Author: Western Horse Watchers

One if by Helicopter, Two if by Trap

The dispute between advocates and the BLM continues, regarding the disposition of wild horses in the Pine Nut HMA / Fish Springs HA near Carson City, NV.  WHB Specialist John Axtell said the BLM prefers to bait-trap the animals but will use helicopters if advocates “get in the way.”

Refer to the story posted yesterday by Nevada Appeal.  Every photo therein shows the horses behind fences.  Why is that?  To keep them away from busy roads?  Or away from food and water (that belongs to, ahem, cough-cough, livestock)?

The horses are no longer self-reliant.

Those in the photos look fine.  Presumably, the photos were taken during the six-hour field trip and not pulled from a file.

The stated AML of 179 applies to the Pine Nut HMA.  Does the stated population of 775 horses correspond to the HMA or the HA?  Probably the latter.  There is no AML for herd areas.  The figures should be reported on a consistent basis.

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Assuming the HA (red and blue borders in the map) is twice the size of the HMA (blue border), maybe a bit larger, the total available land is about 210,000 acres.  That gives a population density of 3.7 animals per thousand acres.

A few miles to the north, on the Virginia Range, the population density is 10 animals per thousand acres and the horses up there look good.  (Look at the photos posted on these pages since mid June.  Go to the index and scroll down to ‘Virginia Range.’)

RELATED: Opponents of Fish Springs Roundup Protest in Reno.

BLM Seeks Information on Martin Fire

Rewards totaling $20,000 have been offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) who started the Martin Fire.  See the BLM news release dated 07/20/18.  Over 435,000 acres were involved in the incident, which began on the evening of 07/04/18 approximately seven miles north of Paradise Valley, NV.  Winds pushed the flames eastward for 50 miles.  Investigators have determined that it was man-caused.

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Almost certainly the fire crossed the Little Owyhee HMA, and probably reached into the Owyhee HMA, although it was not mentioned in the news release.  BLM will likely assess its impact on horses, livestock and wildlife.

Horse Befriended by Campers Removed from Big Summit WHT

A wild horse was captured earlier this month in the Ochoco National Forest, near Prineville, OR, because he lost his hear of humans.  He had been coming to a campground for a year or more, and was fed, petted and groomed.  When the campers departed, he sought food from others and the companionship of their horses, putting both at risk.

The only way to resolve the situation was to remove him to a life of captivity.

See this report, posted today by KMTR-16, the NBC affiliate in Eugene, OR.  Note the guidelines for camping and recreating around wild horses.

Emergency Gather Ordered for Antelope Valley HMA

BLM announced today that it would commence bait-trapping operations immediately, with a goal of removing approximately 250 wild horses from the Antelope Valley HMA, due to insufficient water.  The gather will not be open to public observation.

The HMA is about 60 miles southeast of Elko, NV, and covers 502,909 acres (463,540 acres per the news release).  The AML of 259 gives a target population density of 0.5 animals per thousand acres (1942 acres per animal).

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Captured horses will be taken to the Indian Lakes Off-Range Corral in Fallon, NV, where they will be evaluated by a veterinarian and prepared for adoption.  Gather stats can be found at this page.

The news release did not indicate if livestock were present on the HMA or surrounding lands where the horses might roam in search of food or water.

Thunder Mountain Fundraiser Set for August 10 – 11

An open house and BBQ will be held at Giddy Up Horse Ranch in Bend, OR, on 08/11/18 so interested persons can see the foals saved from slaughter by the Yakima Orphan Foal Network, also known as Thunder Mountain Farms Equine Rescue.

See this announcement at Visit Bend, a public relations site created by the Bend City Council.

These foals are coming from the Yakama Indian slaughter pipeline in Washington state, where slaughter-bound horses are hauled off in trucks marked ‘666.’  There are some sick minds in that industry.

Fish Springs Roundup Set for First Week of August

The Pine Nut gather will occur in November, according to a report dated 07/21/18 by KOLO-TV in Reno, NV.

Over half the area where horses were found in 1971 (when the WHB Act became law) has been designated a herd area (red border in the map below), which has no AML and is not managed for WHB, due to inadequate food and water.  However, it does have sufficient resources for other animals, such as, ahem, cough-cough, cattle and sheep.

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These roundups, especially on herd areas, aren’t about saving money or protecting an endangered species.  They’re a payoff to the beef lobby and the crybabies they represent.

One way to put an end to this crap would be to raise the grazing fee from the current $1.41 per AUM to $25 per AUM, in line with grazing costs on private land.  The government serfs would be loading their cattle back on 18-wheelers faster than you can say Slaughterhouse Sue.

RELATED: Opponents of Fish Springs Roundup Protest in Reno.

Horses and Burros Go ‘Off the Reservation’

Homeowners in Pahrump, NV, are tired of cleaning up the mess from wild horses and burros.  See the report published yesterday in the Pahrump Valley Times.

They’re looking for water and have found it near lawns and gardens.  See this post for another example on the Virginia Range.

Just a friendly reminder that if you’re buying property in Nevada and don’t want to have this problem, put some money in the budget for a fence, especially if you’re moving to an area surrounded by HMAs and WHTs.

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Another option is to buy acreage in a rural area and let the poop fall where it may.

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