Friday News

Jackson Mountains Wild Horse Gather 

BLM Website

The Jackson Mountains Herd Management Area is located approximately 60 miles west of Winnemucca, Nevada. The area is bordered on the west by the Black Rock Desert, on the east by Desert Valley.

Continuing drought conditions, coupled with excess wild horse populations in and around the Jackson Mountains HMA, are resulting in increasing risk to the wild horse population and range health.

The situation is escalating and the BLM has determined that 630 wild horses need to be removed in order to be in compliance with the Wild Free Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971.

A population survey conducted in early April revealed 740 adult wild horses in the Jackson Mountains HMA gather area; with the expected 2012 foal crop this equates to approximately 930 horses.

The initial Proposed Action released to the public in the preliminary EA was to conduct an initial gather in the summer of 2012.  The action also contained a gelding component.  

Due to escalating conditions leading to an emergency situation since the release of the preliminary EA, the Proposed Action has been modified to conduct an emergency gather in early June, with an option to delay the initial gather to the original start date.  The proposed action was also modified by removing the gelding component.

After the initial gather, whether in June or on or after July 1, the Modified Proposed Action would implement a long term management strategy designed to address large scale wild horse gathers while still achieving BLM’s management goals of attaining AML, reducing population growth rates, and obtaining a thriving natural ecological balance on the range as identified within the WFRHBA and the Director’s Strategy.

Under the Modified Proposed Action, the BLM would gather and remove approximately 75% of the existing wild horses (approximately 630 excess animals) in the initial 2012 gather.  Since the first phase of the Modified Proposed Action would only allow for the removal of approximately 630 excess wild horses and would not achieve the desired low AML, two to three follow-up gathers over a period of ten years is proposed.

For general information about the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program, please visit the BLM’s website.

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Triple B Complex Round-up (PDF) Click here.

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Judge restricts helicopter use in Jackson roundup

 

A judge in Nevada has granted part of a temporary restraining order sought against the Bureau of Land Management over its emergency wild horse muster in the Jackson Mountain herd area.

The bureau roundup began under urgency on June 8 because of concerns over drought and a lack of forage in the southern part of the animals’ range.
However, the decision to move the planned muster of 630 horses a month forward because of the drought placed it in the foaling season.
Wild horse advocates criticised the roundup, pointing to the dangers inherent in running newborn foals and heavily pregnant mares, who could slip their foals because of the stress.
The bureau countered that the muster was necessary, given the circumstances on the range, and undertook to take care.
On Wednesday, in Federal District Court in Reno, Judge Howard McKibben granted part of a temporary restraining order sought against the bureau by wild horse advocate Laura Leigh.
The ruling allows the bureau to use helicopters only in the southern part of the range where drought issues were causing welfare concerns, and not in other parts of the range, where the situation was less serious, during the foaling season.
Leigh argued that the bureau launched the roundup because of a water emergency in the southwest portion of the area, but used it to begin a removal operation in the entire area of wild horses during foaling season. The bureau’s own protocols prohibit roundups during foaling season except in emergency situations.

© BLM

“The ruling reflects that Judge McKibben understands that the agency justified an action and then broadened their discretion to take actions that they had not justified,” said Gordon Cowan, the Reno-based attorney for Leigh, after the hearing.
“There is a clear distinction under law and the court’s ruling was a clear reflection of that distinction.”
Leigh, the founder of Wild Horse Education, has been monitoring the roundup. She said: “I understand the positive importance of the ruling and recognition of distinct language in the system to begin to attain any accountability within the agency, but I am still gravely concerned.
“This agency is well known for pushing boundaries and the very real potential exists that they will continue to push at Jackson until they create another imbalance that can lead to further inappropriate action.”
Leigh is referring to the fact that the agency is limited to using helicopters to roundup wild horses to the scope of the documented emergency in the south of Jackson.
“The agency has targeted 630 animals for removal,” Leigh said.
“If they push in the south they will imbalance an area. The right thing to do would be to stop for now, as more than 315 horses have been removed from the south, and monitor to see if enough pressure has been removed from the range. But is that what we can expect?”
She said there were currently are no formal use restrictions anywhere within the Jackson Mountain herd area for any users.
The area had livestock grazing and considerable extractive industry, she said.
“If the concept here, according to the law is fair and equitable use,” Leigh said, “how can there be an emergency of such magnitude that it requires running newborn foals in the desert heat during the most fragile time of their lives, if no other use has a restriction?”
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Leigh Issue Wild Horse Report After Another Courthouse Victory (Horseback Magazine)

June 21, 2012

Wild Horse Education Reigns in BLM at Jackson Mountain
Jackson Stamped of  Lone Foal,  Photo by Laura Leigh

RENO, (Wild Horse Education) – On June 20,2012 in Federal District Court in Reno, Hon. Judge Howard J. McKibben granted part of a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) sought against the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
A roundup began June 8, 2012 under the management of BLM’s Winnemucca District manager Gene Seidlitz. Within the supporting documents justification process BLM cited a water emergency in the south west portion of the area and utilized that to begin a removal operation in the entire area of wild horses during foaling season as defined by the agency. The agency prohibits this activity during foaling season within BLM’s own protocol in all but emergent situations.
“The ruling reflects that Judge McKibben understands that the agency justified an action and then broadened their discretion to take actions that they had not justified,” said Gordon Cowan, Reno based attorney for Plaintiff Laura Leigh, after the hearing.
“I understand the positive importance of the ruling and recognition of distinct language in the system to begin to attain any accountability within the agency but I am still gravely concerned,” stated Laura Leigh the Founder of Wild Horse Education.
“ This agency is well known for pushing boundaries and the very real potential exists that they will continue to push at Jackson until they create another imbalance that can lead to further inappropriate action,” she said.
The agency is limited to using helicopters to roundup wild horses to the scope of the documented emergency in the south of Jackson.
“The BLM has targeted 630 animals for removal,” stated Leigh. “If they push in the south they will imbalance an area. The right thing to do would be to stop for now as more than 315 horses have been removed from the South and monitor to see if enough pressure has been removed from the range. But is that what we can expect?”
Currently there are no formal use restrictions anywhere within the Jackson Mountain Herd area for any users. The area had livestock grazing and considerable extractive industry.
“If the concept here, according to the law is fair and equitable use,” Leigh said, “How can there be an emergency of such magnitude that it requires running newborn foals in the desert heat during the most fragile time of their lives, if no other use has a restriction?”