The forecast hasn’t changed much in the past 24 hours.

The storm will push salt water onto the eastern shores of Florida and Georgia as it crosses land and moves into the western Atlantic tomorrow.

The Operator and Allotment Information Reports at RAS give the following results for THE WILD ANIMAL SANCTUARY, parent of the refuge:

• 0500504 – ROYAL GORGE FO, WALKER CANYON
• 0500932 – LITTLE SNAKE FO, SUGARLOAF PEAK, LOWER BORD GL SEC 15
• 0500933 – LITTLE SNAKE FO, SUGAR LOAF BUTTE

A search of ePlanning turned up a project for renewal of Authorizations 0500932 and 0500933, as well as 0500652.  Authorization 0500504 was not included.

The folder contains an EA and FONSI.

Western Horse Watchers was unable to determine if there were opportunities for public review and comment.  The project has been marked complete.

The Proposed Action is discussed in Section 3.1 of the EA.

The forage allocations did not change but the livestock types changed from cattle and sheep to horses.

The Authorization Use Report indicates the changes have been put into effect.

The Allotment Master Report indicates that most of the acreage is private, denoted by white in the map below, which may explain why there was little if any disagreement about giving up a few small parcels to help get more wild horses off the public lands in Colorado.

RELATED: Rio Ro Mo Ranch to Become Wild Horse Sanctuary.

The incident started on October 1.  Results through October 7:

• Scope: Twin Peaks HMA
• Target: Wild horses
• AML: 758 horses (and 116 burros)
• Pre-gather population: 1,800 horses (and 140 burros)
• True AML: 2,992
• Type: Planned
• Method: Helicopter
• Category: Cruel and costly (according to advocates)
• Better way: Snuff out new life with pesticide-laced darts (according to advocates)
• Capture goal: 940
• Removal goal: 870
• Captured: 621, up from 390 on Day 5
• Shipped: 578, up from 299 on Day 5
• Released: 1, no change from Day 5
• Deaths: 4, up from 3 on Day 5
• Average daily take: 88.7
• Unaccounted-for animals: 38
• Snippet from statute: It is the policy of Congress that wild free-roaming horses and burros shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment, or death
• Snippet from manual: To protect wild horses and burros from unauthorized capture, branding, harassment or death

The figures above are based on the daily reports.

A mare died of a broken neck on Day 7 after running into a panel during sorting.

The death rate is 0.6%.

The sidebar still says one horse released despite the incident on Day 3 when nine fell out of a trailer and ran to the top of a hill.

The capture total includes 230 stallions, 278 mares and 113 foals.

Youngsters represented 18.2% of the animals gathered, consistent with a herd growth rate of 13% per year.

Of the adults, 45.3% were male and 54.7% were female, no indication of an abnormal sex ratio.

Body condition scores ranged from 3 to 4 on Day 6, the only day when they were given.

Trapping moved to the southern end of the HMA on Day 6.

The number of animals removed depends on the number released.  Up to 30 mares will be treated with GonaCon Equine and be returned to the range with up to 42 stallions according to the FY25 schedule.

The roundup supports three tenets of rangeland management.

RELATED: Twin Peaks Roundup, Day 5.

On the Virginia Range with Western Horse Watchers.

The incident started on October 1.  Results through October 5:

• Scope: Twin Peaks HMA
• Target: Wild horses
• AML: 758 horses (and 116 burros)
• Pre-gather population: 1,800 horses (and 140 burros)
• Type: Planned
• Method: Helicopter
• Category: Cruel and costly (according to advocates)
• Better way: Shoot mares with pesticide-laced darts (according to advocates)
• Capture goal: 940
• Removal goal: 870
• Captured: 390, up from 260 on Day 3
• Shipped: 299, up from 95 on Day 3
• Released: 1, no change from Day 3
• Deaths: 3, up from 2 on Day 3
• Average daily take: 78.0
• Unaccounted-for animals: 87
• Snippet from statute: It is the policy of Congress that wild free-roaming horses and burros shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment, or death
• Snippet from manual: To protect wild horses and burros from unauthorized capture, branding, harassment or death

The figures above are based on the daily reports.

A mare was dispatched on Day 5 for a bleeding injury.

The death rate is 0.8%.

The sidebar still says one horse released despite the incident on Day 3 when nine fell out of a trailer and ran to the top of a hill.

The capture total includes 136 stallions, 189 mares and 65 foals.

Youngsters represented 16.7% of the animals gathered.

