Reno to Install New Barrier for Virginia Range Mustangs

A $500,000 grant from the American Rescue Plan Act will pay for the project, according to a report by KTVN News.

Councilwoman Naomi Duerr said the money will help them fully fence the range, which probably means the portion inside city limits.

Foal-Free Friday, Channeling Alternative C Edition

The Park Service has proposed the removal of wild horses from Theodore Roosevelt National Park under two scenarios, Alternatives B and C.

In option B, horses would be forcibly removed to quickly reduce the herd size to zero.

Alternative C corresponds to a fully contracepted herd that dies off after some of the horses are removed.

The Park Service designated option C as the Proposed Action (preferred option).

The plan faces stiff opposition, especially from the advocates.

At the Salt River, Virginia Range and McCullough Peaks, you have fully contracepted herds, or nearly so, that are dying off, but the advocates offer no opposition.

They think it’s great!

So who’s fooling whom?

What they really want is a contract with the Park Service to carry out Alternative C.

The pesticide of choice would likely be Zonastat-H.

Pesticide Patrol 08-16-23

Roberts Mountain Roundup, Day 11

The incident began on October 22. Results through November 1:

Scope: Roberts Mountain, Whistler Mountain, Fish Creek HMAs
Purpose: Pest control, resource enforcement, rancher protection
Target: Horses
Type: Planned
Method: Helicopter
Category: Cruel and costly*
Better way: Sterilize mares with pesticide-laced darts*
Captured: 761, up from 589 on Day 9
Average daily take: 69.2
Capture goal: 1,106
Removal goal: 1,068
Returned: None
Deaths: 4, no change from Day 9
Shipped: 551, up from 501 on Day 9

The location of the trap site was not given.

The death rate is 0.5%. Horses lost in the Day 9 truck rollover were not included in the death count.

The capture total includes 295 stallions, 351 mares and 115 foals.

Youngsters represented 15.1% of the animals gathered, suggesting the herd is growing at a rate of 10% per year.

Of the adults, 45.7% were male and 54.3% were female.

Body condition scores ranged from 4 to 5 on Days 10 and 11.

The HMAs and surrounding lands are subject to permitted grazing.

*According to advocates.

Day 11 ended with 206 unaccounted-for animals.

Up to 19 mares will be treated with GonaCon Equine, a fertility control pesticide, before being returned to the range with up to 19 stallions.

Other statistics:

Forage liberated to date: 9,132 AUMs per year
Water liberated to date: 7,610 gallons per day
Forage assigned to livestock: Undetermined
Horses displaced from Complex by permitted grazing: Undetermined
True AML: Undetermined
Stocking rate at new AML: Undetermined
Horses removed because of drilling and mining: Ask the advocates

Overpopulation means more horses than allowed by plan, not necessarily more horses than the land can support.

Assateague Pony Census, October 2023

The herd on the Maryland side of the island consisted of 15 bands and 81 horses according to the October 27 inventory.

Last update was in July.

Seven foals were born this year, seven years after the darting program was shut off.

The pesticide of choice was Zonastat-H, a favorite of the advocates.

Not included in the report:

Ratio of females to males
Size of breeding population
Number of sterilized mares

The BLM WHB Handbook indicates the breeding population should exceed 50 animals to maintain an acceptable level of genetic diversity.

The Assateague Island Alliance updates the lists.

Picacho Roundup Over

The incident concluded on September 30, with 101 burros captured, 101 shipped, none released and no deaths, according to figures in the sidebar.

The daily reports yield 100 captured and 119 shipped.

The capture total included 73 jacks, 21 jennies and 7 foals.

Youngsters represented 7% of the animals gathered.

Of the adults, 78% were male and 22% were female.

Two areas on the California side of the Colorado River were targeted.

CAAWH Admits Virginia Range Mares Are Sterile?

