For immediate release: Contact: Tom Gorey
Friday, July 19, 2013 (202-912-7420)
BLM Announces Summer Schedule for Tormenting Wild Horses and Burros
photo by Terry Fitch of Wild Horse Freedom Federation
The Bureau of Land Management today announced its current summer schedule for gathering wild horses and burros roaming Western public rangelands. The schedule is subject to change because of continuing drought conditions across the West that are resulting in significantly limited water and forage for wildlife, wild horses and burros, and livestock. BLM managers are monitoring animal and range conditions, reducing livestock grazing, enacting fire restrictions, and providing supplemental water in some locations for wild horses.
Most of the gathers on the schedule will use bait and water trapping to attract, gather, and remove animals to off-range pastures and corrals over the next several months. Because of access constraints, lack of suitable bait-water trapping sites, and the need for more immediate action related to animal condition, six of the proposed gathers will be conducted using helicopters.
Because of off-range holding capacity limits and funding constraints, the BLM will attempt to gather and remove only 1,300 wild horses and burros this summer. Overall, the BLM anticipates removing about 4,800 animals from the range in FY 2013, as compared to 8,255 in FY 2012.
Most of the upcoming gathers have been scheduled in response to emergency conditions brought on by drought; public safety issues related to animals that roam near highways, residential areas, and agricultural areas; and requests from private landowners who have asked the BLM to remove from their property wild horses and burros that have strayed beyond Herd Management Area (HMA) boundaries.
With the exception of some re-treatments of mares in the Little Bookcliffs (Colorado) Wild Horse Range, the agency does not intend to administer fertility-control vaccine during any of the proposed summer gathers. Instead, the BLM intends to implement fertility-control treatments through ground-darting operations and during gathers between November and February – before breeding season – when the vaccines’ maximum effectiveness can be realized.
The BLM is committed to providing as much public access to gathers as possible. The terrain of and access to each HMA is different, as is animal temperament within each area, and thus viewing considerations may vary. Public viewing opportunities will be provided during all helicopter gather operations. Access to bait-trapping locations will be limited because of the need for minimal human presence near the sites. The public is advised to visit local BLM field office Websites for specific schedules and viewing opportunities.
The BLM was successful in removing 38 wild horses during the 2012 Pryor Mountain (Montana) wild horse gather using the bait-trapping method. To understand how bait gather operations work, please visit: http://blm.gov/g8kd.
Animals removed during the gather season will be made available for adoption through the BLM’s wild horse and burro adoption program. Those not adopted will be cared for in long-term and ecosanctuary pastures, where they retain their “wild” status and thus remain protected under the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. The gather schedule, which is subject to change because of emergencies, is below:
|
Agency |
HMA/ Territory |
Start Date |
# Planned Gathered |
# Planned Removed |
Bait Trapping ( B) or Helicopter Trapping ( H) |
|
FS/BLM |
Carracas Mesa/Jicarialla (NM) |
7/15/13 |
65 |
65 |
B |
|
FS/BLM |
Murderers Creek (OR) |
7/20/13 |
100 |
100 |
B |
|
BLM |
Outside Beaty’s Butte (OR) |
8/15/13 |
40 |
40 |
B |
|
BLM |
Seaman/White River Has (NV) |
TBD |
50 |
50 |
H |
|
BLM |
Silver King (NV) |
7/26/13 |
25 |
25 |
H |
|
BLM |
Delamar Mountains HA (NV) |
7/28/13 |
30 |
30 |
H |
|
BLM |
Kamma Mtn (NV) |
8/1/13 |
200 |
200 |
H |
|
BLM |
Maverick-Medicine HMA |
8/1/12 |
60 |
60 |
B |
|
FS/BLM |
Hickison (NV) |
8/1/13 |
30 |
30 |
B |
|
BLM |
Outside Big Sandy HMA (AZ) |
8/1/13 |
60 |
60 |
B |
|
BLM |
Havasu-CA HMA (AZ) |
8/1/13 |
45 |
45 |
B |
|
BLM |
Snowstorms (NV) |
8/3/13 |
340 |
340 |
B |
|
BLM |
Fish Lake Valley (NV) |
8/15/13 |
150 |
150 |
H |
|
BLM |
Gold Mountain (NV) |
8/21/13 |
30 |
30 |
H |
|
BLM |
Sand Basin (ID) |
9/1/13 |
25 |
25 |
B |
|
BLM |
Little Bookcliffs WHR (CO) |
9/1/13 |
80 |
50 |
B |
|
|
Total |
|
1330 |
1300 |
|
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Categories: Horse News, Wild Burros
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
I despise the new lingo courtesy of publc relations and risk managers. So little room to talk. So much at stake. Pray the AgBill goes to conference in the Senate and President Obama sees the Safe Act.
