Piute Mountain Emergency Roundup in Progress

The BLM announced today that bait trapping began on May 31.

Operations are not open to public observation.

The capture and removal goals were not given.

Animals identified for removal will be taken to the Ridgecrest off-range corrals.

The gather page indicates five burros captured to date.

The HA lies within the Lazy Daisy Allotment on the south side of I-40 east of Barstow, CA but before the Nevada state line.

The AML is zero.

The National Data Viewer and RAS are down. The Western Watersheds map shows the arrangement.

UPDATE: Lazy Daisy offers 3,192 active AUMs on 284,533 public acres according to the Allotment Master Report.

Group Calls for Cancellation of North Lander Roundup

Equine Collaborative International issued two news released on EIN (June 3 | June 4) suggesting the incident is not warranted and that it be called off until fully investigated by an impartial agency.

The history and credibility of the group are unknown.

The National Data Viewer shows habitat loss and nearby towns. Click on image to open in new tab. Allotments omitted for clarity.

The roundup, which supports three tenets of rangeland management, begins on July 1 according to the latest schedule.

If Wild Horses Had Principal Use of Buzzard and Bar Eleven

The two allotments, located north of Rawlins, WY and east of the Green Mountain HMA, offer 22,832 active AUMs on 103,511 public acres, according to the Allotment Master Report.

The forage assigned to horses is zero.

How many wild horses could live there?

Using the principle of forage interchangeability, the True AML would be 22,832 ÷ 12 = 1,903, the number of horses the land could support if it was managed principally for them as specified in the original statute.

The stocking rate would be 1,903 ÷ 103,511 × 1,000 = 18.4 wild horses per thousand public acres.

Why is this important?

The bureaucrats and ranchers claim that public lands in the western U.S. can only support one wild horse per thousand acres (27,000 animals on 27 million acres).

The advocates ratify the narrative with their darting programs.

If the allotments were an HMA, the AML would be 103, and 1,903 – 103 = 1,800 horses would be consigned to off-range holding because of permitted grazing.

Curiously, the LDS Church holds all of the active AUMs on Bar Eleven.

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

BLM Trims FY24 Roundup Plan

The February 1 schedule now says June 3.

The capture and removal goals are 20,939 and 19,614, compared to 21,853 and 20,510 on March 5.

Kiger, Riddle, Antelope Hills, Lost Creek and Little Book Cliffs have been dropped.

The changes may have been prompted by a 4% budget cut earlier this year.

RELATED: BLM Tweaks FY24 Roundup Plan.

Hitchhiking Bird Video Reaches 50% Favorability

As of this morning, there were 17 likes and 17 dislikes, up from 10 and 15 a few days ago.

Thanks for your continued support!

Mustang Monday

At Grayson Highlands State Park with the Traveling Tierneys.

Volunteers Continue Pahrump Fence Repair

The project started in May near the intersection of Roadrunner Road and Highway 160.

Battle of the Thumbs Raging on YouTube

As of this evening, there were ten likes and a 40% favorable rating, suggesting there were fifteen dislikes.

The video was published on May 26 and subscribers were not notified.

SOWH Releases Videos from Reno Conference

If the keynote address is any indication, you didn’t miss much.

Instead of condemning the Campaign Against America’s Wild Horses and its mass sterilization program on the Virginia Range, there was praise for its good work (19:33).

Instead of trying to change the system (22:24), change the statute, restoring it to its original form.

Regarding the Veterans for Pesticides Act (25:00), you can reduce the need for helicopters by clearing the land of privately owned livestock, allowing the herds to fill their niche and manage themselves. Funny how the advocates won’t talk about that.

As of today, the channel contains eleven videos.

Foal-Free Friday, Point of No Return Edition

With the darting program now in its sixth year, presumably, many of the Virginia Range mares are now at risk of sterility.

The dwindling breeding population will not be able to keep up with deaths and the herd will implode, just like Assateague Island.

This is the promise of nonmotorized removal, the final solution.

Putting Wild Horses on Par with Privately Owned Livestock

The BLM allows 23,866 wild horses and 2,919 wild burros on 26,917,766 public acres according to the 2024 population dataset.

That’s equivalent to 23,866 + 2,919 ÷ 2 = 25,326 wild horses on 26,917,766 public acres.

As reported on April 22, the agency authorizes privately owned livestock equivalent to 1,023,481 wild horses on 145,895,940 public acres.

To match the stocking rate and resource loading of the grazing program, the wild horse and burro program would have to satisfy the following relationship:

x ÷ 26,917,766 = 1,023,481 ÷ 145,895,940

Solving for x, the new AML would be 188,832.

The current wild horse and burro population, equivalent to 66,236 wild horses, is well within this limit.

Why are the advocates working with the bureaucrats to take the numbers lower?

They have a shared vision
They view these animals as pests
They want the ranchers to win

Why are you still giving them money?

Thriving Ecological Balance-3

New Report Ties Poor Rangeland Health to Permitted Grazing

Today’s news release indicates that 44 million acres do not meet BLM’s minimum standards, with livestock being the primary cause, either in whole or in part.

PEER Rocky Mountain Director Chandra Rosenthal noted that an estimated 1.5 million cattle forage BLM lands compared to fewer than 75,000 wild horses.

