Forest Service Halts Plans to Remove Salt River Horses

After months of public pressure and political backlash, the Tonto National Forest will permanently drop all plans to round up and remove nearly 100 free-roaming horses near the Salt River.

The announcement comes about four months after the Forest Service delayed its original plans in August. The roundups could have commenced Dec. 18, but the Forest Service will officially withdraw its impound notice on Friday, according to Tonto National Forest spokeswoman Carrie Templin.

Templin said the Forest Service hopes withdrawing the notice will relieve fear so the agency can work with stakeholders on a long-term management plan.

Without an impound notice, the Forest Service cannot remove the horses, said Simone Netherlands, president of the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group.

"We are really, really grateful for this before the holidays, because everyone was getting very nervous," Netherlands said.

Her group has been meeting with the Forest Service to establish a humane management plan for the horses that does not include removal of any animals. The conversations have been going well, Netherlands said, but the impound notice has "really been hanging over our heads." Knowing the horses are no longer in imminent danger, those conversations will continue, she said.

Last week, nearly all members of Arizona's U.S. House delegation sent a joint letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack asking why the U.S. Forest Service had not yet worked with Arizona residents to determine a management plan for the horses. It was the latest sign of political support for the animals, which previously garnered the attention of state lawmakers and Gov. Doug Ducey.

The Forest Service had planned to remove the horses because of public-safety concerns, citing vehicle collisions on the Bush and Beeline highways.

Some wilderness and wildlife experts pushed for the roundup on the belief that the non-native animals destroy river habitat and harm native plants, birds, and fish. The Forest Service has not been monitoring the horses’ environmental impact, Templin said.

Originally Posted By The Republic