FOAL Celebrates New Water-Delivery System for Wild Horses

The water-delivery system now operational in McCullough Peaks is not only an impressive accomplishment but also a testament to exceptional cooperation. This project, described as “incredible” by Delissa Minnick, BLM Cody field office manager, was highlighted at the third Mustang Rendezvous, an annual fundraiser for Friends of a Legacy (FOAL), the nonprofit advocating for wild horses on BLM lands east of Cody.

“It’s a national benchmark in wild horse management,” Minnick stated, contrasting it with other scenarios where groups are suing the BLM. She praised the partnership among nonprofits, industry, and BLM, emphasizing, “We work together. We get things done.”

BLM leads the fertility-control program for the mustang herd with FOAL’s support. Joining FOAL and BLM in the water project were Marathon Oil Co., the National Wild Turkey Federation, and the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust. They collaborated on the Dry Creek Water Augment Project, which Minnick called “incredible.”

Fed over decades by oil-industry released water, Dry Creek developed riparian areas vital to wildlife in the arid plains east of Cody. However, the creek began drying up in 2010 due to new regulations requiring operators to re-inject produced water. As mitigation, an engineering plan was devised to drill two wells and deliver water to two reservoirs. BLM signed a Memorandum of Understanding with FOAL and Marathon in 2012 to realize this plan.

Four years later, the project includes two wells and 40,000 feet of pipeline stretching 5.5 miles to two reservoirs and four wildlife-water guzzlers. The wells are designed to halt at low-water levels. “In April 2016, the second well went online,” Minnick noted. “All the reservoirs and guzzlers were filled this year, none too soon.”

While FOAL participated in the effort, the work benefited more than just mustangs. “Horses and other wildlife benefit from the water we put there,” FOAL President Warren Murphy said. The project provided “a whole new water source” when Dry Creek levels dropped.

Following Minnick’s talk, BLM Supervisory Range Management Specialist Tricia Hatle discussed the fertility-control program for the McCullough herd. She demonstrated mixing Porcine Zona Pellucida (PZP) with an additive, which prevents sperm implantation when delivered by pneumatic dart to a mare. Volunteer sharp-shooter and FOAL board member Ada Inbody prepared the CO2 rifle, accurate up to 70 yards. “Ada holds the record at 69 yards,” Hatle said.

For the demonstration, Hatle used a range finder to measure 16 yards to a paper target attached to straw bales. Ideally, in the field, the mare won’t realize humans caused the sting of the deliveries. “The best ones are when the mare thinks a stud bit her, and then they get mad at him,” Hatle said.

First-time injections are followed by a booster 30 days later. Veteran mares receive one shot per year. The duo vaccinated 54 mares this year, with 20 not receiving shots to allow each female to contribute to herd genetics and experience one birth. “Each mare will have one live foal,” Hatle explained, aiming for a sustainable herd size. “Our goal is to do no more removals.”

Detailed records are kept for each mare, including name, color, birth date, treatments, and treated hip. After her bull’s-eye shot, Inbody explained that the duo retrieves the spent dart, designed to fall off after injection, to ensure the vaccination worked. The dart cannot be reused.

One dose costs $24, and the program costs $150 per mare when other expenses are included. However, Hatle noted that every foal not born and rounded up saves taxpayers $50,000 in lifetime maintenance costs in a holding facility. The PZP program “eliminates that horrendous expense,” guest Jerry Hager said.

Originally posted by Cody Enterprise.