The project would convert all but the portion of the Spruce Allotment west of Highway 93 to a nonreproducing wild horse ecosanctuary, including 93% of the Spruce-Pequop HMA, 27% of the Goshute HMA and 14% of the Antelope Valley HMA, according to an undated scoping brief.

Portions of the HMAs not in the sanctuary would be evaluated to determine their ability to sustain wild horse populations with reduced acreage and water resources.

When the carrying capacity of the Spruce Allotment was determined in the early 1990s, AUMs were set aside for wild horse and wildlife.  The analysis assumed that the majority of AUMs in the allotment would be utilized by cattle, whereas in the proposed sanctuary there would be no AUM consumption by livestock.

Western Horse Watchers refers to such changes as flipping the grazing preference to horses, the second step after acquiring the base property tied to said allotment.

Forage in the Spruce Allotment was split between the previous permittee, who retained 57 AUMs in the portion on the west side of the highway and Mustang Monument received 10,908 active AUMs and 2,458 suspended AUMs on the east side.

This is apparent today in the allotment master report.

The suspended AUMs require a carrying capacity analysis to determine if they are available before they can be made active.

When Elko County ranchers heard about the plan the battle lines were drawn.

The sanctuary would function like an ORP, except most of the acreage would be public, and up to three breeding populations would be lost.

Western Horse Watchers has been unable to find the project ePlanning.

The status of the NEPA review is unknown.

RELATED: Purpose of Mustang Monument?

The proposal for a wild horse ecosanctuary was submitted by Saving America’s Mustangs in response to a 2011 BLM solicitation, according to a 2012 news release.

The facility would include 14,000 deeded acres that serve as the base property for the 534,000-acre Spruce Allotment.

Up to 900 federally owned wild horses would graze thereon, for a stocking rate of 1.7 animals per thousand public acres.

A 2012 notice in the Federal Register indicated that the agency intended to prepare an EIS and RMP amendment for the project which would “reduce and potentially eliminate livestock grazing within the portion of the Spruce Allotment east of Highway 93.”

RELATED: Where Is Mustang Monument?

It’s about 30 miles south of Wells, NV on the east side of Highway 93.

The National Data Viewer puts it in the Snow Water Lake Allotment.

The Elko County Assessor indicates it’s APN 008-080-001, owned by Tommy LLC, a legal entity controlled by Madeleine Pickens and probably named after one of her dogs.

The Operator Information Report at RAS ties Mustang Monument to these allotments:

• 2704016 – SPRUCE GRAZING ASSOCIATION LLC – SPRUCE
• 2703859 – SAVING AMERICA’S MUSTANGS – SNOW WATER LAKE, WARM CREEK

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

The Authorization Use Report gives livestock types and season of use.

Pickens acquired base properties tied to these allotments and offered to take wild horses out of BLM pens and put them back on public lands previously designated for livestock.

Initially the BLM agreed but later reneged.

RELATED: Yes to American Prairie, No to Mustang Monument.

The BLM opened a new project in ePlanning today to assess NEPA adequacy.

No documents have been posted.

The description says the Rail Ridge Fire burned almost 70% of the BLM-managed lands in the HMA, which correspond to about 32% of the total (Forest Service has 68%).

The fire is 92% contained as of today.

The National Data Viewer indicates the BLM lands are subject to permitted grazing.

The Western Watersheds map gives the status of Forest Service lands.

He had been removed from the beach and given his condition, they decided the best thing to do was to let him pass slowly and peacefully according to an October 23 report by WITN News.

The size of the herd is unknown.

Wild horse advocates are known for their opposition to nature’s way.

RELATED: Advocates Monitor Currituck Stallion, Kill Currituck Mare.

UPDATE: A story by the Augusta Free Press says they euthanized him.

A new project was opened in ePlanning yesterday and a preliminary environmental assessment was copied to the folder with other supporting documents.

The scoping phase was apparently skipped.