A Virginia Range mare named Saddle Shoe is 11 years old and likely won’t have any more foals, according to a story dated October 31 by the Lassen County Times.

Why?

Because mares can’t conceive after age 10? No.

Because stallions won’t breed older mares? No.

Because advocates with the Campaign Against America’s Wild Horses ruined her with Zonastat-H? Probably.

The writer points to the mare as a beneficiary of the darting program, now in its fifth year, not a victim.

And with five consecutive years of use, there are likely many more such mares.

The darting program proves there’s no need for mass roundups, crowded holding corrals and permanent sterilization—because the advocates are sterilizing them inconspicuously, much to the delight of the bureaucrats and ranchers.

Results of Darting Program 11-01-23

The article was likely drafted by CAAWH staff to draw attention to themselves and their wrongheaded ideas.

Roberts Mountain Roundup, Day 9

The incident began on October 22. Results through October 30:

Scope: Roberts Mountain, Whistler Mountain, Fish Creek HMAs
Purpose: Pest control, resource enforcement, rancher protection
Target: Horses
Type: Planned
Method: Helicopter
Category: Cruel and costly*
Better way: Sterilize mares with pesticide-laced darts*
Captured: 589, up from 511 on Day 7
Average daily take: 65.4
Capture goal: 1,106
Removal goal: 1,068
Returned: None
Deaths: 4, no change from Day 7
Shipped: 501, up from 347 on Day 7

The location of the trap site was not given.

The death rate is 0.7%.

The capture total includes 229 stallions, 270 mares and 90 foals.

Youngsters represented 15.3% of the animals gathered, suggesting the herd is growing at a rate of 10% per year.

Of the adults, 45.9% were male and 54.1% were female.

Body condition scores ranged from 4 to 5 on Days 8 and 9.

The HMAs and surrounding lands are subject to permitted grazing.

*According to advocates.

Day 9 ended with 84 unaccounted-for animals.

Up to 19 mares will be treated with GonaCon Equine, a fertility control pesticide, before being returned to the range with up to 19 stallions.

Other statistics:

Forage liberated to date: 7,068 AUMs per year
Water liberated to date: 5,890 gallons per day
Forage assigned to livestock: Undetermined
Horses displaced from Complex by permitted grazing: Undetermined
True AML: Undetermined
Stocking rate at new AML: Undetermined
Horses removed because of drilling and mining: Ask the advocates

Overpopulation means more horses than allowed by plan, not necessarily more horses than the land can support.

UPDATE: A note was added to the Day 9 report after this post went live: A truck carrying 36 captured horses overturned outside of Delta, UT. Three were killed, four were humanely euthanized and many suffered minor cuts and bruises. The remaining horses were taken to a holding facility in Delta where they continue to be evaluated and monitored by the on-site veterinarian. The driver was not injured. The cause of the accident is under investigation.

Barren in Sonoma

At the September 7 “Dust Up” debate in Elko, Nevada State Senator Hansen said the BLM was not in bed with the livestock industry.

But he didn’t say that about the advocates.

Who are they pandering to in the following video?

Hunters
Ranchers
Bureaucrats
Rich white liberals
All of the above

What do they offer?

Barren mares
Confused stallions
Shrinking herds
Injuries and infections
Abnormal sex ratios
Increasing death rates
Tiny breeding populations
Sterility
Loss of genetic diversity
Acclimation to humans
Disruption of natural order
Prevalence of livestock

That’s what they mean by “A Better Way.”

Filmed during a “Stay Barren” event at the Durell Vineyards in Sonoma, CA.

Mustang Monday

On the Currituck Outer Banks with Karen Pulfer Focht.

