The news release said they “were previously relinquished and are now available to qualified livestock operators,” as if that was the only valid use.
Those searching for wild horse preserves need not apply.
The allotments offer an estimated 18,075 active AUMs per year, which would support 1,506 wild horses, subject to rangeland health evaluations.
The grazing fee is currently $1.69 per AUM and the cost of off-range holding is $6 per head per day.
A. Restore Permitted Gazing
- Grazing receipts = 18,075 × $1.69 = $30,546.75 per year
- Cost of caring for wild horses = 1,506 × $6 × 365 = $3,298,140 per year
- Cash flow = $30,546.75 – $3,298,140 = -$3,267,593.25 per year
B. Convert to Wild Horse Preserve
- Grazing receipts = $0 per year
- Cost of caring for wild horses = $0 per year
- Cash flow = $0 per year
Option B saves taxpayers over $3 million per year.
At an average stocking rate of five wild horses per thousand public acres, which is the case for the Uintah allotments, the 21,000 animals in short-term holding could be put back on the range by cancelling the permits on 4.2 million acres—less than 3% of the BLM land identified for livestock grazing.
RELATED: Potential Wild Horse Preserve in Uintah County?
► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.
Western Horse Watchers Association 