The project covers the Carter Reservoir HMA, Coppersmith HMA and Buckhorn HMA on the northern CA-NV border.

Alternative 1, the Proposed Action, features forcible removal, fertility control and sex ratio skewing.  Refer to Section 2.2.3 in the EA.

As in the Kiger-Riddle EA, the discussion of GonaCon Equine on page 49 (50 in pdf) refers to outdated registrations: “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 2017 amendment, which increased the interval between treatments from 30 days to 90 days, is ignored.

The BLM news release said the current population is at least 700 wild horses, compared to a combined AML of 195.

The HMAs do not appear on the FY25 roundup schedule.

They are subject to permitted grazing.

The new plan supports three tenets of rangeland management.

Story by FOX5 News of Las Vegas.

RELATED: Kicking Incident Puts Spotlight on Mount Charleston Horses.

Table 12 in the Antelope-Triple B Management Evaluation identifies the allotments that overlap the Complex.

The Allotment Master Report at RAS gives management status, public acres and active AUMs by field office (Bristlecone | Wells).

Approximately 90% of the allotment acreage is in the Improve category.

The allotments, which include territory outside the Complex, support livestock equivalent to 6,533 wild horses.

The forage assigned to livestock inside the Complex is estimated to be 44,758 AUMs per year, assuming it’s evenly distributed across the allotments.

That resource would support 3,730 wild horses, on top of the 821 allowed by plan, for a True AML of 4,551.

The pre-gather population is well within this range.

The BLM spends around $6.8 million per year to care for 3,730 wild horses in off-range holding so it can collect about $60,000 per year from the Triple B permittees.

Nobody in the private sector would do that.

BLM allotments in Nevada support livestock equivalent to 173,144 wild horses on 40,194,360 public acres.

RELATED: Triple B Roundup Announced.

So says a report by KFYR News.

She was cleared to return to the park (after the roundup) but her condition got worse according to park officials.

RELATED: Park Service Microchips TRNP Wild Horses.

The incident will begin on or about November 1 according to a BLM news release.

The capture and removal goals are 2,255 and 2,155, respectively.

The pre-gather population is thought to be 3,319.

The number of horses allowed by plan is 821.

The Complex includes the Maverick-Medicine HMA, Triple B HMA and a portion of the Antelope Valley HMA west of Highway 93.

A helicopter will push the horses into the trap and operations will be open to public observation.

Animals identified for removal will be taken to the off-range corrals at Palomino Valley and Indian Lakes in Fallon.

Up to 50 mares will be treated with GonaCon Equine, a fertility control pesticide, and returned with 50 stallions to the range.

The Complex is subject to permitted grazing.

Allotments are now indicated with brown borders in the National Data Viewer.

RELATED: Scoping Begins for Antelope-Triple B HMAP.

In the Salt River with SmilinWithTheWorld.

The original plan was to use tracking collars according to a story by KFYR News, but the devices do not provide locations, they only identify animals.

The report did not indicate if the action was covered by an environmental assessment or other method by which public input was solicited and reviewed.

RELATED: TRNP Wild Horse Roundup in Progress.

She was one of two mares held for fertility treatment before being returned to the HMA.

A report by The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel said she spooked and hit her head on a pipe panel during feeding.

She received an initial dose of GonaCon Equine and the contractors were following the CAWP according to the story.

A second dose was to be given after 30 days, which would violate the 90-day interval of the 2017 labeling amendment.

The other mare was treated with PZP and returned to the range.

The BLM has not updated the figures at the gather page, which should indicate 140 horses captured, 98 shipped, 38 released and four dead, for a net removal of 102.

RELATED: Little Book Cliffs Roundup Over.

The real estate agent, PZP evangelist and disciple of the Campaign Against America’s Wild Horses is back with the good news of nonmotorized removal in the October issue of Horse Tales.  Go to “Wild Horse Tales” on page 7.

“All we see with PZP is mares who do not get in foal.”