Of the adults, 41.8% were male and 58.2% were female.

Body condition scores were not given.

The trap is in the North Observation home range, which may correspond to one of the grazing allotments.

The number of animals removed depends on the number released.  Up to 30 mares will be treated with GonaCon Equine and be returned to the range with up to 42 stallions according to the FY25 schedule.

RELATED: Twin Peaks Roundup, Day 3.

The cover letter offers two options: By mail or by email, due by October 31.

Comments are not being taken online at the project site in ePlanning.

The roundup, billed as Catch-Treat-Release on the FY25 schedule, would require temporary holding of at least 90 days if the mares receive two doses on GonaCon.

Anything less constitutes unlawful use of the pesticide.

RELATED: Buffalo Hills EA Refers to Old GonaCon Registrations.

UPDATE: BLM acknowledged ongoing comment period in October 7 news release.

The incident started on August 19.  Results through October 4:

• Scope: Sand Wash Basin HMA
• Target: Horses
• AML: 362
• Pre-gather population: 409
• True AML: 1,764
• Type: Planned
• Method: Bait
• Goals: Gather 60, remove 45
• Captured: 10, up from 6 on Day 17
• Shipped: 10, up from 6 on Day 17
• Released: None
• Deaths: None
• Average daily take: 0.2
• Unaccounted-for animals: None

The figures above are based on the daily reports.

No activity was reported between September 4 and October 3.

The Day 46 report gave the total only, no breakdown.  Results were calculated from Day 16 and the figures in the sidebar.

The capture total includes 3 stallions, 6 mares and 1 foal.

Youngsters represented 10% of the animals gathered.

Of the adults, 33.3% were male and 66.7% were female.

Body condition scores were not given.

The location of the trap site is not known.

Up to 15 mares will be treated with PZP and be returned to the range according to the FY25 schedule.

The roundup supports three tenets of rangeland management.

RELATED: Sand Wash Roundup in Progress.

The incident started on May 31.  Results through September 29:

• Scope: Piute Mountain HA
• Target: Burros
• Type: Emergency
• Method: Bait
• Goals: Gather 50, remove 50
• Captured: 47, up from 41 on Day 27
• Shipped: 47, up from 41 on Day 27
• Released: None
• Deaths: 1, no change from Day 27
• Average daily take: 0.4
• Unaccounted-for animals: -1

The figures above are based on the daily reports.

No activity was reported between June 28 and September 29.

The animal put down on Day 27 was included in the shipping total, throwing the numbers out of balance.

The capture total includes 29 jacks, 15 jennies and 3 foals.

Youngsters represented 6.4% of the animals gathered.

Of the adults, 65.9% were male and 34.1% were female.

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

The HA has no AML and is subject to permitted grazing.  Resources liberated to date:

• Forage: 282 AUMs per year
• Water: 235 gallons per day

The roundup supports three tenets of rangeland management.

RELATED: Piute Mountain Roundup, Day 27.

The grazing seasons of one or more pastures in the following allotments include October 1, the start date of the roundup, according to the Authorization Use Report:

• Twin Springs
• Observation
• Deep Cut
• Spanish Springs IND
• Twin Buttes
• Spanish Springs AMP
• Shinn Peak

In short, seven out of nine allotments are active.

RELATED: Best Use of Twin Peaks AUMs?

The incident started on October 1.  Results through October 3:

• Scope: Twin Peaks HMA
• Target: Wild horses
• AML: 758 horses (and 116 burros)
• Pre-gather population: 1,800 horses (and 140 burros)
• Type: Planned
• Method: Helicopter
• Category: Cruel and costly (according to advocates)
• Better way: Shoot mares with pesticide-laced darts (according to advocates)
• Capture goal: 940
• Removal goal: 870
• Captured: 260, up from 46 on Day 1
• Shipped: 95, up from 35 on Day 1
• Released: 1, up from zero on Day 1
• Deaths: 2, up from zero on Day 1
• Average daily take: 86.7
• Unaccounted-for animals: 162
• Snippet from statute: It is the policy of Congress that wild free-roaming horses and burros shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment, or death
• Snippet from manual: To protect wild horses and burros from unauthorized capture, branding, harassment or death

The figures above are based on the daily reports.

The sidebar at the gather page says 266 captured.

Two mares were dispatched on Day 3 for blindness in one eye, bringing the death rate to 0.8%.

The Day 3 report also indicated that the door on a trailer came open as horses were being moved from the capture site to temporary holding, resulting in nine falling out.

