Little Book Cliffs Roundup, Day 5

The incident started on September 11. Results through September 15:

Scope: Little Book Cliffs HMA
Target: Horses
AML: 150
Pre-gather population: Unknown (not stated in news release)
True AML: N/A (no livestock grazing)
Type: Planned
Method: Helicopter
Goals: Gather 130, remove 100
Captured: 116, up from 26 on Day 3
Shipped: 38, up from zero on Day 3
Released: None
Deaths: None
Average daily take: 23.2
Unaccounted-for animals: 78

The figures above are based on the daily reports.

The capture total includes 31 stallions, 66 mares and 19 foals.

Youngsters represented 16.4% of the animals gathered, consistent with a herd growth rate of 11% per year.

Of the adults, 32.0% were male and 68.0% were female, outside the range of variation expected from a random process centered at 50% males / 50% females.

Body condition scores were not given.

The location of the trap site is not known.

Up to 20 mares will be treated with fertility control pesticides and be returned to the HMA with up to ten stallions.

The Draft EA for management actions in the HMA indicated on page 6 that the herd consisted of 203 horses, including 22 foals, as of September 2023. Of the 181 adults, 33% were male and 67% were female.

The Final EA states on page 6 that the population in July 2024 was 222, including 29 foals, and that the 193 adults consisted of 42% males and 58% females.

Officials Point to Algae Bloom in Loss of Death Valley Burros

Eleven animals were found dead near the Owls Hole Spring according to the September 11 news release.

Park rangers warned visitors not to touch or drink water in that area.

Davis Fire Almost Subdued, Risk to Virginia Range Minimal

The September 14 update at InciWeb puts the burned area at 5,824 acres, same as yesterday, with 76% containment.

The map shows the potential for spread on the west side only.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Little Book Cliffs Roundup, Day 3

The incident started on September 11. Results through September 13:

Scope: Little Book Cliffs HMA
Target: Horses
AML: 150
Pre-gather population: Unknown (not stated in news release)
True AML: N/A (no livestock grazing)
Type: Planned
Method: Helicopter
Goals: Gather 130, remove 100
Captured: 26, up from 10 on Day 1
Shipped: None
Released: None
Deaths: None
Average daily take: 8.7
Unaccounted-for animals: 26

The figures above are based on the daily reports.

The capture total includes 7 stallions, 15 mares and 4 foals.

Youngsters represented 15.4% of the animals gathered.

Of the adults, 31.8% were male and 68.2% were female.

Body condition scores were not given.

The location of the trap site is not known.

Up to 20 mares will be treated with fertility control pesticides and be returned to the range with up to ten stallions.

The Final EA states on page 6 that the population in July 2024 was 222, including 29 foals, and that the 193 adults consisted of 42% males and 58% females.

Abnormal sex ratios are a long-term consequence of PZP darting programs, in addition to female sterilization, conditions that the advocates gloss over with euphemisms such as “mares living longer” and “self-boosting mares.”

Twin Peaks Roundup Announced

The incident will begin on October 1 according to today’s news release.

The capture and removal goals are 940 and 870, respectively.

The announcement does not indicate the method of capture but the FY25 schedule, just out, suggests helicopter.

Operations will be open to public observation.

The destination of animals identified for removal is not known.

A link to the daily reports was not provided.

The HMA covers 758,128 total acres on the CA-NV state line, including 635,356 public acres, and the management plan allows 758 horses and 116 burros.

The current population is thought to be around 1,800 wild horses and 140 wild burros.

The news release said that the horses were using more than their allocated share of the forage but did not say who gets the remainder.

Section 3.2.2 in the Final EA for management actions in the HMA indicates that cattle and sheep receive 26,644 AUMs per year while the horses and burros receive 9,792 AUMs per year according to section 1.2.

Thus the HMA supports livestock equivalent to 2,220 wild horses.

The True AML is 2,978, so it’s far from overpopulated.

The announcement should have said that the horses are trying to reclaim some of their food from the government dependents.

Davis Fire Grows Slightly, Risk to Virginia Range Decreasing

The September 13 update at InciWeb puts the size at 5,824 acres with 56% containment.

The east side, shown with a black border, has been contained according to the map.

This takes a little pressure off the horses and residents in that area.

The BLM land supports the Jumbo Allotment.

The Allotment Master Report puts it in the Custodial category with 755 active AUMs.

The Authorization Use Report shows a two-month grazing season and the livestock type is sheep.

CPR Looks at Day 1 of Little Book Cliffs Roundup

Some of the photos suggest that the left-wing trumpet, always eager to take the government line, was given access to the operation not afforded to the public.

Contrary to a remark in the September 13 article, birth control drugs do not optimize the herd’s male-to-female ratio, they skew it in favor of females.

The condition, a result of the PZP darting program carried out by the advocates, will be corrected through selective return.

FlightAware indicates that tail number N9233F is owned by C & D helicopters of Reno.

A statement by the Campaign Against America’s Wild Horses that roundups are based on a deep-rooted prioritization of ranching on public lands is true but not to be taken seriously by that group because it’s in cahoots with the bureaucrats and ranchers.

The claim in a BLM handout that removal of wild horses from public lands is carried out to ensure rangeland health, in accordance with land-use plans that are developed in an open, public process is misleading.

The land-use plans, driven by a goal of ranching superiority in the lawful homes of wild horses, assign most of the forage to livestock.

This has been demonstrated repeatedly in the “How Many Wild Horses Can the HMA Support” and “Short End of Stick” posts (refer to sidebar on the right).

The agency does solicit public input on environmental assessments for wild horse management actions but the resource allocations are locked in.

