The HMA, located west of Salt Lake City, lies mostly within the Skull Valley and South Skull Valley allotments.
The allotment master report puts both in the Improve category.
Together they offer 20,719 active AUMs on 330,757 public acres, equivalent to 5.2 wild horses per thousand public acres.
As for the HMA, the management plan allows 390 wild horses on 204,674 public acres, or 1.9 wild horses per thousand public acres.
Therefore, it should be able to support (1.9 + 5.2) × 204,674 ÷ 1,000 = 1,453 wild horses, meaning that 1,453 – 390 = 1,063 wild horses have been consigned to off-range holding because of permitted grazing.
What are the advocates doing about this?
Beating the horse numbers down with ovary-killing pesticides.
A report by USA Spending indicates that the Campaign Against America’s Wild Horses has received $173,975 for the service, out of $217,549 authorized.
The August 5 schedule indicates 20 mares treated at Cedar Mountain. If that’s on an annual basis, then 40 mares will be treated over the two-year life of the project, which works out to over $5,000 per head.
Would you say that’s a wise use of taxpayer money?
RELATED: It’s a Conservation Program, Not a Sterilization Program.
Western Horse Watchers Association 