They ran to the top of a hill and were not recaptured, yet the sidebar says one released.

The capture total includes 91 stallions, 126 mares and 43 foals.

Youngsters represented 16.5% of the animals gathered.

Of the adults, 41.9% were male and 58.1% were female.

Body condition scores were not given.

The trap is in the North Observation home range, which may correspond to one of the grazing allotments.

The number of animals removed depends on the number released.  Up to 30 mares will be treated with GonaCon Equine and be returned to the range with up to 42 stallions according to the FY25 schedule.

RELATED: Twin Peaks Roundup Begins.

The bad news: Horses die.  If there are no new foals, the herds will vanish.

The good news: You are in control.  Don’t give the advocates a penny, they have nothing to offer America’s wild horses.

RELATED: Foal-Free Friday, Breaking the Addiction Edition.

The Medora City Council passed a resolution on October 1 urging the park to halt wild horse removals and fertility controls until experts fully assess and provide a report on the genetic viability of the herd, according to a story by INFORUM.

The park’s interim superintendent said the roundup will provide genetic information that is crucial for managing the herd.

RELATED: NPS Posts Backdated News Release for TRNP Roundup?

Discussion of the pesticide begins at the bottom of page 21 in the Final EA (page 29 in the pdf).

To wit, “GonaCon-Equine is approved for use by authorized federal, state, tribal, public and private personnel, for application to wild and feral equids in the United States (EPA 2013, 2015).”

The 2013 and 2015 versions were superseded by a 2017 amendment that changed the interval between primer and booster from 30 days to 90 days.

The BLM has adhered to 30 days, representing unlawful use of the product.

If the DNA is put out for public review, you could argue that the EA does not adequately cover the Proposed Action, as claimed therein.

RELATED: Buffalo Hills DNA Out for Public Review?

The tours, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, can accommodate 20 people each and will last about two hours, according to a BLM news release.

Wild horses are held at the facility not because the land can’t support them, but because the bureaucrats have assigned most of their food to the public-lands ranchers.

The advocates ratify and reinforce the practice with their darting programs.

The HMA, a subset of the allotment, offers 314 × 12 = 3,768 AUMs per year on 125,207 public acres, or 30.1 AUMs per year per thousand public acres.

The allotment offers 4,114 AUMs per year on 440,982 public acres, or 9.3 AUMs per year per thousand public acres.

If wild horses had principal use of the HMA, a feature of the original statute but opposed today by most advocates, the AML would increase by 9.3 × 125,207 ÷ 1,000 ÷ 12 = 97, assuming the resource is evenly distributed across the allotment.

RELATED: Buffalo Hills DNA Out for Public Review?

The project status says public scoping but the plan has already been determined.

The Draft DNA asserts that a 2017 EA adequately covers the Proposed Action, discussed in Section A.

Up to 235 wild horses and 33 wild burros would be captured by helicopter.

Approximately 100 mares would be treated with GonaCon Equine and be returned to the HMA with 103 stallions.

The remaining horses and all burros would be removed.

The HMA is on the east side of Twin Peaks and inside the Buffalo Hills Allotment.

As of today, Western Horse Watchers has not seen a BLM news release marking the beginning of a comment period.

The DNA said the Stockade Canyon fire burned 14% of the HMA in July but did not indicate if livestock grazing had been curtailed due to the loss of forage.

A roundup appears on the FY25 schedule with a start date of November 15.

The incident started on October 1 with 46 horses captured, 35 shipped, none released and no deaths.

RELATED: Twin Peaks Roundup Announced.

The Campaign Against America’s Wild Horses, a leader in nonmotorized removal and staunch opponent of principal use, will explain what they are doing to ensure the safety of all employees and drivers at the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center, according to an announcement on Eventbrite.

The facility is the epicenter of their mass sterilization program.  More horses are darted in that area than anywhere else on the Virginia Range.

The event, set for October 30, is sponsored by the Nevada Wildlife Alliance.

It’s dated September 27 but was not there when Western Horse Watchers checked the page on September 28.

An article by KX News indicates that the horses to be removed will be mares and their foals and yearlings.

RELATED: Park Service to Remove Bison and Horses from TRNP?

The Forest Service will host the meeting ahead of the Devil’s Garden and Montogomery Pass roundups according to a September 30 report by Sierra Daily News.

Western Horse Watchers is not aware of any hearings for nonmotorized removal, the domain of the advocates.

RELATED: Seventh Annual Devil’s Garden Roundup Announced.