As reported by Western Horse Watchers on April 22, the agency authorizes livestock equivalent to 1,023,481 wild horses on 145,895,940 public acres in ten western states, or seven wild horses per thousand public acres.

The agency allows 26,785 wild horses and burros on 26,917,766 public acres, according to the 2024 population dataset, or one such animal per thousand public acres.

Which species has the larger footprint and potential for rangeland degradation?

The current wild horse and burro population is equivalent to 66,236 wild horses, or 2.5 wild horses per thousand public acres.

You’d need to increase the wild horse population to 188,424 to have the same resource loading as privately owned livestock.

Caliente Roundup, Day 43

The incident started on April 16. Results through May 23:

Scope: Caliente Complex
Target: Horses
Type: Planned
Method: Bait
Goals: Gather 350, remove 350
Captured: 252, up from 224 on Day 38
Shipped: 207, no change from Day 38
Released: None
Deaths: 9, up from 7 on Day 38
Average daily take: 5.9
Unaccounted-for animals: 36

The figures above are based on the daily reports.

A stallion was dispatched on Day 39 due to blindness.

Another stallion was dispatched on Day 42 due to injuries sustained in capture, sorting or holding, boosting the death rate to 3.6%.

The capture total includes 102 stallions, 110 mares and 40 foals.

Youngsters represented 15.9% of the animals gathered, consistent with a herd growth rate of eleven percent per year.

Of the adults, 48.1% were male and 51.9% were female.

Body condition scores were not given.

The location of the trap site is not known.

The Complex is subject to permitted grazing. Resources liberated to date:

Forage: 3,024 AUMs per year
Water: 2,520 gallons per day

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

The roundup supports three tenets of rangeland management.

RELATED: Caliente Roundup, Day 38.

Bordo Atravesado Roundup, Day 28

The incident started on May 1. Results through May 28:

Scope: Bordo Atravesado HMA
Target: Horses
Type: Planned
Method: Bait
AML: 60
Estimated population: 276
Goals: Gather 235, remove 225
Captured: 213, up from 173 on Day 24
Shipped: None
Released: None
Deaths: 7, up from 5 on Day 24
Average daily take: 7.6
Unaccounted-for animals: 206

The figures above are based on the daily reports.

Two horses died on Day 27 due to injuries sustained in capture, sorting or holding, lifting the death rate to 3.3%. No details were given.

To date, only one death has been attributed to pre-existing conditions.

The capture total includes 106 stallions, 81 mares and 26 foals.

Youngsters represented 12.2% of the animals gathered, consistent with a herd growth rate of seven percent per year.

Of the adults, 56.7% were male and 43.3% were female.

Body condition scores were not given.

The location of the trap site is not known.

The status of captured animals has not been disclosed.

The HMA is subject to permitted grazing. Resources liberated to date:

Forage: 2,556 AUMs per year
Water: 2,130 gallons per day

Ten mares will be treated with GonaCon Equine, a fertility control pesticide, and be returned to the range according to the latest schedule.

The roundup supports three tenets of rangeland management.

Montgomery Pass EA Out for Public Review

The Proposed Action, discussed in Section 2.2 of the Draft EA, would immediately remove wild horses outside the WHT, using helicopters and/or baited traps.

The current population is thought to be 699 according to today’s news release.

The project area covers BLM and Forest Service lands around Mono Lake, some of which are subject to permitted grazing.

Although the announcement seeks comments on the Environmental Assessment, the project ties them to a cover letter dated May 28.

The participation period closes June 26.

If Wild Horses Had Principal Use of West Cow Creek

The allotment, on the east side of Sand Springs HMA in Oregon, offers 9,594 active AUMs on 139,885 public acres, according to the Allotment Master Report.

The forage assigned to horses is zero.

How many wild horses could live there?

Using the principle of forage interchangeability, the True AML would be 9,594 ÷ 12 = 800, the number of horses the land could support if it was managed principally for them as specified in the original statute.

The stocking rate would be 800 ÷ 139,885 × 1,000 = 5.7 wild horses per thousand public acres.

Why is this important?

The bureaucrats and ranchers claim that public lands in the western U.S. can only support one wild horse per thousand acres (27,000 animals on 27 million acres).

The advocates reinforce the fairy tale with their darting programs.

If the allotment was an HMA, the AML would be 140, and 800 – 140 = 660 horses would be consigned to off-range holding because of permitted grazing.

BLM allotments in the state carry livestock equivalent to 87,934 wild horses on 13,130,302 public acres, or 6.7 wild horses per thousand public acres.

Daily Mail Misleads Readers About Advocates, Wild Horses

The article is silent about permitted grazing, lopsided forage allocations that favor the ranchers and confiscation of lands identified for wild horses in 1971.

Instead of clearing these areas of privately owned livestock and giving principal use to the horses—as specified in the original statute—the BLM should use fertility control to limit the numbers according to the advocates.

The writer says nothing about its harmful effects, which the advocates conveniently ignore, evident on the Maryland side of Assateague Island and soon to appear at the Salt River and Virginia Range.

They don’t want to rock the boat.

They don’t want changes that actually help the horses.

They are allies of the bureaucrats and ranchers, defenders of the status quo.

Pesticide Pushers 07-17-23