Black Mountain Roundup Day 7

The incident began on May 2. Gather stats through May 8:

Target: Burros
Type: Planned
Method: Helicopter
Captured: 267, up from 124 on Day 3
Average daily take: 38.1
Capture goal: 1,080
Removal goal: 1,080
Returned: None
Deaths: None
Shipped: 173, up from 56 on Day 3

Reports for Days 4 to 7 were not posted until yesterday. Helicopters did not fly on Day 7 due to high winds.

The cumulative total includes 100 jacks, 127 jennies and 40 foals.

Youngsters represented 15.0% of the animals captured. Of the adults, 44.1% were male and 55.9% were female.

The herd can’t be growing at a rate of 20% per year with a birth rate of 15% per year.

Four PZP jennies have been caught to date, part of the Humane Society darting project.

The location of the trap site within the HMA was not disclosed.

Day 7 ended with 94 unaccounted-for animals.

Other statistics:

AML: 478
Forage assigned to burros: 2,868 AUMs per year
Pre-gather population: 3,000
Forage liberated to date: 1,602 AUMs per year
Water liberated to date: 1,335 gallons per day
Forage assigned to livestock: 7,333 AUMs per year (estimated)
Burros displaced from HMA by permitted grazing: 1,222
True AML: 1,700
Stocking rate at new AML: 1.7 burros per thousand acres
Burros displaced from HMA by drilling and mining: Ask the advocates

RELATED: Black Mountain Roundup Day 3.

Minor Problem with Rock Springs RMP Amendments?

The Proposed Action in the Final EIS (Alternative D) did not appear in the Draft EIS and was not subject to public review.

Only those who participated in the planning process can protest and new issues cannot be introduced.

Refer to Section 2.2.4 in each document for a comparison of the two plans.

Suppose you bought land in a new subdivision and the builder offers four floor plans for your consideration.

You go through them and give him your feedback.

A year later he comes back with a new plan that was not among the original four and he wants you to accept it without comment.

Are you going to agree to that?

Cañon City Deaths Reach 140

Two deaths were reported on May 9, presumably adults, bringing the total to 140.

All fatalities have occurred in pens occupied by the West Douglas horses.

The link in the May 9 update points to the May 8 sitrep.

Protests Accumulating in Rock Springs RMP Amendments

Seven complaints have been submitted online as of this morning. Objections can also be submitted by mail and these may not be reflected in the count.

The Proposed Action (Alternative D in the Final EIS) will close two of the four HMAs under consideration and downsize a third. The fourth will remain intact but will be subject to population suppression of unspecified type.

In the Draft EIS, three would be closed and the fourth downsized.

Many of the horses in the area were removed in a roundup that ended in January.

Mustang Monday

At Grayson Highlands State Park with Dorthe & Morten Outdoor.

Paper Misleads Readers About Rock Springs RMP Protest

An article posted today by the Wyoming Tribune Eagle says now is the time to speak up if you have any concerns about how the BLM responds to land issues involving wild horses in the state, which is not correct.

The protest period is not a public comment period. Only those who participated in the planning process are eligible.

If you didn’t submit comments at the time don’t hit the Participate Now button!

Refer to the letter on page two of the Final EIS for more information.

UPDATE: Link to article fixed.

Cañon City Virus Still Spreading

Two deaths were reported on May 8, presumably adults, boosting the total to 138.

All fatalities have occurred in pens occupied by the West Douglas horses.

No additional information was provided in today’s sitrep.

West Douglas Herd Area Unfit for Wild Horses?

How could it be unable to support the 457 horses living there before the roundup, when the BLM authorizes privately owned livestock equivalent to 832 wild horses in the same area?

Captured animals were taken to the Cañon City off-range corrals, where 136 have died as of May 7. The foals reported yesterday may have been born in the corrals.

News reports focus on the situation at the corrals, not on the mismanagement of their home range. Same for the advocates.

RELATED: Cañon City Deaths Preventable?

Park Service Goes Underground with Assateague Horse Census?

Earlier this week Western Horse Watchers sent an inquiry to the staff at Assateague Island National Seashore asking if the 2022 results had been released to the public but as of today no response has been received.

Is an FOIA needed now to obtain the same information that was posted every two months on the Assateague news page?

RELATED: Anticipation.

More Horses Lost at Cañon City

Five more deaths were reported on May 7, including a yearling and four foals, bringing the total to 136.

All fatalities have occurred in pens occupied by the West Douglas horses.

No other changes were noted in today’s sitrep.

RELATED: Cañon City Deaths Top 130.

Advocates Pleased with Sinbad and Death Valley Gather Results?

Foals represented seven percent of the burros captured at Sinbad and twelve percent of the burros captured near Death Valley.

We know what they think about youngsters.

Yes to privately owned cattle and sheep, no to wild horses and burros.

How else can you explain their zeal for the Montana Solution, the humane alternative to helicopters roundups?

