Month: June 2026

Vandals to Compensate Ranchers for Damage to Pumphouse

Five individuals were charged with malicious injury to property and ordered to pay $5,000 each to permittees affected by loss of water according to a BLM news release.

The incident occurred in August 2023.

Interesting how cases involving injury to ranchers are solved while those involving injury to wild horses are not.

The name of the allotment and a link to the NEPA review for the range improvements were not given.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

Shackleford Herd Adds Three New Foals

A story by WITN News says the number of wild horses continues to grow, as if there were no losses in 2025.

The population was 102 at the end of the year according to NPS.

Can you think of a reason why the birth rate is low, the breeding population is small and genetic diversity is at risk?

Here’s a hint:

RELATED: Shackleford Herd Declined Sharply in 2025.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

Scoping Begins for Wild Horse and Burro Programmatic EA

The project will evaluate a range of management actions, and the environmental effects thereof, to be used in site-specific EAs for wild horse and burro management.

The idea is to streamline the planning process by analyzing actions found in a majority of management plans so the results can be dropped into future EAs by the field offices.

Comments are due by July 2.

UPDATE: The news release, published after this post went live, does not refer to a programmatic EA.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

Horses Down, Burros Up in Latest Facilities Report

The grand totals as of May 28, representing short-term and long-term holding, were 53,773 wild horses and 4,252 wild burros, compared to 55,533 wild horses and 2,741 wild burros on March 26.

Reasons for the changes were not given in the report.

Adoptions, sales, deaths and transfers to other agencies bring the numbers down.

Motorized removal, preferred by ranchers, drives them up.

Mass sterilization, favored by the advocates, could eliminate the need for off-range holding along with the wild horse and burro program.

Would you be surprised if hunters and ranchers were the fastest growing segment in their donor base?

PREVIOUS: Inventory Decreases Slightly in New Facilities Report.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

Pearce to Lead BLM

He was confirmed by the Senate on May 18, along with a slate of other nominees, according to the Congressional Record.

The BLM org chart has been updated accordingly.

It’s not clear if he’ll tolerate the lies about resource availability, carrying capacity and management priorities on America’s public lands.

RELATED: Trump Nominates Pearce for BLM Director.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

Mustang Monday

At the Dishpan Butte HMA, part of the North Lander Complex, with Angelique Rea.

Or, if you prefer, in the Dishpan Butte Allotment.

The management plan allows 1.1 wild horses per thousand public acres in the HMA and livestock equivalent to 10.1 wild horses per thousand public acres in the allotment.

At what point does rangeland health begin to deteriorate?

Data sources: 2026 population estimates, RAS, ArcGIS Viewer.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.