Bidders paid an average of $5,150 for 21 saddle-started horses trained by inmates at the Northern Nevada Correctional Center, according to a June 5 news release by the BLM.

The highest bid was $11,900.  The lowest was $1,100.

The outplacement program moves wild horses from areas where they’re not wanted to other areas where they’re not wanted if they don’t bring enough prizes and prestige to their new owners.

In this environment, they can look forward to being locked in stalls, smothered with blankets, bathed with carpet cleaner and coerced with bits, spurs, crops and tiedowns, mostly by women.

Curiously, it’s mostly women who are trying to stomp them out in their lawful homes with ovary-killing pesticides.

Q. What do you call a stock grower’s association dressed up as an advocacy group?

A. The Campaign Against America’s Wild Horses.

Q. What do you call an ovary-killing pesticide that sterilizes mares in five years?

A. The Montana Solution.

Q. What do you call the application of said pesticide by said group in areas designated for animal agriculture?

A. Unlawful.

RELATED: Multiple Use Applies to Public Lands, Not Registered Pesticides.

This recycled article about population control by Horse Illustrated is so far off the mark it’s hard to imagine how it was approved for publication.

The author is learning to balance motherhood with horses, dogs and writing, but not accuracy, apparently.

The story received a sudden facelift this morning, but here’s a snippet from the original version dated June 1:

Please mark these statements True or False:

• The acreage available to wild horses isn’t shrinking
• More than 65 percent of wild mares are typically pregnant on any given day and in some herds the rate is over 90 percent
• Fertility control treatments have not shown to have any effect on the natural state of the herd or in the livelihood of the treated mare

The remark about a study that was done on a very small population on an island is almost certainly a reference to Assateague, where the herd has been ruined by the Montana Solution.

If treated mares have less fidelity to their bands and they leave to join other bands, is it because of the vaccine or the absence of a foal?  They don’t have foals because of the vaccine, so it’s because of the vaccine, you idiot!

The article employs the customary euphemisms, such as long-term infertility instead of sterility, and increased longevity of mares instead of abnormal sex ratios.

An inset about the poisoning of mares on the Virginia Range by the Campaign Against America’s Wild Horses concludes with this remark by monster-in-charge Suzanne Roy: “Our program is an aggressive fertility control program to reduce the population size in that area humanely without moving the horses.”

Growth in the Reno area, cited by Roy, affects the western flank of the Virginia Range, a small percentage of the total area, not enough to justify the 80% reduction in herd size she’s trying to accomplish through her volunteers and your charitable contributions.

Moreover, the pesticide she’s using was not approved for use on horses that pose safety hazards or are deemed to be overpopulated.

RELATED: What’s So Important about the Virginia Range?

In a news flash carried by Lucky Three Ranch, the Campaign Against America’s Wild Horses blamed hunters, trappers and ranchers for the demise of SB90, while it fought hard to advance the legislation.

Problem is, with the exception of the occasional rogue act, hunters, trappers and ranchers aren’t getting rid of any wild horses.

But CAAWH is, by the hundreds, every year, with its favorite pesticide.

They call it “a better way.”

If you add the efforts of its affiliates and offshoots, the total could go into the thousands, rivaling the largest of roundups.

Who’s the greater threat to wild horses?

RELATED: SB90 Postmortem.

Like the advocates, the bureaucrats have their own vocabulary to conceal the long-term goals of their land-use plans.

For example, consider this article in the Idaho Press about the Owyhee pest control project, written by a public affairs specialist with the BLM.

Healthy horses on healthy rangelands, or any variant thereof, means most of their food has been assigned to privately owned livestock and ranchers have unfettered access thereto.

The purpose of the project is to achieve and maintain AMLs, which are small, in most cases, relative to the available resources.

Helicopters are the preferred method for “Achieve.”  They are the fastest and most efficient way of shifting resources from the pests to their rightful owners.

Fertility control pesticides such as GonaCon Equine and Zonastat-H, which appear on the same EPA list as toxic chemicals, are often used for “Maintain.”

When commenting, remember that projects like this do not allocate resources.

