SOURCE: Wildhoofbeats.com
“18 months is a long time to wear these old fashioned, bulky and dangerous collars. And I hope that if any of these mares do run into trouble that the researchers at University of Wyoming are actually able to release the collars before the mares die. I still very firmly believe that the best way to study wild horses is in the field, without capturing them and removing them from their families, without endangering their lives with these dangerous radio collars.” – Carol Walker
The line of vehicles
By Carol Walker, Dir. of Field Documentation for Wild Horse Freedom Federation
On Saturday morning, on a very cold day, I joined up with the BLM, researcher from University of Wyoming and a BLM ranger as we caravaned out to Adobe Town to release wild mares that had been fitted with radio collars on Thursday. There were also some mares that had been being held for several weeks at the Rock Springs corrals, and I was very glad that they were finally being released. As usual, I was the only member of the public attending.
Meryl jumps out of the trailer
Her friend is just as eager to get out
We turned off at Bitter Creek Road, and started down the road, which was in good condition until after we passed Eversole Ranch. Then, as we continued south more and more big drifts of snow covered the road. The big truck towing the horse trailer in front was breaking through the drifts for the rest of us. After about 10 miles, we stopped, and let out the first collared mare, a light grey color, I am calling her Meryl. She jumped out and then her friend, a bay mare jumped out behind her.
Meryl turns to look at us
Meryl and her friend do not look concerned
Together
Even though she was being let go about 20 – 25 miles from where she had been captured, at least she had a friend with her, unlike most of the mares who had been released before, all alone. They went a little way from the trailer, then turned around and looked at us, then casually strolling and exploring. They did not seem alarmed.
We got back into our vehicles, then stopped after 2 miles. After checking with the researcher, we got back in – despite the worsening road conditions he wanted us to go further away – they want these mares collars to be “spread out.” We kept going another 2 miles until stopping at a big snow drift – the truck and trailer were stuck in a huge snow drift! So they decided to let the remaining mares out here, just past Cow Camp, a collection of old derelict buildings.
A sorrel mare jumps out first
The mare with the radio collar and friend
Read the rest of this article HERE.
Categories: Horse News, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
if anything happens to these mares the whole damned him and college needs to be held accountable. They already know that these collars are deadly to horses yet they keep skiing the same shit over and over again. I believe that they intentionally did this to kill more wild horses. Experiment my back side..
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If even one wild horse suffers, that will be one too many.
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Absolutely! And what about what these mares have already suffered, losing their families and being trailered back and forth and put in a squeeze chute for collaring.
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I’m not opposed to monitoring our Wild Horses here in Wyoming, but once again they’ve done some really stupid things. They should have released them together, for God’s sake, it’s the middle of winter here, they need each other for warmth, companionship & protection from predators.+with all of our modern technology, why did they use these heavy dangerous collars to track them? Why couldn’t they use some kind of microchip under the skin with a tiny GPS??
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Absolutely.
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I really don’t see the need to endanger any more wild horse’s for research or any other purposes. This is cruel and unnessesary, leave them well enough alone. There worst enemy is you the human.
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The whole “spread out the collared mares” thing is really idiotic! If the idea is to study their NATURAL habits – why not turn them back out where they came from with their families!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! For these experimenters (NOT researchers) to put these mares in an unfamiliar area with NO family band? Exactly WHAT are they trying to prove? (sorry for the rant – but boy, I can feel my blood pressure rising whenever I look at pictures like this & read whats being done.)
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Not to mention the release areas are in or near the WY Checkerboard, so if they are trying to prove wild horses migrate across the unfenced private alternating sections there, what better way to prove it than to dislocate and disperse horses all over the place?
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They are not releasing any horses in the Checkerboard.
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Earlier it was indicated they wanted to document if horses crossed over into Colorado (The Sand Wash area), indicating there are few fences. Your article mentions releases in Adobe Town, which is partly in the Checkerboard per the BLM map linked below, and as I understand it is not separately fenced. Do you have a map of the approximate release areas?
https://www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/programs/Wild_Horses/maps/interactive-map.html
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I figure its a setup too. They are rigging the results just in the way they started out.
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This article could use some comments. I posted a comment but will have to wait and see whether they publish it.
