Section 4.2.2 in the environmental assessment for the roundup states that 15,794 AUMs per year have been allocated to thirteen livestock operators on seven allotments within the HMA. The EA also states in section 1.1 that the AML is 185 – 253 wild horses.
The roundup, which starts next week, will bring the HMA to the low end of the AML, meaning that:
- Wild horses will receive 2,220 AUMs per year
- Livestock will receive seven times as much forage as the horses
- The HMA could support an additional 1,316 horses
- The AML represents 12% of the capacity of the land
There’s not enough forage to sustain the pre-gather population of 429 wild horses (5,148 AUMs per year), but there’s three times that amount for domestic livestock.
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Western Horse Watchers Association 