They cannot change resource allocations.

They enforce resource allocations already on the books, so don’t ask the BLM to end permitted grazing and reassign the AUMs to the horses.  It’s a valid concern but outside the scope of the project.

On the other hand, application of restricted-use pesticides to suppress populations that interfere with animal agriculture is outside the scope of their registrations.

That’s not just a comment, but an allegation of wrongdoing by those involved.

There is considerable dietary overlap between wild horses and livestock, as noted in Section 1.1 of the Draft EA, and if you don’t beat down the horse populations after the helicopters cram them into their little boxes, the poor ranchers will gradually lose access to their birthright.

RELATED: Owyhee Resource Enforcement Plan Out for Review.

In the following interview with Ed Bernstein of Las Vegas, Avis points out correctly at 12:50 that AMLs are small, deliberately set so the herds are genetically unsustainable.

While that may be true in some cases, AMLs are small relative to the available resources, with few exceptions, so ranchers can access most of the food in the lawful homes of wild horses.  That is the first major issue.

She mentions fertility control at 17:08 but qualifies it with “irreversible,” giving wide berth to products the advocates deem “reversible,” such as Zonastat-H.

Unfortunately, reversible fertility control “vaccines” don’t exist.  Damage begins with the first injection, and the cumulative effect after a few years is sterility.

The advocates know that, and have always known that, yet they lie about it so you’ll continue your financial support.  That is the second major issue.

They are frauds, stalking their cherished herds with clipboards, tablets and darting rifles, while you pay for their groundbreaking work.

RELATED: Avis Points to “Massive Priority” Affecting America’s Wild Horses.

The Salt River Wild Horse Darting Group said in a news release dated May 25 that the herd is not ruining the environment, yet they are trying to get rid of them by poisoning the mares with a restricted-use pesticide.

This has been going on for several years, long before a coalition including the Center for Biological Diversity filed suit calling for their removal.

The advocates believe it’s one of the best managed herds in the United States, with a rescue program, a fencing program and a fertility control program that’s reduced the birth rate of their beloved herd from 100 foals a year to just one or two per year.

They are proud of this.

Instead of raising the bridge, they’re lowering the water, and you’re supposed to be angry with a coalition seeking a reduction in herd size, not a group that’s actually reducing the herd size.

RELATED: Coalition Sues Forest Service Over Salt River Horses.

The Colorado Wild Horse Project, now state law, codifies wild horse eradication with restricted-use pesticides.

How many RMPs will change as a result of the new statute?

How many AMLs will increase?

How much land will be returned to the horses?

None.

The new program will help the BLM achieve and maintain AMLs, without the use of helicopters, at least in theory, giving ranchers unfettered access to cheap feed in the lawful homes of wild horses.

RELATED: Foal-Free Friday, Discussing the Undiscussables Edition.

A news release dated May 25 by the Salt River Wild Horse Darting Group claims the agency has set up traps in the Apache Sitgreaves National Forest to capture wild horses at the height of foaling season.

Volunteers with Alpine Wild Horse Advocates, an offshoot of SRWHDG, documented the effort, complete with salt blocks and alfalfa pellets.

Last year the Forest Service rejected their offer to poison the mares with their favorite pesticide, and now they’re seeing a growing population, according to the advocates.

Do not be deceived as they feign concern for the horses.

Like their sponsors at the Campaign Against America’s Wild Horses, they hate them.

They hate foals.

They hate families.

They hate reproduction.

They think they have a better way and they want you to pay for it.

RELATED: Salt River Advocates Mobilize in Favor of Alpine Ranchers.

The preliminary agenda appearing in today’s announcement indicates that Day 1 will be devoted to an educational tour of an unnamed HMA in Nevada.

The event will be open to the public.

A good candidate would be the Pine Nut Mountains southeast of Carson City, an hour to the south, where advocates affiliated with the Campaign Against America’s Wild Horses are poisoning the mares with a restricted-use pesticide.

The Virginia Range, where CAAWH operates its flagship darting program, is closer to Reno but most of the land is privately owned and the Nevada Department of Agriculture is responsible for the horses.