It’s a miracle drug—for those who are willfully blind.

She and her fellow travelers don’t see the abnormal sex ratios.

They don’t see the onset of sterility.

They don’t see the injuries and injection site reactions.

They’re blind to the tiny breeding populations and loss of genetic diversity.

And they damn sure don’t see the government-sanctioned livestock occupying the lawful homes of wild horses.

You cannot give sight to these people.

They are phonies, allies of the bureaucrats and ranchers, and don’t deserve a penny of your financial support.

RELATED: Foal-Free Friday, Divide and Conquer Edition.

Figures for September 19 have been added to the gather page.

The previous update said it was complete with 59 unaccounted-for animals.

The final tally indicated 140 horses captured, 98 shipped, 37 released and three dead, with two unaccounted for.

The capture and removal goals were 140 and 120 respectively.

The death rate was 2.1%.

The average daily take was 15.6.

The capture total included 37 stallions, 82 mares and 21 foals.

Youngsters represented 15% of the animals gathered, consistent with a herd growth rate of 10% per year.

Of the adults, 31.1% were male and 68.9% were female, outside the expected range of variation from a random process centered at 50% males / 50% females.

Abnormal sex ratios are common in herds treated with Zonastat-H.

Two horses remain in holding for fertility treatments, to be returned to the HMA at an unspecified date.

RELATED: Little Book Cliffs Roundup Set for Next Week.

The incident concluded today with ten horses captured, ten shipped, none released and no deaths.

The capture and removal goals were 60 and 45 according to the latest schedule.

There were no unaccounted-for animals.

The capture total included three stallions, six mares and one foal.

The operation liberated 120 AUMs per year, a disappointment to the permittees.

RELATED: Sand Wash Bait Trap Removal Set for Mid-August.

Comments, due by November 14, can be mailed to the Bristlecone Field Office or emailed to the address in today’s news release.

A management evaluation report has been copied to the project folder in ePlanning.

The new plan will support the BLM’s mission to manage healthy wild horses on healthy public lands.

The HMAP would sanction the use of population growth suppression (fertility control pesticides), castration of stallions and sex ratio skewing according to a statement on page 23 of the report (24 in the pdf).

Gather operations would utilize helicopters and bait trapping were feasible.

A remark on page 19 tells you what the HMAP won’t do: “Livestock grazing is administered through the regulations at 43 C.F.R. Part 4100 and must be consistent with multiple use allocations set forth in RMPs.  Changes to livestock grazing cannot be made with a wild horse management decision.”

This project is a wild horse management decision.

RELATED: HMAP for Antelope and Triple B Complexes in the Works?

Roughly half of the herd has been captured according to a story by INFORUM.

The incident is not open to public observation.

The news release said updates would be posted on the park’s socialist media accounts.

RELATED: Park Officials Revise TRNP Roundup Plan.

Horses have the day off.  In the Bullfrog HMA with Moto Hours.

The incident concluded on October 11 with 949 horses captured, 906 shipped, 39 released and four dead.

There were no unaccounted-for animals.

Ten mules and one burro were picked up on the last day and released.

The capture and removal goals were 940 and 870 respectively.

The death rate was 0.4%.

The average daily take was 86.3.

The door on a trailer came open during transport on October 3 and nine horses fell out.

The capture total included 343 stallions, 434 mares and 172 foals.

Youngsters represented 18.1% of the animals gathered, consistent with a herd growth rate of 13% per year.

Of the adults, 44.1% were male and 55.9% were female, outside the expected range of variation from a random process centered at 50% males / 50% females.

The October 7 schedule indicates that up to 30 mares will be treated with GonaCon Equine and returned to the HMA.

If they receive two doses, which is common in roundups, they would not be released for at least 90 days, the minimum interval between treatments.

Anything less constitutes unlawful use of the pesticide.

The roundup liberated 10,920 AUMs per year, giving new hope to the permittees.

RELATED: Twin Peaks Roundup Announced.