Author: Western Horse Watchers

Stewart Creek Horses Get Short End of Stick

The Red Desert roundup begins this week, affecting five HMAs.  The news release said the current wild horse population in the Complex is approximately 3,000, compared to a total AML of 724.

If each HMA is at 4X AML, the need for this and other management actions, such as fertility control, is obvious.

The operation was originally authorized in 2016 but the supporting documents were revised in 2017.  Data in the Final EA are not sufficient for a report on the entire Complex but do allow reports for a few of the HMAs.

The Stewart Creek HMA covers 168,000 acres and has an AML of 175.  The horses allowed by plan require 2,100 AUMs per year and the stocking rate is approximately one wild horse per thousand acres, in line with the average rate across all HMAs.

The HMA intersects one allotment, shown in white on the following map.  The EA states on page 54 (page 58 in the pdf) that the allotment boundary is similar to the HMA boundary except the allotment includes about 5,000 acres outside the HMA.  Thus, the estimated size of the allotment is 173,000 acres.

Red Desert Allotments-1

Table 5 in the EA provides the grazing season and authorized forage.  Livestock calculations are based on cow/calf pairs for a direct comparison to wild horses.  The resource requirements of wild horses and cow/calf pairs are said to be equivalent.

The portion of the allotment inside the HMA is 168,000 ÷ 173,000 = .971.

Stewart Creek Calcs-1

The estimated forage available to livestock inside the HMA is 8,138 AUMs per year, assuming the resource is evenly distributed across the parcel (97.1% of 8,380).

The Stewart Creek permittees would have to place 1,292 cow/calf pairs inside the HMA to graze off 8,138 AUMs in 6.3 months.  The stocking rate would be 7.7 cow/calf pairs per thousand acres.

These management indicators are compared in the following charts.

Stewart Creek Charts-1

The HMA is managed primarily for livestock, with the horses receiving 21% of the total authorized forage (excluding wildlife).

If the HMA is at 4X AML, the pre-gather population of 700 would include 525 excess horses and the area would be classified as ‘overpopulated.’.

However, the forage assigned to livestock would support an additional 678 wild horses, for a true AML of 853.  There are no excess horses in the HMA, there is no need for a roundup and there is no justification for a fertility control program.

RELATED: Red Desert Horses Get Short End of Stick?, Rationale for AMLs?

Thriving Ecological Balance-3

South Steens Follow-Up

At the conclusion of the roundup, BLM reported that 62 studs had been captured along with 103 mares.  Do those numbers look like they came from a herd that’s 50% males, 50% females?

The question can be answered with the most rudimentary of statistical calculations, where n = 165 and p-bar = .5.

The observed values of 62 and 103 fall outside the calculated limits of 63.2 and 101.8.

Therefore, the answer is ‘No.’  An assignable cause should be sought.

One possibility is that mares prefer private property.  Another possibility is that the contractor targeted family bands.  That might explain the rather large percentage of foals captured (24.3% of the total).

Or perhaps the herd was not composed of 50% males and 50% females.  Do studs die off at an early age, leaving the mares and foals behind?

Would a sex ratio of 40% males and 60% females be considered normal?  If so, then attempts to skew it in the other direction would be considered malicious, interfering with a natural process, just like PZP darting.

But it makes sense in an age where ‘management at the minimum feasible level’ has been replaced with ‘management primarily for livestock,’ privately owned, of course.

RELATED: South Steens Roundup Ends.

Wild Horse Management

Cibola-Trigo Outside-HMA Roundup Over?

The daily reports stopped on September 30.  The goal has been reached but no news release has been issued.  Here are the totals based on the daily results:

  • Burros captured: 307
  • Goal: 300
  • Deaths: 1
  • Shipped: 327
  • Returned: 5

A jenny died on September 23 after colliding with a panel.  Foals accounted for roughly 16% of the burros captured.  The number of foals on September 17 was not provided.

Do the numbers balance?  Given that more animals were shipped than gathered the answer is probably ‘No.’

Animals gathered = Animals shipped + Animal deaths + Animals returned

Therefore,

Animals gathered − Animal shipped − Animal deaths − Animals returned

should be zero.

307 − 327 − 1 − 5 = −26

The numbers don’t balance.  Send in the auditors.

RELATED: Cibola-Trigo Roundup Resumes, Data Quality Program Needed at BLM.

Devil’s Garden Roundup Day 23

The incident started on September 9.  Gather stats through October 1:

  • Horses captured: 463
  • Escaped: 5
  • Goal: 500
  • Deaths: 5
  • Shipped: Not reported

No deaths occurred on Days 22 and 23.  The Forest Service reported a total of 467 horses captured in this week’s summary but the sum of the daily results is 463.

Foals accounted for 14.7% of the total.  The number of horses held on site is not known.

The daily reports can be found here.

Contrary to the statement in the weekly summary, the horses remaining in Devil’s Garden don’t have more food to eat and more room to roam.  The forage and land allocated to wild horses are specified in resource management plans and RMPs aren’t affected by roundups.

RELATED: Devil’s Garden Roundup Day 21.

Axtell Tour Set for Mid Month

A public tour of the off-range corrals in Axtell, UT will occur on October 15, according to a BLM news release published today.

The facility currently houses animals from the Frisco, Shawave and Sulphur roundups.

