Housing was not mentioned in the June 20 article.

A link to the offending material was not provided so you can’t be sure what they’re whining about.

But you get the impression that the federal government will be selling off vast amounts of public lands with few if any limitations if an amendment to the budget reconciliation bill drafted by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee becomes law.

The story may be related to a section in a bill titled “MANDATORY DISPOSAL OF BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT LAND AND NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM LAND FOR HOUSING,” which starts on page 30.

It was linked to a news release dated June 11.

The measure calls for the disposal of not less than 0.50 percent and not more than 0.75 percent of Bureau of Land Management land and not less than 0.50 percent and not more than 0.75 percent of National Forest System land.

Said lands are to be suitable for residential housing, have access to existing infrastructure and are adjacent to developed areas.

Large parcels in remote areas, such as the Fifteenmile HA and overlapping allotments, would not be nominated for sale.

Small islands of public lands that can’t be accessed without crossing private property are likely candidates.

For example, APN 004-251-06, just inside the Storey County line and slightly north of the Jumbo Allotment, is in a developed area on the Virginia Range.

It’s designated as a single-family residence but owned by the BLM.

The 40-acre parcel has a seasonal pond, is mostly level, and power lines are about a half mile away.

Would probably fetch around $200,000.

Federally protected lands are not eligible for sale.

Unfortunately, the list of protected lands on page 31 does not include areas identified for wild horses and burros.

The allotment lies mostly within the Fifteenmile HA but outside the HMA, as shown in the ArcGIS Viewer.

The Allotment Master Report puts it in the Improve category, another indication that your stewards of the public lands have not been taking their responsibilities seriously.

The permittees receive 6,207 active AUMs on 94,000 public acres.

If the area was designated for wild horses, how many could live there?

The forage assigned to livestock is equivalent to 517 wild horses, or 5.5 wild horses per thousand public acres.

Your faithful public servants claim that public lands in the western U.S. can only support one wild horse per thousand acres (25,500 animals on 25.6 million acres).

The advocates, defeated a long time ago, reinforce the narrative with their darting programs.

If the allotment was an HMA, the AML would be 94 and 423 wild horses would be consigned to off-range holding because of permitted grazing.

BLM allotments in Wyoming support livestock equivalent to 158,425 wild horses on 17,312,214 public acres, or 9.2 wild horses per thousand public acres.

Wild horses can be placed on public lands not identified for their use by acquiring base properties associated with grazing allotments and flipping the preference to horses.

RELATED: The Allotments Tell the Story: They’re Lying, All of Them.

The Draft DNA asserts that a 2019 EA fully covers the removal of wild horses later this year and constitutes BLM’s compliance with the requirements of the NEPA.

The EA indicates on page 21 (page 24 in the pdf) that five allotments overlap the HMA.

The Allotment Master Report gives management status, acreage and active AUMs.

The EA does not give the percentage of public lands inside the HMA but those numbers can be estimated from the ArcGIS Viewer.

The allotments offer a weighted average 109.7 AUMs per thousand public acres, equivalent to 9.1 wild horses per thousand public acres.

Your faithful public servants claim that public lands in the western U.S. can only support one wild horse per thousand acres (25,500 animals on 25.6 million acres).

The HMA covers 68,607 public acres and has an AML of 230 according to the 2025 population dataset.

The HMA supports livestock equivalent to 347 wild horses, so the True AML would be 230 + 347 = 577.

The stocking rate would be 8.4 wild horses per thousand public acres.

RELATED: Fifteenmile DNA Out for Review, No Announcement.

Refer to this news release by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office.

Results for June 9 and 11 were added today.

The first report, appearing last week, was for June 12.

Results for June 13 say June 12.

The totals at the gather page say 169 animals gathered and 91 shipped but the daily reports, June 9 through June 16, yield 225 animals captured and 128 shipped.

RELATED: Three Rivers Roundup in Progress.

The unplanned event will begin on or about June 24 due to lack of water.

The capture and removal goals are 40 each.

Horses will be drawn into the traps with bait.

Operations will not be open to public observation.

Captured animals will be taken to the Axtell off-range corrals.

A link to the gather page was not given.

The HMA covers 283,474 total acres, including 252,086 public acres, according to the 2025 population dataset.

The AML is 125.

The BLM news release did not give the status of livestock grazing in the overlapping allotments.

At Spring Creek Basin HMA with Lynn Northrup.

The absence of foals is not an accident.

An NPS outfitter leading a horse tour at the Ozark National Scenic Riverways found the youngster with its mom, unable to move its hind legs according to a story by KY3 News.

The herd is protected by federal law.

He was killed on impact and the driver was arrested for DWI according to a report by The Outer Banks Voice.

The incident follows the loss of a colt earlier this month, putting more pressure on a herd that’s struggling to survive, not because of careless drivers but because of heartless women who ruined the mares with PZP.

RELATED: Currituck Colt Found Dead After Sparring with Stallion?

The incident began on June 12 with 56 burros captured, 37 shipped, none released and no deaths.

RELATED: Three Rivers Wild Burro Roundup Announced.

Stay away from mirrors, ladders and black cats.

