The tiny HMA, on the east side of Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge, is due for a roundup starting on March 15.
It covers 41,160 public acres and the 41 burros allowed by plan receive 246 AUMs per year.
The current population is unknown.
The stocking rate allowed by plan is one wild burro per thousand public acres, equivalent to 0.5 wild horses per thousand public acres.
The National Data Viewer shows habitat loss and neighboring allotments. Click on image to open in new tab.
The HMA overlaps the western side of Alder Creek, which offers 5,913 active AUMs on 123,363 public acres, according to the Allotment Master Report.
That works out to 47.9 AUMs per year per thousand public acres, enough to support eight wild burros per thousand public acres.
The number of burros displaced from their lawful home by permitted grazing is 8 × 41,160 ÷ 1,000 = 329, assuming that forage is evenly distributed across the allotment.
The True AML, the number of burros the HMA could support if it was managed principally for them as specified in the original statute, is 41 + 329 = 370.
The stocking rate at the new AML would be 370 ÷ 41,160 × 1,000 = 9 wild burros per thousand public acres.
This brings more embarrassment to federal land managers, who claim the HMA can only support one wild burro per thousand public acres.
Such statements are made in defense of ranching interests, not for the health of wild burros or the land they roam.
RELATED: The Allotments Tell the Story: They’re Lying, All of Them.
Western Horse Watchers Association 