BLM Lays Groundwork to Eliminate Wyoming Wild Horses

BLM's Controversial Plan for Wyoming Wild HorsesBLM's Controversial Plan for Wyoming Wild Horses

February 2, 2017

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has announced that it will begin to capture wild mares in Wyoming this month to affix radio collars around their necks for a movement study in the Adobe Town Herd Management Area (HMA).

This research was initially planned for the Red Desert Complex but was relocated to the Adobe Town HMA for political reasons. The BLM aims to demonstrate that wild horses in this area traverse between public land blocks and checkerboard lands within the HMA. The ultimate goal is to lay the groundwork for eliminating all wild horses from this HMA, which is home to one of Wyoming's most significant and popular wild horse herds.

Further complicating the issue is the apparent bias of the University of Wyoming researchers conducting the study. They have prematurely concluded that wild horses disproportionately use riparian resources and displace ungulates from water holes, even before the research has commenced!

Read American Wild Horse Conservation's (formerly American Wild Horse Campaign) comments on this research proposal here.

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