If you’re a wild horse, run from the advocates.

They’re destroying your families, shrinking your herds and turning your homes into sanctuaries for livestock.

RELATED: Foal-Free Friday, Humane Disposal Edition.

The DNA Worksheet refers to the 2023 Record of Decision and Approved Resource Management Plan Amendment for Wild Horse Management, the “Other Document” listed at the beginning of Section B.

The worksheet says “Retain the Adobe Town HMA and manage AML in accordance with MA009,” followed by a reference to item MA005 in the ROD.

But item MA005 in Table 1 of the ROD states “Retain the White Mountain HMA and manage AML in accordance with MA009.”

In the Rock Springs RMP Amendments, White Mountain was retained in whole but Adobe Town was retained in part.

The figures for acreage in the worksheet don’t match those of item MA009 in the ROD.

The 2025 population dataset gives the acreage as 347,924 BLM, 357,849 total.

The final statement about preparing gather plans matches item MA013 in the ROD.

The worksheet indicates 24,789 AUMs for livestock in the HMA, equivalent to 2,066 wild horses, meaning the AML could go as high as 2,602.

The current AML tells you the HMA is managed primarily for livestock.

The advocates generally don’t challenge forage allocations, arguing that they should be enforced with pesticides, not helicopters.

RELATED: Adobe Town DNA Approved.

The AML, currently 128, could go as high as 2,658 by removing livestock from the HMA.

Every AUM taken from the ranchers and given back to the horses would save taxpayers at least $150 per year, far offsetting the loss of $1.35 in grazing fees.

Twelve AUMs mean a horse can come out of holding and go back on the range, saving at least $1,800 per year.

Given today’s hay prices, the figure may be closer to $2,500 per year.

Rewilding 1,000 captive horses might save up to $2.5 million per year.

Ranchers would continue to operate on their base properties and/or rented pastures as they do during the off season.

Western Horse Watchers believes the new HMAP will do none of this.

Instead, it will protect the status quo and life will go on as it does today.

RELATED: WHE Still Doesn’t Get It.

The Decision Record authorizes the Proposed Action, discussed in Section A of the DNA, which will remove 1,675 wild horses from the downsized HMA, achieving the low end of AML.

There are no plans to treat any of the mares with fertility control pesticides and return them to the range.

The DNA asserts that a 2021 EA fully covers the Proposed Action and constitutes BLM’s compliance with the requirements of NEPA.

A summary of comments was posted to the project folder.

RELATED: Adobe Town DNA Out for Public Review.

S.1942, the Malheur Community Empowerment for the Owyhee Act, would create a land health management program on federal lands in Malheur County, Oregon.

Among the provisions are greater operational flexibility in livestock grazing and the designation of 1.1 million acres as wilderness areas.

Grazing would be allowed on those lands if established before the Act becomes law.

The bill would create a C.E.O. Group consisting of ten voting members, three of whom represent grazing interests and one representing hunting or fishing interests.

Eight nonvoting members would sit on the committee.

The State would be authorized to use aircraft (including helicopters) in the wilderness areas to capture, transplant, monitor and provide water for wildlife populations, including bighorn sheep and feral stock, feral horses and feral burros.

The Hog Creek, Cold Springs, Three Fingers, Sand Springs, Sheepshead-Heath Creek, Coyote Lake-Alvord-Tule Springs and Jackies Butte HMAs are in Malheur County.

The bill was introduced on June 4 and referred to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

The project description says an EA has been prepared to analyze an update to the 1999 HMAP, establish an AML range, remove excess burros and implement fertility control for the Lake Pleasant HMA.

No documents have been posted for public review.

HMAPs do not allocate resources.

They cannot change resource allocations.

They ratify/sanction/bless/condone/approve resource allocations already on the books.

“Changes to livestock grazing cannot be made through a wild horse gather decision.”

The RMP must be revised, which is beyond the scope of the project.

If livestock receive 19 AUMs for every AUM assigned to horses before the HMAP, they will receive 19 AUMs for every AUM assigned to horses after the HMAP.

The AML will remain small relative to the available resources and the HMA will be managed principally for livestock.

RELATED: Silver King HMAP Q&A.

The incident will begin today according to the BLM news release.

Three HMAs are affected.

The June 3 schedule gives capture and removal goals of 1,100 and 1,000 respectively.

Burros will be baited into the traps.

Operations will not be open to public observation.

Captured animals will be taken to off-range corrals in Utah and Arizona.

Up to 100 jennies will be treated with GonaCon Equine and returned to the range.

RELATED: Three Rivers Wild Burro Roundup Next Week?

Horses have the day off.  At the Black Mountain HMA with Shifting Gears 2 RV Life.

A story by Aspen Daily News says BLM employee Jace Stott pulled the trigger.

A profile on LinkedIn suggests he’s a Rangeland Management Specialist, sometimes referred to as ranching advocate.

Other search results indicate he was affiliated with University of Nebraska – Lincoln and has been involved with animal agriculture from a very young age.

The article is the first of a two-part series that explores wild horse management.

RELATED: BLM Dispatches Pryor Stallion, Advocates Cry Foul.