Managing the HA as an HMA was one of the alternatives considered in the Red Desert Final EA but dropped from detailed analysis.

It’s unfit for wild horses but suitable for livestock, even though there’s considerable dietary overlap among the animals.

The HA lies mostly within the allotment.

The allotment master report puts it in the Improve category, with 47% of the permitted use in the suspended column.

Despite that, the allotment offers 15,077 active AUMs on 239,802 public acres, equivalent to 5.2 wild horses per thousand public acres.

That includes the area that can’t support any wild horses.

If conditions improved and the suspended AUMs moved back into the active column, the allotment would support livestock equivalent to 9.9 wild horses per thousand public acres—almost ten times higher than the target stocking rate across all HMAs of one wild horse per thousand public acres.

This is another example of double standard in resource management on America’s public lands.

Like the advocates, your faithful public servants aren’t playing for the home team.

Would the allotment make a good wild horse preserve?

It overlaps an area already identified for wild horses, which is a showstopper.

Numerous authorizations are attached, so you’d have to buy multiple base properties to access all of the AUMs.

Probably not a good investment.

The bureaucrats, who never have to face the voters, are trying to change the grazing rules to stop the conversion of allotments into wild animal preserves, not because it’s illegal but because the ranchers, especially the crybabies in Montana, don’t like the idea.

The proposal should not be taken as a barrier to your conservation project.

RELATED: BLM Issues Red Desert Final Planning Documents.

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

The August 15 map at Inciweb has a black border on the east side, indicating that little if any spread is expected in that area.

PREVIOUS: Palomino Valley Corrals Threatened by Wildfires?

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

The incident started on August 2.  Results through August 14:

• Scope: Bible Springs, Four Mile, Tilly Creek HMAs, Blawn Wash HA
• Target: Horses
• AML: 170
• Pre-gather population: 961
• Type: Planned
• Method: Helicopter
• Category: Cruel and costly (according to advocates)
• Better way: Sterilize the mares with PZP (according to advocates)
• Capture goal: 800
• Removal goal: 800
• Captured: 427, up from 367 on Day 11
• Shipped: 361, up from 269 on Day 11
• Released: None
• Deaths: 4, up from 3 on Day 11
• Average daily take: 32.8
• Unaccounted-for animals: 62
• Snippet from statute: It is the policy of Congress that wild free-roaming horses and burros shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment, or death
• Snippet from manual: To protect wild horses and burros from unauthorized capture, branding, harassment or death

The figures above are based on the daily reports.

A horse was euthanized on Day 13 for a preexisting condition.  No details were given.

The death rate is 0.9%.

The capture total includes 151 stallions, 184 mares and 92 foals.

Youngsters represented 21.5% of the animals gathered, enough to support a herd growth rate of 16% per year.

Of the adults, 45.1% were male and 54.9% were female, no indication of an abnormal sex ratio.

Body condition scores were not given.

The location of the trap site was not disclosed.

The contractor is Sampson Livestock and the contract amount is $497,130 according to a report at USA Spending.

There are no plans to treat any of the mares with fertility control pesticides and return them to the range, a huge disappointment to the advocates.

The HMAs are subject to permitted grazing.  Resources liberated to date:

• Forage: 5,124 AUMs per year
• Water: 4,270 gallons per day

The Blawn Wash HA is unfit for wild horses, supposedly, and has no AML.

PREVIOUS: Bible Springs Roundup, Day 11.

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

The incident started on August 2.  Results through August 14:

• Scope: Piceance-East Douglas HMA, West Douglas HA
• Target: Horses
• AML: 235
• Pre-gather population: 1,145
• Type: Planned
• Method: Helicopter
• Category: Costly and inhumane (according to advocates)
• Better way: Beat the numbers down with PZP (according to advocates)
• Capture goal: 1,025
• Removal goal: 1,011
• Captured: 627, up from 589 on Day 11
• Shipped: 586, up from 500 on Day 11
• Released: None
• Deaths: 5, up from 4 on Day 11
• Average daily take: 48.2
• Unaccounted-for animals: 36
• Snippet from statute: It is the policy of Congress that wild free-roaming horses and burros shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment, or death
• Snippet from manual: To protect wild horses and burros from unauthorized capture, branding, harassment or death

The figures above are based on the daily reports.

