Refer to items [12], [13] and [14] of comment #1960 in the Onaqui Comment Report, starting at the bottom of page 136 in the pdf.
The 19,235 AUMs in the grazing permits provide roughly $1.9 million in benefits to local economies. That’s about $100 per AUM per year in economic activity.
Now we can put a price tag on wild horses.
The Onaqui AML is not 210, but 210 × 12 × 100 = $252,000 per year in lost economic value.
The pre-gather population of 500 represents 500 × 12 × 100 = $600,000 per year in lost economic activity.
The answer is obvious: Remove the horses and give their food to the ranchers.
This is an area where the advocates can unite with the cattlemen in their desire to get rid of wild horses.
The cost of maintaining wild life, a PROTECTED special status Native N American Species on public lands is only relative to the cost of the millions wasted on the extinguishment of a National Treasure. Rancher’s livestock are private property and lease allotments subject to a number of regulations including the 1966 National Historic Preservation Act and the Endangered Species Act. The 1976 Kleppe v New Mexico Supreme Court decision relegated wild horses and burros to protected wildlife status. Their legal status on public lands has long been circumvented because Congress does not enforce their own Acts.
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