Jewell Faces Critical Decision After Wild Horse Report

In February, President Obama nominated Sally Jewell as Secretary of the Interior, highlighting her aptitude for mechanical reasoning and spatial ability. This scientific aptitude, along with her experience as a mechanical engineer and business executive, will be crucial as she addresses the findings of a significant report on the nation's wild horses released by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS).

The report, titled "UsingScienceto Improve theBLMWild Horse and Burro Program," critiques the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) handling of wild horses, revealing a lack of scientific rigor in their management practices. TheBLM, under Secretary Jewell, faces scrutiny over its policy of removing horses from their native rangelands and placing them in enclosures, a practice deemed economically unsustainable and incongruent with public expectations.

Key Findings of the NAS Report

The NAS report criticizes theBLM's methods for estimating wild horse populations and the impact of different grazing animals onpublic lands. It highlights the need for scientifically rigorous methods to manage horse populations and suggests fertility-control methods as a viable solution.

TheWild Horse and Burro Programhas not used scientifically rigorous methods to estimate the population sizes of horses and burros, to model the effects of management actions on the animals, or to assess the availability and use of forage on rangelands. Evidence suggests that horse populations are growing by 15 to 20 percent each year, a level that is unsustainable for maintaining healthy horse populations as well as healthy ecosystems.

Promising fertility-control methods are available to help limit this population growth, however. In addition,science-based methods exist for improving population estimates, predicting the effects of management practices in order to maintain genetically diverse, healthy populations, and estimating the productivity of rangelands. Greater transparency in howscience-based methods are used to inform management decisions may help increase public confidence in theWild Horse and Burro Program.

What Was Not Addressed

The report does not address the impact of livestock onpublic landsor theBLM's aggressive horse roundups, which are often criticized as cruel. It also omits discussion on reintroducing horses to public lands, despite potential benefits in terms of cost savings and population control.

Reactions to the Report

Wild horse advocates, including the American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Campaign), welcomed the report's findings, urging an immediate halt to horse removals. TheBLM, however, offered a cautious response, acknowledging the report but making no commitments to change its policies.

Ranchers, represented by groups like the Rock Springs Grazing Association, have yet to formally react but are expected to oppose changes that might affectlivestockgrazing.

The Path Forward

Secretary Jewell faces a critical decision: to uphold scientific integrity and reformBLMpractices or to yield to political pressures from the livestock industry. The NAS report provides a clear scientific basis for maintaining wild horses onpublic lands, challenging theBLM's current policies.

Jewell's response to this report will reveal whether she prioritizes scientific evidence and reform or continues the status quo. Her decision will significantly impact the future of America's wild horses and the integrity of theBLM's management practices.

Originally Posted By The Atlantic