Roberts Mountain Roundup, Day 7

The incident began on October 22. Results through October 28:

Scope: Roberts Mountain, Whistler Mountain, Fish Creek HMAs
Purpose: Pest control, resource enforcement, rancher protection
Target: Horses
Type: Planned
Method: Helicopter
Category: Cruel and costly*
Better way: Sterilize mares with pesticide-laced darts*
Captured: 511, up from 380 on Day 5
Average daily take: 73.0
Capture goal: 1,106
Removal goal: 1,068
Returned: None
Deaths: 4, up from 3 on Day 5
Shipped: 347, up from 272 on Day 5

The location of the trap site was not given.

A stallion broke a leg in the trap on Day 7 and was euthanized.

The death rate is 0.8%.

The capture total includes 200 stallions, 234 mares and 77 foals.

Youngsters represented 15.1% of the animals gathered, suggesting the herd is growing at a rate of 10% per year.

Of the adults, 46.1% were male and 53.9% were female.

Body condition scores ranged from 4 to 5 on Days 6 and 7.

The HMAs and surrounding lands are subject to permitted grazing.

*According to advocates.

Day 7 ended with 160 unaccounted-for animals.

Up to 19 mares will be treated with GonaCon Equine, a fertility control pesticide, before being returned to the range with up to 19 stallions.

Other statistics:

Forage liberated to date: 6,132 AUMs per year
Water liberated to date: 5,110 gallons per day
Forage assigned to livestock: Undetermined
Horses displaced from Complex by permitted grazing: Undetermined
True AML: Undetermined
Stocking rate at new AML: Undetermined
Horses removed because of drilling and mining: Ask the advocates

Overpopulation means more horses than allowed by plan, not necessarily more horses than the land can support.

Roberts Mountain Roundup, Day 5

The incident began on October 22. Results through October 26:

Scope: Roberts Mountain, Whistler Mountain, Fish Creek HMAs
Purpose: Pest control, resource enforcement, rancher protection
Target: Horses
Type: Planned
Method: Helicopter
Category: Cruel and costly*
Better way: Sterilize mares with restricted-use pesticides*
Captured: 380, up from 243 on Day 3
Average daily take: 76.0
Capture goal: 1,106
Removal goal: 1,068
Returned: None
Deaths: 3, no change from Day 3
Shipped: 272, up from 158 on Day 3

The location of the trap site was not given.

The death rate is 0.8%.

The capture total includes 154 stallions, 175 mares and 54 foals.

Youngsters represented 14.2% of the animals gathered, suggesting the herd is growing at a rate of 9% per year.

Of the adults, 46.3% were male and 53.7% were female.

Body condition scores ranged from 4 to 5 on Days 4 and 5.

The HMAs and surrounding lands are subject to permitted grazing.

*According to advocates.

Day 5 ended with 105 unaccounted-for animals.

Up to 19 mares will be treated with GonaCon Equine, a fertility control pesticide, before being returned to the range with up to 19 stallions.

Other statistics:

Forage liberated to date: 4,560 AUMs per year
Water liberated to date: 3,800 gallons per day
Forage assigned to livestock: Undetermined
Horses displaced from Complex by permitted grazing: Undetermined
True AML: Undetermined
Stocking rate at new AML: Undetermined
Horses removed because of drilling and mining: Ask the advocates

Overpopulation means more horses than allowed by plan, not necessarily more horses than the land can support.

Trash Threatens Currituck Wild Horses?

It might be a hazard, but it’s small in comparison to the damage inflicted by Meg Puckett and her darting rifle, who laments in the following video the generations lost because a mare was removed from the herd and put on a farm.

What do you think she’s been doing? How many generations have been lost because of Zonastat-H? How many of the mares on the beach are now sterile?

These people are such phonies!

Next to the federal government, nobody’s getting rid of more wild horses and causing more long-term harm than the advocates.

Foal Free-Friday, Questioning the Assumptions Edition

The “Path Forward” was a plan for ranching superiority in the lawful homes of wild horses and burros, sometimes referred to as achieving and maintaining AMLs.

Today many organizations support the concept, including the advocacy groups, but there is disagreement on how it should be achieved.

