A reward program has been created by the Navajo Nation to reduce overpopulation of wild horses on tribal lands.  See the report dated 08/07/18 by KMYU-TV.

The program was funded by a $250,000 grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior.

The story did not indicate what will happen to horses surrendered under the program or why the offer was made.

Is this the will of a sovereign people or did somebody put a bug in their ear?  Cui bono?

There are some sick minds out there already setting their tables for horsemeat dinner.

RELATED: Wild Horses Found Dead in Arizona.

Somewhere in Lake Pleasant HMA, north of Phoenix, AZ.  H/T Sean George.

Virginia Range band, somewhere along Clean Water Way in Sparks, NV.  North of Hidden Valley.  Stallion in foreground.

H/T Dr. Jennifer Jewell, PhD.

On White Mountain HMA.

Some of them are a bit furry, not what you’d expect to see in mid summer.  Those scenes may have been filmed earlier in the year.

H/T CBS Sunday Morning.

Managing agency unknown.  No HMAs or WHTs near Placitas.

H/T Kyle Engstrom.

RELATED: Mostly Pintos.

Short one of some Virginia Range mustangs, filmed from the V&T Railroad.

H/T Stephanie.

If Pam Rutherford filmed it, it’s going to be good.  Features some Virginia Range mustangs.

“These wild and free-roaming horses, over years and generations, have reverted to their wild state, especially through their offspring who have never known anything other than wild.”

Part of the Kisatchie National Forest.  Go to this FB page for the latest.  More info at the Pegasus Equine Guardian Association blog.

RELATED: Judge Says OK to Round Up Horses at Fort Polk.

Wild horses in Placitas, NM, north of Albuquerque.  Managing agency unknown.

H/T Kyla Wood.

Two photos of the Virginia Range, about six weeks apart, showing the condition of a seasonal pond.  This is normal for the area and not due to drought.

06/15/18

07/27/18

Stock tanks placed on private property for the Pine Nut wild horses now have bullet holes in them and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is asking for assistance in identifying the person(s) responsible.  The tanks were valued at $1400.  Refer to the report posted today at Nevada Appeal, with similar coverage in Carson Now.

Although the wild horse gather on the Pine Nut Mountains HA has been placed on hold, the gather on the HMA is moving ahead as planned.

RELATED: Fish Springs Gather On Hold.

Bait traps will be used to remove approximately 800 wild horses from the Nevada Wild Horse Range, according to a BLM news release posted this morning.  Helicopters will not be used.

Insufficient water was cited as the reason for the roundup, which begins today or tomorrow.  Gather operations will not be open to the public.

The HMA covers 1,301,637 acres and has an AML of 500, for a target population density of 0.38 animals per thousand acres.  It is the largest HMA in the Nevada, perhaps in the nation, but is part of Nellis Air Force Base and therefore has no public access.

The Nevada Wild Horse Range is one of three areas in the western U.S. managed primarily for wild horses.  Livestock grazing does not occur there.

Captured animals will be taken to the Palomino Valley Holding Corrals north of Reno, NV and Ridgecrest Holding Corrals in Ridgecrest, CA, where they will be checked by a veterinarian and prepared for adoption.  On the bright side, this will be the first time these horses have been seen by the public, due to the security requirements of their home range.

Gather stats and day-to-day reports can be found at this page.

On 07/27/18, the BLM asked for public input on an environmental assessment for bait trapping in the Spring Creek Basin HMA.  Refer to this news release for details.  No wild horse removals are planned at this time.  The HMA is in southwest Colorado near the Utah border.

An advocacy group that works with the BLM to manage the herd gives some background on the case at this post.  Like other HMAs, the Spring Creek horses are subject to fertility control.

The HMA covers 21,932 acres and has an AML of 65, for a aimed-at population density of three animals per thousand acres, a bit higher than the national average of one animal per thousand acres (all HMAs).  Note from the map that the herd area (red border) is about twice the size of the herd management area (blue border).  HAs don’t have AMLs and are not managed for WHB due to inadequate resources.

The horses may graze the entire area if they’re not fenced in.  Not a big problem unless livestock have been placed there.  The ranchers will protest and eventually demand a roundup.

Keep in mind the red border marks an area set aside for horses in 1971.

The news release did not indicate if livestock were present on the HMA.

Now for some wild horse tech.  The following chart shows the population target for HMAs in Utah as a function of HMA size.  Conclusions drawn therefrom:

• Most HMAs are smaller than 300,000 acres
• Most AMLs are 300 animals or less
• AMLs are more-or-less proportional to HMA size

There are eight HMAs with an average size of 55,000 acres and average AML of 44 (some data points are so close to each other they overlap on the chart).  A line starting at (0, 0) would pass through (55, 44).

If population is proportional to size, an HMA four times as large as the reference group should have an AML four times larger than that group.  If x = 220, y= 4 × 44 = 176.  The two HMAs of that size (Onaqui Mountain and Muddy Creek) have an average AML of 168, which is close.

Extending the line to x = 440 gives y = 352, a bit less than the nearest observed AML of 390, but not bad.  That data point represents the largest HMA, Cedar Mountain.

If WHB population is proportional to HMA size, population density should be constant across the HMAs (and can be estimated from the slope of the imaginary line).  That will be the subject of the next post in this series.

RELATED: Utah HMA Stats.

Trailcam image of free-roaming bucks on the Virginia Range.  Probably the last ones, thanks to those damn horses.

• They’re a non-native species
• They’re overpopulated
• They have no natural predators
• They’re not special (mostly escaped ranch stock)
• They damage rangelands
• They’re a threat to wildlife

Livestock are blameless, always.  That’s the wild horse narrative in a nutshell.  You’re supposed to conclude that wild horses are bad for the environment and should be removed.  Removal was the answer all along, but it had to be justified.

BLM announced today that 149 horses would be removed from the Muddy Creek HMA in central Utah, beginning in August.  Overpopulation and dry conditions were cited as the reasons for removal.  Fertility control will be applied to the remaining horses to slow population growth.

The news release did not indicate if helicopters would be used for the roundup and if it will be open to public observation.  The presence of livestock on the HMA was not discussed nor the destination of captured animals.

A link for the gather reports and daily stats was not provided.

The Muddy Creek HMA covers 283,400 acres and has an AML of 125, for a target population density of 0.44 animals per thousand acres.  It’s managed for wild horses and burros.

On White Mountain HMA (Pilot Butte Wild Horse Scenic Tour).

Short one from Theodore Roosevelt National Park, South Unit.  Filmed 07/22/18.

RELATED: Horses of the Badlands.  Other videos from TRNP posted to the Index under ‘Mustang Monday.’

Virginia Range mustang looks back, as if calling to other band members.  Elevation 6500 feet.  Most land is privately owned.