A colt was euthanized on Day 13 for a preexisting condition.

The death rate is 0.8%.

The capture total includes 250 stallions, 255 mares and 122 foals.

Youngsters represented 19.5% of the animals gathered, enough to support a herd growth rate of 14% per year.

Of the adults, 49.5% were male and 50.5% were female, no indication of an abnormal sex ratio.

Body condition scores on Days 12 and 13 ranged from 3 to 4.

The location of the trap site was not disclosed.

The contractor is CD Warner and the contract amount is $679,249, based on a report at USA Spending.

The area is subject to permitted grazing.  Resources liberated to date:

• Forage: 7,524 AUMs per year
• Water: 6,270 gallons per day

The West Douglas HA is unfit for wild horses, supposedly, and has no AML.

PREVIOUS: Piceance Roundup, Day 11.

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

Data from USA Spending for roundups after the foaling season lull:

Roundup	Contractor	Contract Amount	Capture Goal	Unit Cost	Status
Montgomery Pass	Warner	$228,147	450	$506.99	Complete
Moriah	Warner	$357,282	500	$714.56	Complete
Lahontan	Sampson	$259,885	700	$371.26	Complete
Callaghan	Cattoor	$765,121	2,000	$382.56	Complete
Saylor Creek	Sampson	$92,170	100	$921.70	Complete
Piceance	Warner	$679,249	1,025	$662.68	Ongoing
Bible Springs	Sampson	$497,130	800	$621.41	Ongoing
Confusion	Sampson	$235,536	360	$654.27	Pending
Sand Wash Basin	Cattoor	$222,590	300	$741.97	Pending
Total/Average		$3,337,110	6,235	$535.22

The average cost was $535 per head.

In general, the unit cost goes down as the capture goal goes up.

Motorized removal usually doesn’t sterilize any mares, destroy any breeding populations or eliminate genetic mixing.

Fertility control programs do that.

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

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.

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

The Bug Fire is a few miles to the west and the Stallion Fire is a few miles to the east according to the August 13 map at Inciweb.

Both fires are believed to be human caused.

A report by KRNV News says that over 1,600 wild horses and burros will remain at the facility, the safest option for their welfare according to a BLM spokesperson.

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

Removal of 40 wild horses is not in the FY26 schedule, but that’s the plan according to yesterday’s news release.

The capture goal may be higher because some of the mares with be treated with fertility control and returned to the range.

The current population is thought to be 187.

A start date was not given.

Animals will be drawn into the traps with bait.

Operations will probably not be open to public observation.

Horses identified for removal may be taken to the holding facility at Britton Springs but the ultimate destination was not specified.

The HMA is not subject to permitted grazing but is surrounded by allotments on all but the east side.

The announcement contains two incompatible statements:

• The AML is 107 to 120 horses
• The gather will help ensure the herd remains healthy and genetically diverse

The narrow range of the AML implies heavy use of fertility control, as discussed previously, which destroys the breeding population and ends genetic mixing.

Removal of horses cannot improve or maintain genetic diversity if the remnant is too small and/or the mares have been ruined with PZP, which is the case at Pryor.

The advocates, evil beyond imagination, are 100% on board with the idea.

RELATED: BLM Issues Final Planning Docs for Pryor HMAP and AML.

