Wyoming Governor Endorses Roundup Before It’s Approved

The comment period closed today. Public concerns have not been addressed and a decision has been not been reached. But apparently it’s a done deal.

The governor wants a solution that balances multiple uses, including forage for livestock and habitat for wildlife, according to a report in today’s edition of Sweetwater Now.

A pest control program for wild horses would meet the requirement—and satisfy the special interests that influenced or drafted the governor’s letter.

Thriving Ecological Balance-3

BLM Monitoring Dry Conditions in Northern California

Public lands may not support the usual numbers of cattle and sheep this year and ranchers have been advised that early removal could be necessary.

BLM staff will also be looking at resource availability for wild horses and burros, and assessing the potential for wildfires, according to the news release.

Adoption Incentive Fallout?

A rescue in Webster, FL takes in wild horses, trains them and adopts them out, according to a video report posted yesterday by the Ocala Star-Banner.

A spokeswoman told Western Horse Watchers that most are owner surrenders, some purchased on sale authority and some adopted with the $1,000 incentive.

As of today, 49 of the 60 horses at the facility are mustangs.

Not All Range Improvements Built by Ranchers

Wild horses have a keen nose for water, which includes sources underground, according to a report published yesterday by National Geographic. Water holes created by the horses also benefit wildlife.

The story refers to them as an introduced species, suggesting that they’re not supposed to be there, but reintroduced might be a better choice.

A Wikipedia article about the Banker Horses provides another example.

Is the behavior limited to the wild?

This hole was dug by adopted horses in their corral. Water is added manually for them to play in and curb their interest in digging further.

Water Hole in Corral 04-30-21

Shackleford Herd Grows by One

The filly was born earlier this week, according to a report by OBX Today.

The story did not indicate if breeding patterns are determined by the horses.

Herds That Manage Themselves

Wild horses, like other animals, take their cues from their environment. If a herd is to regulate its own size, it needs a feedback loop that compares the current state of affairs to the desired state of affairs. The larger the gap, the greater the effort to close it.

Some observers have noted that roundups increase reproduction, which makes sense in view of the feedback model. The gap has increased and nature says ‘Fill your niche!’

If you drive a car, you’re already familiar with feedback loops.

The speedometer shows the current state. You compare that to the desired state—the speed limit—and act accordingly. If you’re merging onto a freeway, the gap is large so you ‘put the pedal to the metal.’

Now, suppose you step on the gas but nothing happens. Worse, suppose you hit the gas and the car slows down.

That’s what PZP does to the feedback loop.

A roundup tells the herd to hit the gas while the advocates are stepping on the brakes.

The helicopters and darts are flying not because the carrying capacity of the land has been exceeded but because the resource allocations have been violated. The horses are never allowed to seek their level.

Pancake Gather Plan

BLM Turns 75 This Year

The agency will celebrate its diamond anniversary in 2021, according to a news release issued last week, with everyone invited to “reimagine your public lands.”

Some in the wild horse world may imagine that the milestone is really the 87th anniversary of the Grazing Service.

Wild Horses Living in Balance with Their Environment?

A letter to The Nevada Independent suggests that wild horse herds will not grow beyond the capacity of their environment, so there is no need for sterilization, fertility control and other ‘solutions’ proposed by the government.

The idea is that growth rates taper off when the herds have filled their ecological niches.

What would trigger the change in behavior?

Would the horses sense that the limit has been reached when their habitat is dominated by livestock or would they make the determination based on their own kind?

Radio Program Considers Recent Events in the Wild Horse World

Refer to this story by KNPR of Las Vegas, which includes a 45-minute audio segment with invited guests from the University of Nevada and Willamette University, and a caller from eastern Nevada.

Topics include the demise of SJR3, the letter to Haaland about livestock grazing on HMAs and the attempt to market the Virginia Range horses to job seekers.

Conflating Rock Springs RMP Amendments and Gather Plan?

In a poll commissioned last year by The Cloud Foundation, 69% of respondents opposed the removal of wild horses from 1.5 million acres of public lands in southern Wyoming to accommodate the oil/gas and livestock industries, according to a report by Cowboy State Daily, an online news service.

The survey likely referred to the Rock Springs RMP amendments, which were instigated by grazing interests, not the oil and gas industry. Four HMAs are affected.

Release of those results coincided with the comment period for wild horse management actions in the same area, affecting five HMAs.

Although both projects target wild horses in the Wyoming Checkerboard, the distinction is not clear in the article.

Burning Man Scrubbed

No commotion in the desert for Nevada’s wild horses this year, according to a story posted today by the Las Vegas Sun.

The festival is usually held in an area surrounded by HMAs, northeast of Gerlach.

Burning Man Map 04-27-21

‘Path Forward’ for Idaho Wolves Sent to Governor

The measure, favored by agricultural interests, will remove up to 90% of the animals from the state, alleviating attacks on cattle, sheep and wildlife.

Ranchers have claimed hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses due to wolf attacks, according to a report published today by AP News.

The story did not indicate if the animals would be pursued on public lands.

RELATED: Grazing Program Ancillaries.

Double Standard Illustrated

A wild horse herd increases from 200 to 300 animals in three years, a 14.5% annual growth rate. The government removes 100 horses at the end of year three, leaving 200 on the range.

Another herd has 200 wild horses and does not grow over the three year period, thanks to the advocates, who limit the birth rate. At the end of three years there are 200 horses on the range.

Both cases yield the same results. The government got rid of the horses with helicopters while the advocates got rid of them with contraceptives.

The first case is condemned while the second case is acclaimed.

That is the double standard.

Contraceptives can’t shrink a herd from 300 to 200 horses in three years.

Forest Service to Decimate Heber Wild Horse Herd?

They should let the ‘advocacy’ groups do that, according to a letter appearing in today’s online edition of the White Mountain Independent.

This is the double standard of the wild horse world.

The Salt River Wild Horse Management Group and the American Wild Horse Campaign did not team up to oppose the new Heber management plan. They have been in cahoots for several years, taking the Salt River herd from over 100 foals annually to the single digits in 2021.

Chincoteague Pony Swim Called Off Again

The event, a population control technique, will be replaced by an online auction this year, according to a story by The Washington Post.

On the other side of the country, the Western States Horse Expo is still scheduled for June 11 – 13.

U.S. Population Grew Just 7.4% Over Last Decade

It’s the second lowest growth rate ever, according to a report posted yesterday by AP News, less than one percent per year (0.72% if you want to split hairs).

How much of the increase was due to illegal immigration?

Social Security is going bust because we’re aborting/contracepting/sterilizing ourselves out of existence.

The same mentality has carried over into the wild horse world, spearheaded by the ‘advocacy’ groups.

Bighorns and Broomtails on the San Rafael Swell

Both species are threatened by public-lands ranching, not necessarily in this area but across the west in general. The horses may be attached to the Muddy Creek HMA.

Thanks to Backpacker Diaries for sharing the video.