Advocates are the Predators 11-30-21

Sinbad Roundup Ends Early

Operations concluded on May 5, according to a remark at the gather page, with 153 burros captured, 152 shipped and one dead.

The cumulative total included 75 jacks, 67 jennies and 11 foals.

Youngsters represented 7.2% of the burros captured. Of the adults, 52.8% were male and 47.2% were female.

The herd can’t be growing at a rate of 20% per year with a birth rate of 7%.

The capture goal was 300 and the removal goal was 260.

The HMA is managed principally for livestock.

RELATED: Sinbad Roundup Announced.

Death Valley Auxiliary Roundup Ends Early

Operations concluded on May 5, according to a remark at the gather page, with 181 burros captured, 181 shipped and one dead.

The number of animals shipped is usually less than the number captured when deaths are reported.

The cumulative total included 76 jacks, 83 jennies and 22 foals.

Youngsters represented 12.2% of the burros captured. Of the adults, 47.8% were male and 52.2% were female.

The herd can’t be growing at a rate of 20% per year with a birth rate of 12%.

The capture and removal goals were 490 each.

Three HAs were involved in the roundup.

Protest Period Begins for Rock Springs RMP Amendments

The original project in ePlanning has been superseded by a new project, to which the Final EIS and Notice of Availability were posted.

The protest period runs from May 6 to June 6.

The BLM will release a Record of Decision after the protest period, presumably after objections have been screened for validity and merit.

If approved, management actions analyzed in the EIS would amend the 1997 Green River RMP and the 2008 Rawlins RMP.

Any person or organization that participated in the planning process and has an interest that would or may be adversely affected by the decision may protest.

The protesting party may raise only the issues they submitted for the record during the planning process leading up to the publication of the Proposed RMP Amendments.

New issues may not be brought into the record at the protest stage.

The final decision may be subject to a 30-day appeal period.

Pilot Butte Wild Horse Scenic Loop Safe for Now?

The White Mountain HMA, home of the 24-mile self-guided tour, will not be altered in the latest iteration of the Rock Springs RMP amendments, announced earlier today.

Cañon City Deaths Preventable?

With vaccines, according to the executive director of the Campaign Against America’s Wild Horses in a story posted today by The Daily Sentinel of Grand Junction, CO.

It’s not clear if she meant vaccines that prevent illness or vaccines that prevent life.

She and her supporters are much more interested in the latter than the former.

VR Darting Injury 09-15-21

The 131 horses lost to date at Cañon City are all in a day’s work on the Virginia Range, where her foot soldiers deny life to perhaps five times that many every year with the Montana Solution.

The herd shrinks as the older ones die off, all part of a broader plan to take market share from Cattoor, Sun J and Uhalde while affording the same level of protection to the public-lands ranchers.

The deaths could have been avoided by leaving the horses on their home range, which is managed principally for livestock.

Why didn’t she mention that?

Cañon City Deaths Top 130

Two more deaths were reported on May 6, bringing the total to 131. All fatalities have occurred in pens occupied by the West Douglas horses.

Today’s sitrep acknowledges the efforts of veterinarians and laboratory scientists that have contributed to the investigation.

Currituck Filly #6 This Year

She was born May 3 according to a brief report by OBX Today.

The first foal of the year died last month for unknown reasons.

Birth rates and breeding patterns are determined by the advocates, not the horses.

Decision Pending in Rock Springs RMP Amendments

An announcement appeared today in the Federal Register.

Under the proposed amendments,

The Rock Springs Field Office portion of the Adobe Town HMA would no longer be designated as an HMA and would be managed for zero wild horses. For the Rawlins Field Office portion of the HMA, all checkerboard land and the portion of the HMA north of the existing Corson Springs southern allotment boundary fence would no longer be designated as an HMA and would be managed for zero wild horses. The remainder of the HMA would be retained and managed with an AML of 259-536
The Great Divide Basin HMA would no longer be designated as an HMA and would be managed for zero wild horses
The Salt Wells Creek HMA would no longer be designated as an HMA and would be managed for zero wild horses
The boundary of the White Mountain HMA would remain the same and would continue to include checkerboard land

The changes will likely be subject to a protest period before becoming permanent.

The project, instigated by the Rock Springs Grazing Association, will rank among the greatest losses for America’s wild horses if approved.

UPDATE: BLM just issued news release.

New Resource Enforcement Plan for Little Fish Lake JMA?

A new project appeared in ePlanning yesterday but no documents were posted.

The comment period for the Draft EA would run from May 11 to June 10.

The Proposed Action would remove excess horses and apply population suppression of unspecified type to reduce growth rates.

The scope may include the Little Fishlake HMA, managed by the BLM, and the Little Fishlake WHT, managed by the Forest Service.

The Joint Management Area covers approximately 104,000 acres west of the Pancake HMA in central Nevada and has a combined AML of 132.

The stocking rate allowed by plan is 1.3 horses per thousand acres, in line with the target rate of one wild horse per thousand acres (27,000 animals on 27 million acres).