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Well…our tax dollars at work again but AGAINST OUR WILL. Why are we allowing a government agency to ignore us. What can we do? Who’s in charge?!
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Barb, I so totally agree with you, WE ALL need to take some drastic move I don’t mean anything crazy BUT SOMETHING, rally make a stand make the TV stations SEE instead of what we have been doing, which has not been doing a darn thing really? BLM will never stop until we as American tax payers make a LARGE STAND once and for all….. Make it happen and we all will be there to stop this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Is anyone who reads this blog aware of the worldwide online community that is 25 million strong and growing by 1 million members per month?
Check out http://www.Avaaz.org.
Its “take action” projects galvanize millions of world citizens to sign petitions that cannot be ignored by governments and corporations.
Could we make a case — by writing en masse to Avaaz — that saving America’s wild horses and burros should become the newest campaign that it undertakes?
Judging by the success stories on its website, Avaaz is making a difference in targeting, fighting, and stopping corruption and injustice everywhere!
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THE SAME OLD STORY OVER AND OVER AGAIN. WHEN ARE THEY GOING TO TELL THE TRUTH. WHAT ABOUT ALL THE GAS, OIL, COAL, GOLD LEASES THEY HAVE SOLD THIS YEAR. THE BLM WAS THE SELLER WHERE IS THE MONEY. WHO IS SUPPLYING WATER TO THE CATTLE? IT SEEMS LIKE SOME OF THAT MONEY WOULD BE USED TO MAKE CERTAIN THE HORSES HAD WATER.
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I’m curious about the Havasu burro gather, it looks like it’s talking about the California side of the lake, the Chemehuevi Indian reservation, also managed by the Havasu BLM. If it’s the Arizona side, I don’t think we even have 45 burros left here. I know of 15, maybe more inside the wildlife refuge but probably not many. We don’t want to see them captured and removed. I know of one little trailer park that may have complained – people were putting out treats, management claimed a burro broke a water line. If it’s the CA side, there’s probably not much more than 45 left there either.
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You reminded of something. ……my dad is semi retired and spends half the year in Arizona. Either Casa Grande or Phoenix at the shooting range (clay targets that is nothing living). In Phoenix its actually on the fish game facility and I guess there were some wild burros roaming around and one morning my dad said they shot 12 of them in the head. He was furious they would just come out early and graze and not bother anyone and when they would start target practice they would disappear until the next morning NO ONE COMPLAINED……. Fish & Game just took it upon themselves to make them disappear. …….is that legal?
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Someone should have complained!!!………….
This needs to brought to the attention of FISH and GAME that it was seen!!
Complain as far up as necessary, so they know more people are watching this behind the scenes cover up behavior to Wipe out our Wild Horses and Burros.
There are some convoluted rules between Fish and Game, & BLM regarding our Wild Horse territories. But shooting and killing them is illegal.
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Is there ever going to be Assn end?
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The more I hear, it certainly is obvious that the whole intent is to rid the West of ALL the wild horses & burros. Deliberately! Do the cattlemen realize that they will be next? All mainly for the benefit of corporations – Oil Gas Solar plus the pipeline to provide water for Las Vegas to waste in the casino displays. It amazes me that no one in the area where they are planning on removing the water complained to the “media”. Or was that kept quiet like so much of the sales of land? I agree with Debbie – there should be something we can do to stop this.
But what? There are so many people who are working hard every day to help the horses & burros.
EWA & RT just had information on people who are doing their best to stop this – BUT???
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only 1300 thats all.how bout zero numbnutts
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This is not as BLM says. The wild horses have been set up by inadequate resource allocation. They are already at subviable population levels, not really overpopulated, rather underpopulated, by any truly objective assessment.
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BLM contends “emergency roundups” but the horses in Wyoming are no emergency–other than to the Rock Spriings Grazing Assoc. who might make less money on their mineral rights. This has to stop!
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