With catch-treat-release promising to alleviate the feud between the advocates and roundup contractors, new adjuvants working their way through the research pipeline, and IUDs gaining traction among the uninformed and misinformed, the future looks bright for the public-lands ranchers.

The concept of a self-assembling IUD was discussed at the same conference attended by your chair of the WHBAB, but the video doesn’t show the actual device.

That gap has been closed with the demonstration below.  More information at iUPOD.

Although helicopter roundups are the fastest and most efficient way of shifting food and water to livestock operators in areas identified for wild horses, population growth suppression ensures the herds don’t bounce back, keeping the resource scales tipped in favor of the ranchers for many years to come.

RELATED: Foal-Free Friday, Coddling the Ranchers Edition.

Attorneys for the Central Oregon Wild Horse Coalition and the federal government appeared today before a federal judge regarding a plan by the Forest Service to reduce the AML and bring the current population in line therewith, according to a story posted today by Courthouse News.

The judge adjourned the hearing after two hours, stating he would take the matter under advisement and issue an opinion at a later date.

Removal of wild horses from the WHT has been delayed by equipment problems and the lack of an adequate off-range holding facility.

A government attorney said that horses not sold or adopted would be euthanized.

RELATED: Big Summit Roundup Attracts Legal Action.

The agency has denied a request by state legislators to add another 60 days to the comment period, according to a report by KX News.

The scoping newsletter will be available for public review through January 31.

RELATED: Dickinson Press Calls for Longer Comment Period at TRNP.

Wild Horse Education pledged $5,000, bringing the total to $25,000, according to a BLM news release.

The shootings occurred in November 2021 but were not announced until August 2022.

The incident liberated enough forage to support ten cow/calf pairs on a six-month grazing season.

RELATED: Jakes Valley Reward Doubles.

The Editorial Board announced their position in an op-ed posted this morning.

Western Horse Watchers would like to see the Park Service come clean on the history of wild horses at the park, going back to Fort Buford, and to consider the reintroduction of the old bloodlines now preserved by The Nokota Horse Conservancy.

RELATED: Acknowledging the History of Wild Horses at TRNP.

At the Ozark National Scenic Riverways with Tim Layton, another area where the Park Service manages wild horses (for those arguing against their removal at TRNP).

The project is still in second place but there are probably less than two dozen original thoughts in the queue, and the rest are talking points furnished by the advocates.

RELATED: McCullough Peaks Now #2 in Top 5 (Most Active) on ePlanning.

What do you see in these data from the Pancake Complex in Nevada?

a. A wild horse problem, the ranchers only get 89% of the authorized forage.

b. A resource management problem, the horses get just 11% of the authorized forage.

c. The problem is drilling and mining.

d. We’re changing the way wild horse herds are managed, not their land.

e. You have to manage the numbers to fit what’s available for the horses.

RELATED: Rorschach Test for Advocates.

The Operator Information Report at RAS indicates that Albert Sommers, co-sponsor of the resolution, has a permit to graze livestock on public lands managed by the Pinedale Field Office, authorization #4915862.

Go to this page for an overview of his ranch.

The Allotment Information Report ties the authorization to three BLM allotments, shown in the following map from the National Data Viewer (click on image to open in new tab).

The overview mentions grazing on the Upper Green River Allotment of the Bridger-Teton National Forest, which is not covered by the NDV, but you can find it on the Western Watersheds map.

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

The nearest wild horse area is the Desert HA, last gathered in October 2001.

Unfit for free-roaming equids, it is well-suited to privately owned livestock, despite considerable dietary overlap between the two species.

RELATED: Wyoming Legislature Petitions Congress to Legalize Slaughter.

If you’re new to the story, pull up a chair and sit a spell.

Wild horses pre-date the 1947 park by more than 60 years, as noted in a column posted today by INFORUM.

The original herd is gone.  The horses you see today are an exhibit.

Some were rescued by Leo Kuntz and taken to his ranch near Linton.

He tells their story in a 2011 film titled “Nokota Heart.”

Sadly, Kuntz died in 2018.

RELATED: Lawmaker Seeks Extension of TRNP Comment Period?

A story posted this morning by KFYR News indicates that a North Dakota State Representative helped concerned citizens draft a letter to the acting Park Superintendent requesting another 60 days for public comments.

The comment period was set to close on January 31.

The extension would give the legislature enough time to decide if they would intervene in the planning process.

