One death was reported in the May 15 update, bringing the total to 144.

All fatalities have occurred in pens occupied by the West Douglas horses.

No new details were provided in the May 15 sitrep.

RELATED: Cañon City Deaths Unchanged at 143.

An undated announcement by the City of Reno indicates that the FY 2022 Consolidated Appropriations Act authorized $500,000 “in federal support for the protection and humane management of the historic Virginia Range horses in the greater Reno area.”

Humane management usually means getting rid of them with PZP.

The funds were directed to the Nevada Department of Agriculture for “collaborative, science-based management” of the herd.

The announcement said the horses are managed under two cooperative agreements, one between the Campaign Against America’s Wild Horses and NDA for fertility control and the other between NDA and Wild Horse Connection for range management, including rescue and relocation, diversionary feeding and fence construction and repair.

The article last August by Courthouse News said NDA had contracted with WHC to implement the fertility control program but that was not mentioned by the City.

Nevada is a fence-out state, according to a flier posted by the City of Reno, meaning livestock are free to roam and feed over any property that is not fenced.

The state describes the Virginia Range mustangs as feral/estray livestock.

Wyoming is also a fence-out state but taxpayers, not RSGA, will be responsible for keeping wild horses off the property owned or leased by the association.

Most of the Virginia Range is in Storey County, but a portion on the west side lies in Washoe County, where most of the development has taken place.

Much of the area in Storey County is sparsely populated and privately held, meaning you can buy land and live among free-roaming horses, minus the youngsters of course.

RELATED: Meeting #2 Regarding Virginia Range Mustangs Set for Monday.

The City of Reno will host another informational session on May 16 starting at 5:30 PM Pacific time, according to an undated announcement on the city’s web site.

RELATED: Lower Speed, More Fencing for Virginia Range Mustangs?

No deaths were reported in the May 14 update, leaving the total at 143.

All fatalities have occurred in pens occupied by the West Douglas horses.

No new details were provided in the May 14 sitrep.

RELATED: Cañon City Deaths Rise Slightly.

The incident began on May 2.  Gather stats through May 12:

• Target: Burros
• Type: Planned
• Method: Helicopter
• Captured: 524, up from 421 on Day 9
• Average daily take: 47.6
• Capture goal: 1,080
• Removal goal: 1,080
• Returned: None
• Deaths: None
• Shipped: 454, up from 351 on Day 9

The cumulative total breaks down to 203 jacks, 247 jennies and 74 foals, according to figures in the daily reports.  The figures at the gather page are 204 jacks, 245 jennies and 75 foals, which do not sum to 531 as indicated in the sidebar.

Youngsters represented 14.1% of the animals captured.  Of the adults, 45.1% were male and 54.9% were female.

The herd can’t be growing at a rate of 20% per year with a birth rate of 14% per year.

Four PZP jennies have been caught to date, part of the Humane Society darting project.

The location of the trap site within the HMA was not disclosed.

Day 11 ended with 70 unaccounted-for animals.

Other statistics:

• AML: 478
• Forage assigned to burros: 2,868 AUMs per year
• Pre-gather population: 3,000
• Forage liberated to date: 3,144 AUMs per year
• Water liberated to date: 2,620 gallons per day
• Forage assigned to livestock: 7,333 AUMs per year (estimated)
• Burros displaced from HMA by permitted grazing: 1,222
• True AML: 1,700
• Stocking rate at new AML: 1.7 burros per thousand acres
• Burros displaced from HMA by drilling and mining: Ask the advocates

RELATED: Black Mountain Roundup Day 9.

Two more protests were submitted online this week, bringing the total to nine.

Only those who participated in the planning process are eligible and new issues cannot be introduced.

The protest period, which is not a public comment period, ends on June 6.

Two HMAs would be closed and third would be downsized under the Proposed Action.

RELATED: Minor Problem with Rock Springs RMP Amendments?

One death was reported in the May 13 update, bringing the total to 143.

All fatalities have occurred in pens occupied by the West Douglas horses.

The May 13 sitrep said three horses unrelated to the incident were put down on May 12 but did not indicate where in the facility they were housed.

The bar chart shows the mortality trend through today.

RELATED: Cañon City Deaths Steady at 142.

The comment period runs from May 11 to June 10, according to Wednesday’s news release.

The Proposed Action, discussed in Section 2.2 of the EA, features roundups, fertility control and sex ratio skewing over a ten-year project life.

The JMA covers 28,744 total acres in the Little Fish Lake HMA and 88,297 total acres in the Little Fish Lake WHT, according to Table 1.  The combined AML is 132.

The current population is thought to be around 350.

The JMA is subject to permitted grazing as described in Section 3.7.  Table 3 indicates that livestock receive 5,702 AUMs per year inside the JMA, enough to support an additional 475 wild horses.

The True AML is 607, so the number of excess animals is zero.  No opportunities for the Montana Solution at this time.

The HMA does not have a Herd Management Area Plan (HMAP), which could only ratify and reinforce the status quo without changes to the RMPs.

Pest control programs, such as the one proposed here, are designed to protect ranching interests, not wild horses.

Comments can be submitted online at the project page.  As of this morning, none have been posted.

RELATED: New Resource Enforcement Plan for Little Fish Lake JMA?

In and around the Virginia Range with the Campaign Against America’s Wild Horses.

The advocates show you how they protect the ranchers with the Montana Solution.

