, 54.9% were male and 45.1% were female.

Body condition scores were not given.

There were no plans to treat any of the mares with fertility control pesticides and return them to the range.

The roundup liberated 12,012 AUMs per year for other mandated uses of public lands.

The news release said it protected habitat for other wildlife species such as sage grouse, pronghorn antelope and mule deer.

RELATED: BLM Announces Antelope and Triple B Bait Trap Roundups.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

Last year the BLM posted land health assessments for five vacant allotments to a new project folder with little if any fanfare.

Last week a preliminary environmental assessment appeared along with several appendices.

Western Horse Watchers was unable to find an announcement in the BLM news releases or requests for public input seeking comments.

Under Alternative 1, the Proposed Action, the allotments would be merged into one and the agency would issue a ten-year grazing permit.

The original allotments would become pastures.

The parcels do not appear in the Vacant Allotment Finder.

Section 1.2 indicates that grazing applications have already been received.

The new allotment would overlap the Garfield Flat, Marietta and Montgomery Pass HMAs.

There are no authorized AUMs for livestock in Marietta, which is managed principally for burros.

Grazing could not occur in the HMA until the agency updates the land-use plans to reduce the AML and allocate forage to livestock?

Comments on the EA will be accepted through July 22.

PREVIOUS: BLM Cancels Marietta Grazing EA.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

The Decision Record authorizes two components of Alternative 2, the Proposed Action, discussed in section 2.3 of the updated Environmental Assessment.

The AML would be set at 107 to 120 horses, excluding foals.

The news release says 90 to 120, which matches the population target in the 2026 population dataset.

The narrow range suggests heavy use of fertility control, with disastrous results expected in the long run (such as permanent infertility and herd collapse).

That may explain why the gather component was deferred.

The advocates and other wild horse detractors will find much to like in the new plan.

The DR and EA were uploaded to the project folder yesterday.

RELATED: BLM Releases Pryor Mountain Final Planning Documents.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

His injuries were consistent with a kick from another horse according to a report by The Charlotte Observer.

The herd manager and PZP darter, who not only tried to control nature but to thwart it, said “We can’t control nature.”

RELATED: Advocates Issue Memorial Day Warning for Currituck Herd.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

The HMA overlaps about 51% of the allotment according to Table 6 in the new EA for rancher protection in the Red Desert Complex.

The allotment master report puts it in the Improve category, with 47.7% of the permitted use in the suspended column.

The 8,365 active AUMs support livestock equivalent to 697 wild horses on 178,253 public acres, or 3.9 wild horses per thousand public acres.

The management plan allows 0.5 wild horses per thousand public acres in the HMA.

Keeping the population below that limit means healthy horses on healthy rangelands, according to your faithful public servants, while they allow eight times that many in the allotment.

If the suspended AUMs were restored, for a total of 15,993 in the active column, the allotment would support livestock equivalent to 1,333 wild horses, or 7.5 wild horses per thousand public acres.

That may be an unstated goal of the new HMAP, which the advocates will endorse regardless of what’s in it (because they’re hooked on HMAPs), and would explain the management actions therein.

If every wild horse was removed from the area where the HMA and allotment intersect, the land would still be at 8X AML because of livestock.

RELATED: Red Desert EA Out for Review.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

At the Onaqui Mountain HMA with Myka.

How many foals did you count?  How many calves?

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

The incident has not been announced at the Inyo news page.

The tentative start date, according to the Scope of Work at the updated solicitation page, was July 8.

Animals identified for removal will be taken to the Double Devil Corrals in Alturas.

A keyword search of the document yielded these results:

• Fertility – No occurrences
• PZP – 0
• Zonastat – 0
• Advocate – 0
• Gunshot – 4
• Humane – 27
• Humanely – 5
• Grazing – 0
• Allotment – 0

Remember the East Pershing Sleighride, where the wranglers dragged a captured horse on a skid, amid claims of abuse?

It may have been in the contract.  See items 4 – 7 under Roping (page 7).

PREVIOUS: Forest Service Selects CD Warner for Montgomery Pass Roundup.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

Alternative A, discussed in section 2.1, would implement a revised HMAP, implement a gather plan to achieve low AML and implement a fertility control strategy as defined in the HMAP.

It’s not billed as the Proposed Action but probably is.

The HMAP, discussed in Appendix C, features immunocontraceptive vaccines, sex ratio skewing and gelding (of stallions).

If genetic monitoring indicates a problem, exchange young viable females between HMAs or outside the Complex.

A map in Appendix F based on a 2025 aerial survey shows almost no wild horses in the Lost Creek HMA and many in the Arapahoe HA.

Section 3.10 discusses impacts on permitted grazing.

Comments will be accepted through July 13 according to the news release.

The EA was copied to the project folder in ePlanning.

PREVIOUS: Scoping Begins for Red Desert HMAP and Enforcement Plan.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

The advocates are beating the horse population down in favor of their livestock.

RELATED: Pine Nut Mountains: Hotbed of Advocate Corruption in Nevada.

RELATED: Advocates Go on the Offensive with New ATV.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

A report by KTMF News says a packed public meeting on June 11 brought out strong opinions about what should happen next to the horses roaming in the area.

Many residents want to keep them on the landscape.

But County Commissioners have drafted a resolution to establish a process for private landowners to capture abandoned horses located on their property, request Department of Livestock inspection to confirm they’re not owned and guide the transfer of the animals through approved channels.

Section 6 covers disposition.

A keyword search of the proposal yielded these results:

• Fertility – 0 occurrences
• PZP – 0
• Zonastat – 0
• Advocate – 0
• Humane – 5

Comments can be submitted at the county’s website for the Miller Creek herd.

PREVIOUS: Will Missoula Look to Billings for Answer to Wild Horse Problem?

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

A report by KX News says it passed today but does not give any details.

The last update at Congress dot gov was on December 17.

The bill would require the Park Service to keep at least 150 wild horses at TRNP.

PREVIOUS: S1377 Passes Out of Committee on Voice Vote.

UPDATE: The status at Congress dot gov now says “Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.”

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

Search for “horse” (CTRL+F) in HR9171 to see the provisions and prohibitions related to wild horses and burros in the next fiscal year, which starts on October 1.

The accompanying report says that “up to $11,000,000 shall be used for the administration of humane population growth suppression strategies, including immunocontraceptive vaccines and permanent sterilization efforts, of which not less than $7,000,000 is for the implementation of existing immunocontraceptive vaccines.”

It also mentions the Wild Horse and Burro Task Force established in FY22, and the quarterly reports produced thereby, but Western Horse Watchers is not aware of a place where they can be accessed by the public.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.