Research project to track Adobe Town wild horses
Horses brought to Rock Springs BLM holding facility and fitted with collars
Lisa Romero photos@rocketminer.com
http://www.rocketminer.com/news/research-project-to-track-adobe-town-wild-horses/article_26bd580a-0e3b-5bea-bbb3-c51ef980d48f.html#comments
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Another article in the Rocket-Miner but you have to have a subscription in order to read or comment on it.
Public can view wild horses in research project
Mar 1, 2017
Kate Schoenecker, an ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, right, displays the collars to be used on Adobe Town wild horses. She was assisted by Jacob Hennig, a University of Wyoming student.
http://www.rocketminer.com/news/public-can-view-wild-horses-in-research-project/article_353c462b-fb99-5cde-b99e-fb3ec384b73f.html
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They look terribly burdensome and cumbersome.
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The BLM might as well have hung tires around their necks.
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This isn’t for research. It will make them easier to find when they have the next round up…….
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Agreed, Tami. And let’s hope the BLM doesn’t tell the ranchers where the wild horses are, for the safety of the wild horses.
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What makes you think the ranchers don’t already know where they are? They have people on the range and need to check their stock (sheep are out now). They also know where the only water holes and wind breaks are.
It seems the only people who don’t know where the wild horses are are the greater American public. Wonder how many years after the “research” ends we will be required to file FOIAs to glean any of the data we are paying for.
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And Debbie – lo & behold – another roundup – Adobe Town – Little Divide (?)
right where the collared mares were released or close by! Make sense?
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It doesn’t make any sense.
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We need to hire a range detective
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Looks like they plan to round up Adobe Town (and other nearby HMAs) in 2017 – and will probably chase in some of the collared mares, then relocate them yet again to study “natural” migration patterns. How good is a two year study when the mares are already dislocated, then the entire area will be subjected to what will surely be a helicopter roundup yet again?
!!! COMMENTS NEED TO BE RECEIVED BY APRIL 4 2017 !!!
###
BLM Conducting Scoping for Wyoming Wild Horse Gather
Photo: Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Rock Springs and Rawlins Field Offices, in Wyoming, are launching a 30-day public scoping period prior to preparing an environmental assessment on a proposed wild horse gather in the Salt Wells Creek, Adobe Town, and Great Divide Basin Herd Management Areas (HMAs).
The field offices are proposing to gather and remove wild horses to bring the populations to the HMAs’ low appropriate management level (AML) to comply with the 2013 Consent Decree Rock Springs Grazing Association v. Salazar (Civil Action No. 11-CV-263-NDF).
Current Wild Horse Populations
HMA Current Population AML
Salt Wells Creek 835 251-365
Adobe Town 820 610-800
Great Divide Basin 650 415-600
Public input is valuable early in the process and will enable the BLM to develop a well-informed environmental assessment. Written comments should be received by April 4, and should be e-mailed to blm_wy_adobetown_saltwells_hma@blm.gov (please include “2017 AML Gather” in the subject line) or mailed or hand-delivered during regular business hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. local time) to: BLM Rock Springs Field Office, 2017 AML Gather, 280 Highway 191 North, Rock Springs, WY 82901.
The BLM estimates that 1,029 wild horses will be removed to achieve the low AML in the three HMAs (584 removed from Salt Wells Creek, 210 removed from Adobe Town, and 235 removed from Great Divide Basin HMA). The proposed gather is expected to take place in fall 2017.
Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other identifying information in your comment, be aware that your entire comment—including your identifying information—could be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your identifying information from public review, the BLM cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
For more information, please contact the BLM at 307-352-0256.
A copy of the project map and additional details are available online [here].
https://eplanning.blm.gov/epl-front-office/eplanning/projectSummary.do?methodName=renderDefaultProjectSummary&projectId=74247
http://www.thehorse.com/articles/38915/blm-conducting-scoping-for-wyoming-wild-horse-gather?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=welfare-industry&utm_campaign=03-09-2017
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PS please check the maps — which include areas of the WY Checkerboard within ALL THREE HMA boundaries. They are indicating this project, whose removals were (originally based on the 2013 Consent Decree) were ruled illegal in 2016 is now legal since they are based on AML calculations… however those also are based on competing use by livestock grazing.
They do not mention the U of WY collaring studies anywhere, or the taxpayer dollars being spent on both “projects.” One has to wonder why they are working at cross purposes here.
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AND the numbers over “AML” are not that many at all – at lease the maximum AML! Of course they always want to get down to the lower number.
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