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

The incident started on August 2.  Results through August 12:

• Scope: Bible Springs, Four Mile, Tilly Creek HMAs, Blawn Wash HA
• Target: Horses
• AML: 170
• Pre-gather population: 961
• Type: Planned
• Method: Helicopter
• Category: Cruel and costly (according to advocates)
• Better way: Sterilize the mares with PZP (according to advocates)
• Capture goal: 800
• Removal goal: 800
• Captured: 367, up from 282 on Day 9
• Shipped: 269, up from 221 on Day 9
• Released: None
• Deaths: 3, up from 2 on Day 9
• Average daily take: 33.4
• Unaccounted-for animals: 95
• Snippet from statute: It is the policy of Congress that wild free-roaming horses and burros shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment, or death
• Snippet from manual: To protect wild horses and burros from unauthorized capture, branding, harassment or death

The figures above are based on the daily reports.

A horse was euthanized on Day 10 for a preexisting condition.  No details were given.

The death rate is 0.8%.

The capture total includes 123 stallions, 161 mares and 83 foals.

Youngsters represented 22.6% of the animals gathered, enough to support a herd growth rate of 17% per year.

Of the adults, 43.3% were male and 56.7% were female, no indication of an abnormal sex ratio.

Body condition scores were not given.

The location of the trap site was not disclosed.

The contractor is Sampson Livestock and the contract amount is $497,130 according to a report at USA Spending.

There are no plans to treat any of the mares with fertility control pesticides and return them to the range, a huge disappointment to the advocates.

The HMAs are subject to permitted grazing.  Resources liberated to date:

• Forage: 4,404 AUMs per year
• Water: 3,670 gallons per day

The Blawn Wash HA is unfit for wild horses, supposedly, and has no AML.

PREVIOUS: Bible Springs Roundup, Day 9.

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

The incident started on August 2.  Results through August 12:

• Scope: Piceance-East Douglas HMA, West Douglas HA
• Target: Horses
• AML: 235
• Pre-gather population: 1,145
• Type: Planned
• Method: Helicopter
• Category: Costly and inhumane (according to advocates)
• Better way: Eliminate the breeding population with PZP (according to advocates)
• Capture goal: 1,025
• Removal goal: 1,011
• Captured: 589, up from 502 on Day 9
• Shipped: 500, up from 416 on Day 9
• Released: None
• Deaths: 4, up from 3 on Day 9
• Average daily take: 53.5
• Unaccounted-for animals: 85
• Snippet from statute: It is the policy of Congress that wild free-roaming horses and burros shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment, or death
• Snippet from manual: To protect wild horses and burros from unauthorized capture, branding, harassment or death

The figures above are based on the daily reports.

A stallion was dispatched on Day 11 for a preexisting condition.

The death rate is 0.7%.

The capture total includes 227 stallions, 246 mares and 116 foals.

Youngsters represented 19.7% of the animals gathered, enough to support a herd growth rate of 15% per year.

Of the adults, 48.0% were male and 52.0% were female, no indication of an abnormal sex ratio.

Body condition scores on Days 10 and 11 ranged from 3 to 4.

The location of the trap site was not disclosed.

The contractor is CD Warner Livestock and the contract amount is $679,249, based on a report at USA Spending.

The area is subject to permitted grazing.  Resources liberated to date:

• Forage: 7,068 AUMs per year
• Water: 5,890 gallons per day

The West Douglas HA is unfit for wild horses, supposedly, and has no AML.

PREVIOUS: Piceance Roundup, Day 9.

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

Like the Virginia Range, where the horses roam mostly on private land, the San Luis herd is not protected by the WHB Act.

They exist in a legal no-man’s land, living by the goodwill of off-grid homesteaders and the tolerance of ranchers according to a story by The Colorado Springs Gazette.

Judy Barnes, their caretaker for nearly 30 years, says they’ve survived because they’re overlooked.

She is opposed to any intervention by the BLM, which she sees as an enemy of wild horses.

What about CDA and its legal mandate to provide resources and support for humane management—a codeword for mass sterilization—in the state’s four HMAs?

Consider the experience of TJ Holmes, the pesticide pusher at Spring Creek Basin who sits on the Wild Horse Advisory Committee.

The herd, in her estimation, is now on the edge of continued genetic viability.

The article said she has brought in mares from other areas to strengthen the gene pool, which is the only way to save other herds ruined by the advocates.

