Western Horse Watchers Association
Exposing the Hypocrisy, Lies and Incompetence of the Wild Horse Advocates
On the range
The operation was not announced but the BLM warned of problems back in June due to unauthorized watering of wild horses and burros.
In the latest action, the agency removed 36 burros at or near the Sinbad HMA in central Utah because they became accustomed to water that was hauled in.
Captured animals were taken to the off-range corrals in Axtell.
RELATED: CAES Refutes BLM Statement on Unauthorized Water Troughs.
The 11 AM report puts the burned area at 68,300 acres, up from 51,500 acres yesterday.
Containment holding at 7%, southern flank only. The map at InciWeb shows county road 204 at the eastern edge. Flames are now propagating southeast along CR 200.
No immediate threat to the Little Bookcliffs horses but if the wind turns out of the north or northwest, that would change.
RELATED: Pine Gulch Fire Growing Rapidly.
Gather stats through August 12:
All of the burros were gathered on August 12. One death occurred on August 12 but no details were given. Body condition scores were not provided.
Foals represented 19.8% of the horses captured.
The HMA is one of five assigned to the Blue Wing Complex.
RELATED: Shawave Roundup, Day 8.
Triple B / Maverick-Medicine HMAs
RELATED: Emergency Roundup Scorecard, August 10.
The fire has expanded eastward, now reaching county road 204, according to the map at InciWeb. Over 51,000 acres have been burned since July 31, compared to 36,500 acres yesterday. Containment holding at 7% along southern flank.
The 10 AM report said today’s conditions will likely result in high rates of spread.
The state will not be purchasing private parcels and mineral rights offered by Occidental Petroleum along the I-80 corridor, according to a syndicated report posted yesterday by The Salt Lake Tribune.
The area includes public lands affected by the Rock Springs RMP amendments.
The story did not indicate who submitted the successful bid or how the lands would be used but did note that they could be leased for grazing or alternate energy projects.
Approximately 600 animals will be removed from the Sulphur HMA beginning August 15, according to a BLM news release issued today.
The operation, to be carried out with helicopters, will be open to public observation.
The HMA covers 265,711 acres in western Utah and has an AML of 250, for an aimed-at stocking rate of 0.9 horses per thousand acres.
The announcement did not refer to the NEPA project that authorized the roundup, but this one, initiated in 2015, may be relevant.
Table 3.2 in the Final Environmental Assessment indicates that the HMA intersects nine grazing allotments. The total estimated forage available to livestock inside the HMA is 10,256 AUMs per year, compared to 3,000 AUMs per year for the horses.
The current population of 1,193 horses would consume 14,316 AUMs per year.
Captured animals will be taken to the off-range corrals in Axtell, UT.
A link to the gather stats and daily reports was generating an error message at the time this report went live.
It’s still moving to the north and east, according to the 11 AM report at InciWeb.
Total area burned increased to roughly 36,500 acres, up from 29,400 acres yesterday.
An article published earlier today by the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel says the Little Bookcliffs horses are not threatened at this time.
RELATED: Pine Gulch Fire Expands.
Helicopters were grounded over the weekend. Gather stats through August 10:
Mares outnumbered studs by 62. Foals represented 20.7% of the total.
The HMA, part of the Blue Wing Complex, covers 13% of the massive Blue Wing-Seven Troughs allotment but the horses receive just four percent of the authorized forage.
The operation started August 3 with the goal of removing 1,600 horses and 200 burros from the HMA and surrounding lands. The AML is 136 horses, burros not allowed.
RELATED: Shawave Roundup, Day 5.
Over 29,000 acres have burned since July 31, according to the 1 PM update at InciWeb, which includes a link to the latest map.
Containment holding at 7%, southern edge only. Southwest winds still driving flames to the northeast. Some residents asked to evacuate.
No immediate threat to Little Bookcliffs horses reported.
RELATED: Pine Gulch Fire Still Growing.
Triple B / Maverick-Medicine HMAs
RELATED: Emergency Roundup Scorecard, August 8.
The agency’s headquarters are now officially in Grand Junction, CO according to a news release issued today.
Near Mammoth Lakes, CA with Jay Wilson.
Containment has been established on the southern edge of the fire, according to the map at InciWeb (click to enlarge), the area closest to the Little Bookcliffs horses.
The 10 AM report says the blaze has consumed almost 24,000 acres and continues to be affected by low humidity and southwest winds.
The home page at InciWeb includes photos.
RELATED: Pine Gulch Fire Spreading.
BLM announced today that the operation concluded on August 8, with 126 wild horses removed. Three deaths occurred on August 7. Details can be found in the daily reports.
Foals represented 22% of the total.
The number of studs and mares found in the traps could be accounted for by a simple random process centered at 50% males / 50% females.
Southwest winds are driving it to the northeast, according to today’s report on InciWeb.
The blaze has consumed 20,000 acres and is zero percent contained.
RELATED: Pine Gulch Fire Burning North of Little Bookcliffs WHR.
The daily reports indicate 675 wild horses gathered through August 7. No burros have been captured and seven deaths have occurred (1%).
Foals accounted for 20.4% of the total.
On August 5, 44 mares were treated with contraceptives. A booster will be applied after 30 days, followed by return to the HMA.
The goal is remove 1,600 horses and 200 burros from the HMA, which represents about 28% of the land in the Blue Wing Complex.
RELATED: Shawave Roundup, Day 3.
Triple B / Maverick-Medicine HMAs
RELATED: Emergency Roundup Scorecard, August 6.
A complete census will take a while but initial observations suggest they all survived the storm, according to a story posted today by WCTI News of New Bern, NC.
The Cedar Island horses appeared to be OK, although the herd was thinned by 70% last year by Hurricane Dorian.
RELATED: Isaias Leaves OBX.
No immediate danger to the horses, according to a report published this evening by Western Slope Now. InciWeb says the fire, thought to be started by lightning, has consumed about 12,600 acres and is only 5% contained.
The WHR covers about 36,000 acres north of Grand Junction, CO.
Western Horse Watchers Association 