On the bright side, the Pine Nut Mountains may offer an opportunity for Board members to observe local volunteers applying an EPA-registered pesticide

• Without a formal delegation of authority from the federal government
• While not wearing the proper PPE
• For a purpose not covered by its registration

Curiously, Day 2 begins with a closed session on ethics, which should include conflicts of interest.

A notable case is that of Tammy Pearson, a Board member and public-lands rancher whose personal fortunes are tied, inversely, to the presence of wild horses in Utah.

RELATED: WHBAB Meeting Next Month.

The state is now in the business of achieving and maintaining AMLs with pesticide-laced darts, according to a story by The Daily Sentinel of Grand Junction.

As of this morning, the bill status says “Passed,” not “Became Law,” but an approved version dated May 20 has been posted to the Session Laws tab.

All four of the state’s HMAs are targeted:

• Sand Wash Basin – Zonastat-H
• Piceance – GonaCon Equine
• Little Book Cliffs – Zonastat-H
• Spring Creek Basin – Zonastat-H

These products appear on the same EPA list as toxic chemicals.

Using them to control free-roaming herds that interfere, or could interfere, with animal agriculture is outside the scope of their registration.

In “woke” America, truth takes a back seat to ideology.

Although you stopped the roundups, you’re still getting rid of the horses, but you can feel good about it.

RELATED: Colorado Wild Horse Project to Become Law Tomorrow?

After her run-in with the law, maybe she’ll be content to poison wild mares with a restricted-use pesticide, as the advocates do.

She was a student at the time she took 13 horses from various people, and they were never seen again, according to a story dated May 23 by Advance Local Media.

Like the perp, the advocates tell you they’re protecting wild horses while they’re working quietly on the range to get rid of them.

The Nevada Independent confirmed the bill’s demise today, claiming that the measure did not succeed because of tension over land management concerns and degradation of habitat caused by wild horses.

Western Horse Watchers believes the legislators heard the not-so-subtle message of the advocates loud and clear, that wild horses are pests, and that other stakeholders just need to be patient while their volunteers get rid of them.

They owe an apology to the fourth graders at Doral Academy.

The following video from the final hearing on May 16 features a conga line of PZP fanatics testifying on behalf of their cherished wild horses.

The moral of the story: If you want to help wild horses, stay away from the advocates, especially the Campaign Against America’s Wild Horses, its affiliates, offshoots and supporters.  Everything they touch turns to crap.

RELATED: SB90 Dies in Committee?

Front Range Equine Rescue and two wild horse photographers have joined forces with Return to Normal (Before WHB Act), signatory to the anti-horse/pro-livestock “Path Forward,” to stop the changes announced on May 9, according to a news release dated May 17 on PRN.

Their announcement claims that the White Mountain HMA will be managed as non-reproducing herd, an option that was dropped in the final plan.  Refer to the bullet list in Section 4.0 of the ROD.

The court will likely uphold BLM’s decision.

Actions like these keep their base fired up and the donations rolling in, while achieving nothing useful for wild horses.

They are free to spend their money as they please, within reason, but you don’t have to be part of it.

RELATED: Coalition Files Suit to Block Rock Springs RMP Amendments.

Suzanne Roy, executive director of the Campaign Against America’s Wild Horses, a leader in the wild horse removal industry, tries to tell the Committee about her cherished wild horses but is cut off for exceeding her time limit.

If this is the caliber at the top, can you imagine what’s going on in the trenches?

She’s toast.

RELATED: Assembly Committee Hears SB90.

The advocates point to conflicts between wild horses and drillers, miners and loggers, but if they were true, county commissioners would have cited them in their resolution.

Instead, they pointed to conflicts between wild horses and livestock, noting that some BLM grazing allotments have gone unused because of over-grazing by wild horses, that fences and crops of county ranches have been damaged by wild horses, and that a decline in the county’s agricultural output can be attributed to the horses.

There’s nothing new under the sun!