They, and their darting programs, are a dead end for America’s wild horses.

RELATED: Explosion Spares Life of Spirit of the Wild Horse Director.

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

The incident started on August 2.  Results through August 10:

• Scope: Bible Springs, Four Mile, Tilly Creek HMAs, Blawn Wash HA
• Target: Horses
• AML: 170
• Pre-gather population: 961
• Type: Planned
• Method: Helicopter
• Category: Cruel and costly (according to advocates)
• Better way: Eliminate genetic mixing with PZP (according to advocates)
• Capture goal: 800
• Removal goal: 800
• Captured: 282, up from 223 on Day 7
• Shipped: 221, up from 171 on Day 7
• Released: None
• Deaths: 2, no change from Day 7
• Average daily take: 31.3
• Unaccounted-for animals: 59
• Snippet from statute: It is the policy of Congress that wild free-roaming horses and burros shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment, or death
• Snippet from manual: To protect wild horses and burros from unauthorized capture, branding, harassment or death

The figures above are based on the daily reports.

No animals were taken on Day 8.

The death rate is 0.7%.

The capture total includes 104 stallions, 119 mares and 59 foals.

Youngsters represented 20.9% of the animals gathered, large enough to support a herd growth rate of 16% per year.

Of the adults, 46.6% were male and 53.4% were female, no indication of an abnormal sex ratio.

Body condition scores were not given.

The location of the trap site was not disclosed.

The contractor is Sampson Livestock and the contract amount is $497,130 according to a report at USA Spending.

There are no plans to treat any of the mares with fertility control pesticides and return them to the range, a huge disappointment to the advocates.

The HMAs are subject to permitted grazing.  Resources liberated to date:

• Forage: 3,384 AUMs per year
• Water: 2,820 gallons per day

The Blawn Wash HA is unfit for wild horses, supposedly, and has no AML.

PREVIOUS: Bible Springs Roundup, Day 7.

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

The incident started on August 2.  Results through August 10:

• Scope: Piceance-East Douglas HMA, West Douglas HA
• Target: Horses
• AML: 235
• Pre-gather population: 1,145
• Type: Planned
• Method: Helicopter
• Category: Costly and inhumane (according to advocates)
• Better way: Beat the numbers down with PZP (according to advocates)
• Capture goal: 1,025
• Removal goal: 1,011
• Captured: 502, up from 397 on Day 7
• Shipped: 416, up from 333 on Day 7
• Released: None
• Deaths: 3, up from 1 on Day 7
• Average daily take: 55.8
• Unaccounted-for animals: 83
• Snippet from statute: It is the policy of Congress that wild free-roaming horses and burros shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment, or death
• Snippet from manual: To protect wild horses and burros from unauthorized capture, branding, harassment or death

The figures above are based on the daily reports.

Two stallions were put down on Day 8 for preexisting conditions.  No details were given.

The death rate is 0.6%.

The capture total includes 194 stallions, 211 mares and 97 foals.

Youngsters represented 19.3% of the animals gathered, large enough to support a herd growth rate of 14% per year.

Of the adults, 47.9% were male and 52.1% were female, no indication of an abnormal sex ratio.

Body condition scores on Days 8 and 9 ranged from 3 to 4.

The location of the trap site is not known.

The name of the contractor was not specified.

The contract amount was not disclosed.

The area is subject to permitted grazing.  Resources liberated to date:

• Forage: 6,024 AUMs per year
• Water: 5,020 gallons per day

The West Douglas HA is unfit for wild horses, supposedly, and has no AML.

PREVIOUS: Piceance Roundup, Day 7.

UPDATE: The contractor is CD Warner Livestock and the contract amount is $679,249, based on a report at USA Spending.

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

The position, based in Medora, is not open to the public.

Duties include planning and execution of research, capture and handling of feral horses, steer and trespass cattle.

The South Unit, where the horses are found, is surrounded by grazing allotments.

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

On the Virginia Range with Art.

Genetic diversity comes from breeding, not mass sterilization.

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