Western Horse Watchers offers the following remarks in response to an op-ed appearing in today’s online edition of the Greeley Tribune.

The AML of 362 corresponds to a resource allocation in a land-use plan.  It is not the number of wild horses the HMA can sustain.  If the land can only support 362, how did the pre-gather population reach 896?  Half of them should be dead by now.

Sometimes you limit your spending in one area because other things are more important.

Wild horses are not domesticated animals.  If you think they are, adopt one and try throwing a saddle on him.  He might spin his butt and put a hoof in your face.

Table 2.1 in the Final EA for resource enforcement actions in the HMA shows 499 AUMs per year assigned to cattle in one of the pastures of the Sheepherder Spring allotment, which is inside the HMA according to the paragraph above the table.

If sheep only traverse the HMA on their way to summer and winter feeding grounds, why does the plan authorize over 16,000 AUMs per year to livestock inside the HMA?

Amend the plan and shift the resources back to the horses!  The roundup will no longer be necessary and the darting program can be stopped.

Horses appear in the North American fossil record, cattle and sheep do not.  They are the predominant non-native species on America’s pubic lands.

There are few if any predators in wild horse areas because those animals would also be interested in the offspring of the non-native species.

The Federal Land Policy and Management Act, 43 USC 35, puts domestic livestock grazing at the top of the list of principal uses of public lands, not fish and wildlife development, mineral extraction, recreation or timber production.  Refer to §1702(l).

The use of helicopters and motor vehicles in wild horse roundups, §1338a in 16 USC 30, was authorized by FLPMA, the first formal attack on the WHB Act by the public-lands ranchers, their overlords, cheerleaders and political allies.

RELATED: Sand Wash Horses Consume 95% of Resources?

The statement occurs at 1:36 in the following video by KUSA News of Denver.

Could it be true?  Yes, during the off season.

Table 2.1 in the Final EA for resource enforcement actions shows grazing seasons for allotments that overlap the HMA.  The pastures in rows 1, 2, 4, 6 and 7 are inside the HMA and represent a shifting of resources from wild horses to public-lands ranchers.

Grazing does not occur in June, July and August, so during the summer, the horses are the majority consumer of food and water.

Gates and fences might impede their movement within their home range and some areas may be off limits to help them recover for the next grazing season.  Most of the land does not meet standards for rangeland health.

The management plan assigns 79% of the authorized forage to privately owned livestock over a twelve month period, as explained in this report.  The horses are the minority consumer of resources overall, next to wildlife.

The pre-gather population of 896 is unacceptable—the horses are robbing too much forage, sometimes referred to as ‘their food,’ from the ranchers.

That’s why they have to go.  Resource enforcement.

Livestock AUMs may have been cut due to a temporary change in the weather but the horses are being permanently removed.  When conditions improve, it’ll be business as usual, with the ranchers receiving the lion’s share of the resources.

The BLM rep in the video is not telling the whole story.

Would that be true for your favorite advocacy group?

They couldn’t convert an AML to AUMs if their lives depended on it, but they can tell you exactly how many cc’s of adjuvant to add to the PZP and how long to mix them.

They’re working with government to achieve and maintain AMLs by attrition, which means they’re trying to protect and preserve the lopsided resource allocations that strongly favor the public-lands ranchers—in areas set aside for wild horses.

Charlatans, every one of them.

RELATED: Don’t Be Deceived by the Wild Horse Advocates!

The greatest threat to our public lands, and the animals living therein, is climate change, according to a story posted yesterday by Reuters.

The signatories to the ‘Path Forward‘—now revealed to be frauds—want you to accept the lie, join their darting army and help them get rid of wild horses.

To save the planet, of course.

RELATED: Support for ‘Path Forward’ Much Greater Than You Think.

This result appeared earlier today in a Google search for ‘wild horse.’

Apparently, LinkedIn is a member-only service.  Western Horse Watchers was unable to view the listing.

The job posting on Idealist is still active.

RELATED: Virginia Range Darting Program Coordinator Still Not Named?

AMLs are small because most of the forage in wild horse areas has been assigned to privately owned livestock.

Roundups enforce those assignments.

If you shift the resources back to the horses, the AMLs are much higher.  They represent the number of animals the areas could support if they were managed principally for wild horses, as specified in the statute.  Western Horse Watchers calls them True AMLs.

The ranchers want to get rid of the horses so they can enjoy more of what their allotments have to offer.

Although the advocates protest the roundups, they, like the ranchers, want to see wild horse numbers go down, as a result of their fertility control programs, not helicopters.

They never contest the land-use plans and resource allocations arising therefrom.

They are in business to sell PZP.  You see their influence when state and local officials call for humane management of these animals.

Instead of crashing the horses into pipe panels, stalk them with clipboards and darting rifles, drive birth rates to zero, and let the herds off.

There are few if any voices speaking in their defense.

Welcome to the love triangle on America’s public lands.  It’s a big club but hopefully you’re not in it.