Best Way to Achieve AMLs 10-26-23

The bureaucrats and ranchers want removal by helicopters.

The advocates want removal by pesticides.

But they all want removal.

Nobody’s looking upstream in the management process at the policies and plans that set the priorities and drive the actions on America’s public lands.

Rock Garden on Virginia Range

Naturally occurring, not man made. Photo taken October 23.

The Virginia Range is home to one of the nation’s largest wild horse herds.

Advocates Trespassing on the Virginia Range?

The advocates would have a tough time cementing their relationship with the bureaucrats and ranchers if they couldn’t access private property on the Virginia Range.

Fortunately for them, but not for the horses, some landowners give them permission to stalk the mares on their property, so they can poison them with Zonastat-H and show their would-be allies that they can be as ruthless as the contractors and that removal by pesticide is a viable alternative to removal by helicopter.

Better Way 10-25-23

One example is lot 10A in Storey County, APN 004-271-60, on the list of approved properties for darting.

Do the advocates know where the property lines are, so they can respect the wishes of those who don’t agree with them?

Or do they just go wherever the horses are because beating the population down as quickly as possible is the best way to win the approval of the bureaucrats and ranchers?

Roberts Mountain Roundup, Day 3

The incident began on October 22. Results through October 24:

Scope: Roberts Mountain, Whistler Mountain, Fish Creek HMAs
Purpose: Pest control, resource enforcement, rancher protection
Target: Horses
Type: Planned
Method: Helicopter
Category: Cruel and costly*
Better way: Sterilize mares with ovary-killing pesticides*
Captured: 243, up from 86 on Day 1
Average daily take: 81.0
Capture goal: 1,106
Removal goal: 1,068
Returned: None
Deaths: 3, up from zero on Day 1
Shipped: 158, up from zero on Day 1

The shipping figures for Day 2 should be 81 (42 Stallions, 19 Mares, and 20 Foals), not 20 (42 Stallions, 19 Mares, and 81 Foals) as posted.

A mare died of a broken neck on Day 2 and a stallion was dispatched for blindness.

On Day 3, a horse (sex not given) was put down for blindness.

The death rate is 1.2%.

The capture total includes 100 stallions, 114 mares and 29 foals.

Youngsters represented 11.9% of the animals gathered.

Of the adults, 46.7% were male and 53.3% were female.

Body condition scores ranged from 3 to 6 on Days 2 and 3.

The HMAs and surrounding lands are subject to permitted grazing.

*According to advocates.

Day 3 ended with 82 unaccounted-for animals.

Up to 19 mares will be treated with GonaCon Equine, a fertility control pesticide, before being returned to the range with up to 19 stallions.

Other statistics:

Forage liberated to date: 2,916 AUMs per year
Water liberated to date: 2,430 gallons per day
Forage assigned to livestock: Undetermined
Horses displaced from Complex by permitted grazing: Undetermined
True AML: Undetermined
Stocking rate at new AML: Undetermined
Horses removed because of drilling and mining: Ask the advocates

Overpopulation means more horses than allowed by plan, not necessarily more horses than the land can support.

Moriah Roundup Ends

Yesterday’s news release said the incident concluded on October 23 but the figures for the last day weren’t posted until this morning.

The daily reports indicate 440 horses captured, 439 shipped, none released and two dead, with one more horse processed than captured.

The sidebar at the gather page shows 441/439/0/2 with no unaccounted-for animals.

The capture and removal goals were identical, 400 each.

The death rate was 0.5%.

The capture total included 137 stallions, 203 mares and 100 foals.

Youngsters represented 22.7% of the animals gathered, consistent with a herd growth rate of 18% per year.

Of the adults, 40.3% were male and 59.7% were female, not what you’d expect in a sample of 340 horses from a random process centered at 50% males / 50% females.

The HA is unfit for wild horses, but the allotments that overlap it can support livestock equivalent to 5.7 wild horses per thousand public acres.