The government removes wild horses from western rangelands and places them in facilities like this at a cost of roughly $5 per day per horse so it can collect about four and a half cents per day for each cow/calf pair that replaces them.

Taxpayers cover the difference and the ranchers get rich.

Black Mountain Roundup in Progress

The incident began on September 23 with no news release.  Gather stats through September 30:

  • Burros captured: 71
  • Goal: 500
  • Deaths: 1
  • Shipped: Not reported

BLM is reporting 74 burros gathered but the daily results yield 71.  Foals accounted for 15.5% of the total.

One animal was found dead in the corrals on September 28.

The HMA is in northwestern Arizona and includes the old mining town of Oatman.

RELATED: Black Mountain Decision Record Signed, Roundup Pending.

Diamond Aftermath: Who’s Counting Anyway?

Here are the totals based on data in the daily reports:

  • Horses gathered: 1,176 (1,196 in news release)
  • Deaths: 26 (not in news release)
  • Shipped: 1,153 (not in news release)
  • Returned: −3 (43 in news release)

That’s right, minus three horses returned (1,176 – 26 – 1,153).

The number removed is 26 + 1,153 = 1,179, compared to 1,139 in the news release.

The figures need to be audited.

RELATED: Diamond Roundup Over, Roundup Checks and Balances.

Devil’s Garden Roundup Day 21

The incident started on September 9.  Gather stats through September 29:

  • Horses captured: 426
  • Escaped: 4
  • Goal: 500
  • Deaths: 5
  • Shipped: Not reported

No horses were gathered on Day 20 due to trap relocation.  The Forest Service is reporting 429 horses captured but the sum of the daily results is 426.

The total number of foals and the number of horses held on site are not known.

The daily reports can be found here.

The operation may conclude later this week.

In the statement that was released when he signed the WHB Act, President Nixon noted that wild horses were being wiped out because they competed with domestic livestock, among other things.

That’s what’s going on here.

RELATED: Devil’s Garden Roundup Day 19.

South Steens Roundup Ends

The operation concluded September 28, according to the daily reports, with 218 horses gathered, no deaths and 218 horses shipped.  A news release has not been published but at least the numbers balance.

Foals accounted for 24.3% of the horses gathered.  Mares outnumbered studs by a factor of 1.6, not exactly what you’d expect for a herd that’s 50% males, 50% females.

The goal was 200 horses gathered.  The incident occurred on private lands at the south end of the HMA.

RELATED: South Steens Roundup Starts Next Week.

Frisco Roundup Concluded

The operation is complete, according to the daily reports, with 143 horses gathered, two deaths and 141 horses shipped.  The news release is pending (maybe) but at least the numbers balance.

Foals accounted for 17.5% of the horses gathered.  No horses were returned to their home range.

One death occurred yesterday due to a pre-existing condition.

The goal was 200 horses gathered.

The status of the mares fitted with GPS collars is not known.  Their purpose is described in Section 2.2.1 of the Final EA for wild horse roundups in the Frisco and Conger HMAs.

RELATED: Frisco Wild Horse Roundup Starts Next Week.

Diamond Roundup Over

BLM said today that the operation was complete, with 1,196 horses gathered, 26 deaths and 1,139 horses shipped.

The number of horses returned to their home range was 43, according to the news release, which is not possible given the previous data.

If 21 mares were treated with contraceptives prior to release, they would have to be joined by ten studs, for a total returned of 31.

The goal was 1,225 horses gathered with 60 returned.

RELATED: Diamond Wild Horse Roundup Starts Next Week

‘Path Forward’ Extinction Target

President Nixon noted that America’s wild horses and burros were 99% extinct when he signed the WHB Act into law in 1971.

Today, the current population of 95,000 puts those animals at 95% extinct.

The ‘Path Forward,’ a plan for achieving and maintaining an AML of 27,000, will leave them very close to 99% extinct.

Achieving and maintaining an AML of 27,000 will mean areas set aside for wild horses and burros are managed primarily for cattle and sheep.

Achieving a true AML of 135,000 would mean those same areas are managed primarily for wild horses and burros, as Congress and the President intended in 1971.

Restoring lands known as Herd Areas would mean the number could go even higher.

A population of 200,000 would mean the horses and burros are 90% extinct.

Here’s how to compute it:

Percent extinct = (1 − Current population ÷ Peak population) × 100

where the peak population is 2,000,000.

RELATED: Ninety Nine Percent Extinct.

New Off-Range Pastures

BLM announced today the availability of seven new off-range pastures for long-term holding of wild horses, with a combined capacity of 5,000 animals.  The facilities are located in Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Washington.

The announcement may be the result of a solicitation posted in March, 2019.

A solicitation in March, 2020 was for larger facilities in Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska, 1,000 to 10,000 animals each.

The government spends around two dollars per day to warehouse a wild horse on private pastures, compared to five dollars per day in an off-range corral.

The public-lands ranchers pay the government about four and a half cents per day for the food each horse consumed.

The difference is covered by taxpayers, also known as ‘redistribution of wealth.’

Fiftieth Anniversary ‘Celebration’ of WHB Act?

BLM has started a page to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the WHB Act.

A concept paper, posted with the WHBAB meeting materials from last week, identifies objectives and messaging for the year-long event.

All but one of the suggested activities can be classified as ‘off the range.’  The last item in the bullet list was captioned ‘Taking America to the Field.’

A preliminary timeline was also included.