New toy for the range, South Steens HMA in this example.  Nice way to monitor horse populations vis-à-vis livestock.  Looks like the cattle are winning.

Rewards totaling $20,000 have been offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) who started the Martin Fire.  See the BLM news release dated 07/20/18.  Over 435,000 acres were involved in the incident, which began on the evening of 07/04/18 approximately seven miles north of Paradise Valley, NV.  Winds pushed the flames eastward for 50 miles.  Investigators have determined that it was man-caused.

Almost certainly the fire crossed the Little Owyhee HMA, and probably reached into the Owyhee HMA, although it was not mentioned in the news release.  BLM will likely assess its impact on horses, livestock and wildlife.

A wild horse was captured earlier this month in the Ochoco National Forest, near Prineville, OR, because he lost his hear of humans.  He had been coming to a campground for a year or more, and was fed, petted and groomed.  When the campers departed, he sought food from others and the companionship of their horses, putting both at risk.

The only way to resolve the situation was to remove him to a life of captivity.

See this report, posted today by KMTR-16, the NBC affiliate in Eugene, OR.  Note the guidelines for camping and recreating around wild horses.

Consensus among the investigators is the cause of the illness is in something the horses are eating, such as toxins from mold spores.  Tissue samples from a euthanized horse have been sent to Cornell University for evaluation.  The affliction appears to be fatal.

See this report in the Hawaii Tribune-Herald dated 07/23/18.

RELATED: Mysterious Illness Affecting Wild Horses on Big Island.

See the report from Fox News posted today on the drought in the southwestern U.S.

Good survey of the current situation and they didn’t blame it on global warming.

On the Virginia Range.

Band stallion, center, directing his mares on the Virginia Range, 06/29/18.  Saw these guys on 07/13/18 from a distance, no youngsters in tow.

RELATED: Still Barren.

Sand Wash bachelors on 07/19/18.  The horse in the foreground may have been taking a nap while the others stood watch.  He yawns a few times after getting up.  Tails somewhat active, probably filmed in the morning or evening when not very hot.

H/T Steve Hostetler.

Homeowners in Pahrump, NV, are tired of cleaning up the mess from wild horses and burros.  See the report published yesterday in the Pahrump Valley Times.

They’re looking for water and have found it near lawns and gardens.  See this post for another example on the Virginia Range.

Just a friendly reminder that if you’re buying property in Nevada and don’t want to have this problem, put some money in the budget for a fence, especially if you’re moving to an area surrounded by HMAs and WHTs.

Another option is to buy acreage in a rural area and let the poop fall where it may.

Both teams have taken the field and the visitors have elected to receive.

Virginia Range horses stop by Cindy’s Bar and Graze for some refreshments, 07/20/18.

Animal control personnel are trying to locate the injured animal, which roams the Reche Canyon area south of San Bernardino, CA, according to a report dated 07/19/18 in The Sacramento Bee.

The area of interest is not on BLM land.  The nearest BLM Herd Areas are 20 to 30 miles to the east.  They have no AMLs and are not managed for WHB.

A $1000 reward has been offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible.

Most of the herd management areas in Utah are on the western side of the state.

Here are some statistics for them, developed from individual pages at the BLM web site.

• Number of HMAs: 18 (one jointly managed with USFS)
• Total land: 2.7 million acres (mostly public, some private)
• Total animals: 1911 (mostly horses, some burros, based on upper values of AMLs)
• Average stocking rate: 1397 acres per animal (0.72 animals per thousand acres)
• Stocking rate at 3X AML: 466 acres per animal (2.15 animals per thousand acres)

The last figure is offered as an estimate of the current situation, as many of the HMAs have more animals than allowed by the upper end of their AMLs.

Livestock grazing was reported on the Sulphur HMA and presumably occurs on others.

The largest HMA is Cedar Mountain at 411,636 acres, while the smallest is Tilly Creek at 37,006 acres.

Stocking rates vary from 1.5 animals per thousand acres at Range Creek HMA to 0.4 animals per thousand acres at King Top Mountains HMA.

The North Hills HMA is jointly managed with the USFS.

You might see a few of them on the Muddy Creek and Sinbad HMAs, both of which are managed for horses and burros.  I-70 passes through both areas, in a part of the state known as the San Rafael Swell.

The Muddy Creek HMA covers 208,810 acres and has an AML of 125, for a target population density of 0.6 animals per thousand acres.  Sinbad contains 285,518 acres and has an AML of 125 (horses and burros) for a target density of 0.4 animals per thousand acres.

In the map above, Muddy Creek appears to be at least 50% larger than Sinbad, so the numbers are wrong or the HMA boundaries were drawn incorrectly.  The Sinbad HA includes two parcels, one of which is adjacent to the Muddy Creek HMA.  The map may show the combined area of the Muddy Creek HMA and western portion of the Sinbad HA?

BLM announced today that it had concluded the removal of wild horses from lands outside the Range Creek HMA in east-central Utah.  The news release indicated that 92 horses had been gathered but did not indicate if they were on lands falling within the Range Creek HA and if any livestock were present on those lands.

One horse died in the operation but circumstances of the loss were not given.

Captured horses were taken to a contract facility in Axtell, Utah, where they will be evaluated and prepared for adoption.

RELATED: BLM Plans Gather at Range Creek HMA.

Wild horses and burros will be offered for adoption in Cheyenne, WY on 07/27/18, according to a BLM news release posted yesterday.  The ten-day celebration of western heritage begins on 07/20/18 and features a rodeo, concerts, parades, western art show, carnival and museum.

Trainers with experience in gentling mustangs will provide demonstrations each day at 10 AM and 4 PM.

Personnel from Heroes and Horses will be available July 23 – 26 to explain how horses can help veterans suffering from PTSD.

WHB posters will be available at the BLM booth.

Wild horse enthusiasts met yesterday at the BLM office in Reno, NV, to protest the removal of 50 animals from the Fish Springs area near Gardnerville, according to a report dated 07/17/18 in Nevada Appeal.

The BLM argues there are too many horses in and around the Pine Nut Mountains HMA, which covers 104,316 acres in western Nevada.  Current population is 775 horses with an AML of 179.

The target population density is 1.7 animals per thousand acres and the actual population density is 7.4 animals per thousand acres.  These figures do not include the lands of the Pine Nut Mountains HA, which the horses inhabit, that would make the densities LOWER.

Meanwhile, a few miles north, on the Virginia Range, the population density is running at ten animals per thousand acres.

Look at the photos here, here and here from June, 2018.  Do you see any denuded lands or emaciated animals?

RELATED: Opposition to Pine Nut Roundup Continues.

Sellers of goods and services at this year’s Burning Man are warned that only permitted and approved vendors will be allowed to conduct business at the event.  Refer to this BLM news release posted today.

Anyone engaged in commercial activity without a permit will be removed.

The festival opens 08/26/18 in the temporary metropolis of Black Rock City, northeast of Gerlach, NV, on a dry lake bed called ‘the playa.’

Anyone planning to offer tours into the hills to see the wild horses and burros that surround the place is expected to comply as well.

RELATED: Burn More.

Wild burros on the Arizona side of Lake Mead.  Refugees from Black Mountain HMA?

Tail end of a band heading down one of the trails on the Virginia Range 07/13/18.