The Science – or Lack Thereof – of Wild Horse & Burro Management

CONCERNED CITIZENS

Wild and Free Roaming Horses and Burros Act Living symbol pioneer spirit of the west Diversity of life Enrich lives of American people Integral part of public lands

Thriving natural ecological balance Minimal feasible level Self-sustaining populations Considered comparably with other resource values Livestock grazing closure

Managing in boxes

Laws, laws, and more laws… FLPMA PRIA NEPA ESA MUSYA

HAs and HMAs HMAs = 177 (2017) HMAs = ~300 (1970s)

Wild horses and burros: Water Food Cover Space

+ + Comparing HAs and HMAs acreage lost BLM lands: 15,495,427 acres Total lands: 22,229,731 + +

BLM reasons for acreage lost: 6.7 million acres - never under BLM management 7.5 million acres – checkerboard 2.1 million acres – transferred 1.65 million acres - substantial conflicts 1.5 million acres – removed 1.5 million acres – no animals present when Act passed 1.24 million acres – critical habitat component missing

AML = Number of wild horses and burros that are consistent with the land’s capacity to support them and other mandated uses of those lands, including protecting ecological processes and habitat for wildlife and livestock.

Mark-resight Simultaneous double-count Sightability bias correction model Distance sampling Forward looking infrared

Calculating AML: THREE TIER PROCESS Tier one: evaluate water, forage, cover, and space Tier two: determine quantity of sustainable forage Tier three: genetic considerations

BLM total grazing allotments = >21,000 (155 MILLION ACRES) BLM total number of wild horse or burros HMAs that overlap with BLM allotments = < 657 Total acreage for horses = 31,583,386

Animal Unit Month = amount of forage that will sustain one cow and her calf, one horse, two burros, or five sheep or goats for a month. Total AUMs for livestock on BLM allotments = 8,045,604 Maximum AML for wild horses and burros = 26,715

Rangeland health standards and grazing guidelines Soil Species (plant/animal) Riparian Water quality

Land use planning Resource management plans District/ Field Office level Where, what, how, why Wild horse and burro AML Livestock AUMS Public participation (NEPA)

Grazing management Assessment Inventory Monitoring Evaluations Determinations

Key findings of NAS report (2013) Lack of rigorous population monitoring procedures National population size estimate not scientifically rigorous 15-20 percent annual growth rate in most wild horse populations Management practices are facilitating high productivity Impact of predators on free ranging horses is limited

PZP and Gonacon most promising fertility control vaccines Manage for metapopulations to optimize genetic health Unclear how model results are used in management decisions and parameters lack transparency BLM handbook lacks specificity & definitions Setting AML transparent, not based on science, or adaptive to change Need for increased transparency and public participation “Business as usual” expensive, unproductive, and detrimental

Attributing blame Vegetation Water quality Protected species Soils Birds Riparian areas Research that evaluates and separates cattle and wildlife impacts from wild horse impacts has not been conducted, and studies on horse grazing effects are needed.

Benefits provided by wild horses Seed dispersal Breaking trails Access to water Prey Nutrient Transfer Fire suppression Disease mitigation

Going forward There is a problem Maximize management on the range Patience Collaborations Compromise Genetic diversity Reduce and reverse herd growth rates Science Transparency and accountability

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