Requests to change them are met with responses such as “Outside the scope of the process” or “Cannot be changed by a wild horse gather decision.”

Your host has not seen an invitation to comment on resource management in the rare occasion when a land-use plan is up for review.

There is no requirement in the statute that AMLs should be small relative to the available resources.

They could correspond to 100% of the authorized forage, neglecting wildlife.

But the agency won’t do that because it has been co-opted by ranching interests as many observers have noticed, even the politicians.

Sand Wash Roundup in Progress

The incident began on August 19 but the BLM didn’t publish a link to the daily reports until recently.

As of September 9, six horses have been caught and six have been shipped, leaving no unaccounted-for animals.

RELATED: Status of Sand Wash Roundup?

Foal-Free Friday, Abandoning Principal Use Edition

The advocates are some of the most outspoken opponents of principal use, a condition in the original statute regarding areas identified for wild horses and burros.

Today, roughly half of their land is managed primarily for livestock and the other half is managed principally for livestock.

The distinction is in the forage allocations.

In the HMAs, livestock receive around 80% of the authorized AUMs while in the HAs they receive almost all of them, allowing a small percentage for wildlife.

Like HMAPs and roundups, fertility control pesticides don’t change these numbers, they enforce them.

Thus, it is true that the advocates do not protect wild horses and burros, they protect the bureaucrats and ranchers.

Advocates Love Wild Horses 09-12-24

Seventh Annual Devil’s Garden Roundup Announced

The incident will begin on October 28 according to a September 10 news release by the Modoc National Forest.

The capture goal is 500. The removal goal was not stated.

The current population is somewhere between 651 and 998 wild horses.

Operations will be open to public observation on a limited basis.

The Forest Service hired the contractor who abused a horse in the Blue Wing roundup.

The WHT covers about 258,000 acres and is subject to permitted grazing.

FY25 Roundup Schedule Issued

Twin Peaks leads off the new year, followed by other HMAs that had been dropped from FY24 at the last minute.

The largest incident involves Adobe Town and Salt Wells Creek in Wyoming, with over 3,600 wild horses designated for removal, the final step in a plan to transition the HMAs to HAs.

TRNP Wild Horse Documentary a Day Late and a Dollar Short?

The teaser in the news release asks you to support the film before it’s too late but it’s already too late.

The original wild horses of TRNP, thought to be descendants of Sitting Bull’s ponies, were removed years ago.

The herd you see today is only an exhibit.

Crews Keep Davis Fire in Check

The prediction of a seven-mile run on Wednesday did not come true, thanks to the hard work of those on the ground.

The forecast and other topics were discussed in yesterday’s press conference.

A map at InciWeb shows containment on the east side of the fire, reducing the risk of spread into the Virginia Range.

Little Book Cliffs Roundup in Progress

The incident started today as scheduled, with ten horses captured, none shipped, none released and no deaths.

The daily report was not filled out, only the totals in the sidebar.

Davis Fire Expected to Grow to North, West

Conditions will be favorable today for movement of up to seven miles according to a story by the Reno Gazette Journal.

As of yesterday, the fire had burned around 5,700 acres and was 31% contained.

The projected track, parallel to the Virginia Range, does not appear to increase or decrease the threat to the mustangs.

The impact on the PZP darters, who are trying to convince the bureaucrats and ranchers that mass sterilization is a practical alternative to motorized removal, is not known.

RELATED; Davis Fire Shrinks?

Fundraiser for Sunny Hills 24

Advocates with Wild Horse Connection, still denying any responsibility for the roundup, will hold an estate sale this weekend to provide food and shelter for the horses until they find new homes, according to an ad on Craigslist.

Western Horse Watchers estimates the cost of hay for 24 former wild horses to be around $3,600 per month.

Criteria for Choosing the Winner in Tonight’s Presidential Debate

For Harris to win, she must

Show up

For Trump to win, he must

Walk on water
Give sight to the blind
Cure world hunger

Which one is a symbol of liberty and which one is a symbol of tyranny?

Keep in mind that Project 2025 was created by The Heritage Foundation, not the Trump campaign.

McCullough Fundraiser Set for September 14

Advocates with Friends of a Legacy need your help.

They’re fighting back against genetic diversity, natural order and principal use.

Their primary weapon, PZP, doesn’t grow on trees.

Join them this Saturday for the ninth annual Mustang Rendezvous.

Proceeds from the event will support their mission to protect and preserve the wild horses of McCullough Peaks, illustrated in the photo below.

Refer to this article by The Cody Enterprise for more information.

You can’t take the advocates at face value.

They’re not who they say they are.

They want the ranchers to win.

McCullough Peaks Darting-1

Tensions Mount Ahead of Little Book Cliffs Roundup?

Contrary to the remarks in a September 10 article by The Colorado Sun, all parties involved are on the same page.

The author’s bio says she loves to write about agriculture and ranching, the driver of wild horse roundups, but apparently there has been a falling out.

A representative of the Campaign Against America’s Wild Horses, a leader in nonmotorized removal, said the incident, set to begin tomorrow, rejects published science and persistent calls from the governor and state lawmakers to delay the roundup in favor of in-the-wild conservation, a codeword for destroying the herd with PZP.

Advocates with Friends of the Mustangs, applicators of the pesticide, will help the BLM decide which horses stay and which ones go.

And the ranchers whose allotments surround the HMA, not mentioned in the story, are cautiously optimistic about the future and the prospects of fewer wild horses leaving the reservation in search of greener pastures.

They may be giving money to the nonprofits.

BLM allotments in the state support livestock equivalent to 49,546 wild horses on 7,448,367 public acres, or 6.7 wild horses per thousand public acres.

Working Together for a Horse-Free Future 12-21-22