Best viewed while wearing a “Stay Wild” cap.

RELATED: Foal-Free Friday, Cutting the Herds Down to Size.

The signatory to the rancher-friendly “Path Forward” said this evening in a news release that the RFP is “encouraging.”

The group believes that the Montana Solution is a viable alternative to “costly and devastating roundups,” apparently not realizing that the project requires both.

RELATED: Bold Prediction for Fertility Control Solicitation.

No deaths were reported in the May 12 update, leaving the total at 142.

All fatalities have occurred in pens occupied by the West Douglas horses.

No new details were included in the May 12 sitrep.

RELATED: Cañon City Deaths Jump by Two.

They are experts at wasting your hard-earned donations.

How would the case help the horses, those that haven’t died?

Situation before lawsuit:

• Horses allowed in West Douglas HA – Zero
• Horses displaced from HA by permitted grazing – 832

Situation after lawsuit:

• Horses allowed in West Douglas HA – Zero
• Horses displaced from HA by permitted grazing – 832

Don’t be misled by the bureaucrats, veterinarians, researchers and advocates interviewed for the story, published this morning by The Denver Post.

They have a common goal: Ranching superiority in areas identified for wild horses.

RELATED: Cañon City Deaths Preventable?

The incident began on May 2.  Gather stats through May 10:

• Target: Burros
• Type: Planned
• Method: Helicopter
• Captured: 421, up from 267 on Day 7
• Average daily take: 46.8
• Capture goal: 1,080
• Removal goal: 1,080
• Returned: None
• Deaths: None
• Shipped: 351, up from 173 on Day 7

The cumulative total includes 158 jacks, 199 jennies and 64 foals.  The figures at the gather page are 159 jacks, 198 jennies and 65 foals, which sum to 422.

Youngsters represented 15.2% of the animals captured.  Of the adults, 44.3% were male and 55.7% were female.

The herd can’t be growing at a rate of 20% per year with a birth rate of 15% per year.

Four PZP jennies have been caught to date, part of the Humane Society darting project.

The location of the trap site within the HMA was not disclosed.

Day 9 ended with 70 unaccounted-for animals.

Other statistics:

• AML: 478
• Forage assigned to burros: 2,868 AUMs per year
• Pre-gather population: 3,000
• Forage liberated to date: 2,526 AUMs per year
• Water liberated to date: 2,105 gallons per day
• Forage assigned to livestock: 7,333 AUMs per year (estimated)
• Burros displaced from HMA by permitted grazing: 1,222
• True AML: 1,700
• Stocking rate at new AML: 1.7 burros per thousand acres
• Burros displaced from HMA by drilling and mining: Ask the advocates

RELATED: Black Mountain Roundup Day 7.

What can you conclude about the Warm Springs HMA in Oregon based on these data?

1. The AML is 202.  It is small relative to the available resources.

2. Livestock receive eight times more forage than the horses.

3. The HMA is managed principally for livestock.

4. The horses receive 11% of the authorized forage, neglecting wildlife.

5. The number of horses displaced from the HMA by privately owned livestock is 1,616.

6. The True AML is 1,818.

7. If the current population was at 5X AML, the number of excess horses would be zero.

8. The HMA is not overpopulated.

9. There is no justification for a roundup or fertility control program.

10. The number of horses displaced from the HMA by permitted grazing is about 3% of those in off-range holding.

11. All of the animals in off-range holding could be returned to the range by ending public-lands ranching in 35 other such HMAs.

12. The advocates understand all of this and would be happy to explain it to you.

OK, eleven out of twelve is not bad.

Adoptions have been paused until further notice, according to today’s news release.

The strangles outbreak has resulted in the deaths of eleven horses.

RELATED: Strangles Lingers at Wheatland Off-Range Corrals.

Two deaths were reported on May 11, bringing the total to 142.

All fatalities have occurred in pens occupied by the West Douglas horses.

The May 11 sitrep says the outbreak is diminishing in intensity and beginning to resolve.

RELATED: No Increase in Cañon City Deaths.

The BLM announced yesterday that the documents had been posted to the project page hosted by the Forest Service.

The Proposed Action features gathers and removals, fertility control, sterilization and sex ratio skewing over a ten-year period.

The Complex includes the Wheeler Pass, Johnnie, and Red Rock Joint Management Areas, and the Spring Mountains Wild Horse and Burro Territory.

The plan is subject to a 45-day objection period.

Instructions for submitting a complaint were included in a Forest Service news release dated May 9, posted with other project documents.

Western Horse Watchers is unable to access the files at this time.

A story by KLAS News says a roundup will occur in the area next month.

RELATED: Draft EA for Spring Mountains Complex Out for Review.

The BLM said today in a news release that it seeks new contract services to gather wild horses and burros, treat them with fertility control and return them to the range.

Overpopulated herds are at risk of starvation and thirst, and they can overuse food and water that are important for other wildlife species that share public lands.

Not mentioned in the announcement are the herds of privately owned cattle and sheep that also occupy those lands and receive the lion’s share of the resources, as indicated in this example from the Warm Springs HMA in Oregon.

That’s what the contractors will be protecting.

RELATED: Congress Authorizes $11 Million for Montana Solution in FY 2022?

No deaths were reported on May 10, leaving the total at 140.

All fatalities have occurred in pens occupied by the West Douglas horses.

The May 10 sitrep has no new information.

RELATED: Cañon City Deaths Reach 140.