The advocates are united with the bureaucrats and ranchers in their belief that wild horses are pests, evident in their May 16 testimony before the Assembly Committee on Government Affairs regarding SB90.

They have their own vocabulary to conceal the truth about their ruinous darting programs, for which they’re always seeking your financial support.

They claim to be voices for the horses, yet they’re trying to get rid of them with a restricted-use pesticide.

Back in the day, we called this “mixed messaging.”

As a result, many in the legislature must be wondering why they’re being asked to designate a pest as the official state horse of Nevada.

RELATED: Assembly Committee Hears SB90.

Acquisition of 3,314 private acres will give the new owner access to food and water in 333,399 public acres, a resource multiplier of 100!

This is how American Prairie is putting together a vast wildlife reserve in Montana.

A plan for rewilding captured horses in this manner would likely be met with considerable resistance from the bureaucrats and ranchers, as experienced by Madeliene Pickens fifteen years ago.

RELATED: Railroad Valley Base Property on the Market for $14 Million.

The bill will provide funding to support the poisoning of mares with a restricted-use pesticide, which the Campaign Against America’s Wild Horses describes in a recent news flash as “sustaining wild horse populations through robust fertility control and habitat stewardship programs.”

The project is not an outgrowth of public opposition to cruel and costly helicopter roundups, as indicated in the announcement, but is driven by a belief that areas identified for wild horses should be managed primarily for cattle and sheep.

Thus, it is an offshoot of the contemptible “Path Forward” and CAAWH, a leader in the wild horse removal industry, is one of its greatest supporters.

RELATED: Legislature Approves Colorado Wild Horse Project.

The Draft EA was copied to the project folder today, along with related documents.

Comments will be accepted through June 13.

Three HMAs in western Idaho are affected.  All are subject to permitted grazing.

The Proposed Action, discussed in Section 2.2 of the EA, features

• Roundups
• Fertility control treatments
• Selective removals
• Introduction of animals from other HMAs

Today’s news release said the BLM is required to manage wild horse herds at the appropriate management levels that were established through the analysis of monitoring data and water and forage availability on a sustainable basis.

This is nonsense.

AMLs represent the number of horses allowed by plan, not the number of horses the land can support.

How can they represent carrying capacities when livestock receive three to six AUMs for every AUM assigned to the horses?

There is nothing in the WHB Act that says AMLs must be small relative to the available resources, but they are, so ranchers can access most of the food and water in the lawful homes of wild horses.

The fourth component of the new plan is clearly a nod to the public-lands ranchers, as if the other three weren’t, that boosts genetic diversity while keeping herd sizes small.

In the future you won’t be able to adopt a Hardtrigger horse, only a horse captured in the Hardtrigger HMA—a mutt, Heinz 57.

As for the fertility control treatments, restricted-use pesticides such as Zonastat-H and GonaCon Equine are not approved for control of pests that interfere with animal agriculture, so that component is dead on arrival.

RELATED: Owyhee Scoping Period Comes and Goes, Draft EA Up Next.

The idea of achieving and maintaining AMLs, the goal of the ill-advised “Path Forward,” is to minimize pests that interfere with animal agriculture, even in areas where grazing does not occur, such as Pryor Mountain, Spring Creek Basin and Little Book Cliffs.

Animal agriculture occurs in adjacent allotments, where the horses might wander in search of greener pastures.

The leading methods of pest control are forcible removal by helicopters, voluntary separation from their lawful homes by baited traps and population growth suppression with restricted-use pesticides.

The advocates claim that helicopter roundups are cruel and costly and want the resource allocations—that greatly favor the ranchers—enforced by poisoning the mares.

Thus, the wild horse and burro program operates as a pest control program for the grazing program, in defiance of the original statute.

All of the changes since 1971, including the introduction of AMLs, were intended to benefit the public-lands ranchers, not the drillers, miners, hunters and loggers as the advocates would have you believe.

The closure of two HMAs in Wyoming and the downsizing of a third, to appease the Rock Springs Grazing Association, is just the latest chapter in the long-running story.

RELATED: Rock Springs RMP Amendments Cleared for Implementation.