The report did not indicate if the letter had been submitted.

RELATED: TRNP Superintendent Says Genetic Viability Off the Table.

These AUM numbers came up in a Google search this evening, probably for the Pancake Complex in Nevada.

Western Horse Watchers believes the livestock AUMs are on the high side, as discussed previously, but let’s ignore that for now.

What can you conclude, without reaching for your calculator?

• The horses have been cheated by the bureaucrats in favor of the ranchers
• The Complex is managed primarily for livestock
• You don’t have a wild horse problem, you have a resource management problem

Reaching for a calculator,

• The AML ranges from 361 to 638
• The number of horses displaced from the Complex by permitted grazing is 4,952
• The True AML is 5,590

The current population was not given.

The BLM collects about $80,000 per year in grazing fees from ranching activity inside the Complex while it spends around $9 million per year to care for the horses displaced thereby.  Would you say that’s a wise use of the public lands?

Consider these two scenarios for wild horse removal.

A. Eliminate 150 excess horses

• Initial population – 400
• Final Population – 250

B. Eliminate 150 excess horses

• Initial population – 400
• Final Population – 250

In one case, 150 horses were removed from their lawful home and shipped to slaughter, as the Wyoming legislature desires.

In the other case, 150 horses died on the range and were not replaced because the advocates sterilized most of the mares with their safe, proven and reversible darting program.

In one case, the herd will rebound.  In the other case, the herd is toast.

Which one is which?

Which one is a win for the horses?

Both cases liberated 1,800 AUMs per year for the public-lands ranchers, enough to support 300 cow/calf pairs on a six-month grazing season.

Sadly, the premise about excess animals was false.  Both populations were well within their True AMLs.  The actions were carried out to help the ranchers.

Unabashed and undeterred, the advocates want this for all wild horse herds.

Why are you still giving them money?

RELATED: Foal-Free Friday, Getting Rid of Them Inconspicuously Edition.

A story by KX News indicates the herd size under Alternative A, if approved, would not be maintained at a level that supports genetic viability.

The wild horse herd under Alternatives B and C would be reduced to zero.

Refer to the scoping newsletter for a discussion of the alternatives.

Public comments on the new livestock plan will be accepted through January 31.

RELATED: Park Service Has No Rationale for Keeping Wild Horses at TRNP.

With the public-lands ranchers demanding more and more forage in areas identified for wild horses, the bureaucrats and advocates are always looking for new and novel ways to get rid of the horses without arousing public suspicion.

Now comes news from the University of Toledo that the safety, shelf life, effectiveness and durability of the Montana Solution can be improved by reformulating it with a different, current-generation adjuvant.

Adjuvants amplify the immune response following inoculation, making a vaccine more effective, only in this case, the vaccine causes illness instead of preventing it.

The results of a study, published last month, were promising, with one new adjuvant allowing vaccine preparation days before injection and yielding a strong immune response without injection-site effects.

The research was conducted in part by Dr. John Turner, a colleague of the late Dr. Jay Kirkpatrick of Eastern Montana College.

The sponsor of the new resolution, an outfitter and rancher, was moved by a visit to the Red Desert last year, according to a story posted this evening by WyoFile.

He was accompanied by a rangeland specialist (from the BLM?) and members of the Rock Springs Grazing Association, instigators of the Rock Springs RMP Amendments.

The bill asks Congress to enact legislation and make other necessary policy changes to allow federal land management agencies and agency partners to implement best management practices for wild horses and burros, including equine slaughter and processing for shipment to markets within or outside the United States.

At or near the McCullough Peaks HMA with T.D.307 Photography.

The Decision Record, FONSI and Final EA have been copied to the project folder.

The Proposed Action, subject to appeal, features roundups and fertility control over a ten-year period.

The fertility control program will begin this year but the timing of the roundups will be determined by the BLM’s Washington D.C. office.

The decision was not announced at the agency’s news site.

RELATED: Decision Pending for Malheur County Pest Control Plan?

How can the HMA be overpopulated with 179 wild horses when the BLM authorizes privately owned livestock equivalent to 535 wild horses in the same area, on top of the 140 horses allowed by plan?

RELATED: Resource Management at McCullough Peaks HMA.

The list changes minute by minute so here is a screen capture as of 11 PM on January 14.

RELATED: Scoping Begins for McCullough Peaks Livestock Protection Plan.