Prison Ends Wild Horse Program; BLM Must Relocate 1,100 Animals

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) faces a significant challenge as the Utah Department of Corrections has terminated its Wild Horse & Burro Program. This decision ends a seven-year partnership and requires the BLM to relocate over 1,100 wild horses within 30 days. The program, initially intended to be self-sustaining, has become financially unfeasible, according to corrections officials.

Corrections officials stated that the program was financially unsustainable, while the BLM maintains that it supported the program adequately. An audit revealed that the federal government had overpaid Utah by about $2 million since the program's inception in April 2007.

Currently, 1,126 horses and 11 to 17 inmates who care for the wild mustangs are affected by this decision. The BLM has until October 6 to remove the horses, with potential relocation sites in Arizona, California, and Nevada under consideration. Approximately 50 horses will remain in Axtell, Utah, despite the state already having nearly 4,000 wild horses, exceeding the BLM's designated upper limit.

Local county commissioners and ranchers have urged the BLM to reduce wild horse numbers due to competition for forage. However, the agency has been reluctant to conduct roundups due to low adoption demand, with nearly 50,000 horses already in holding pastures in the Midwest.

In July, the BLM removed 143 horses from Beaver County's Wah Wah Mountains, resulting in the deaths of a yearling filly and a 7-year-old mare during the roundup. Tom Gorey, BLM's public information officer, did not specify where the horses currently at Gunnison would be relocated or how they would be moved.

The BLM's resources are stretched thin due to the increasing number of wild horses, and the potential sites for relocation are near capacity. An audit by the U.S. Office of Inspector General found $2,004,553 in BLM funding to Utah's Department of Corrections to be questionable or unsupported, leading to a restructuring of the financial agreement to a reimbursement-based system.

Mike Haddon, deputy director of administrative services for the Utah Department of Corrections, stated that the bureau refused to reimburse certain purchases, affecting the program's viability. Corrections Director Rollin Cook expressed disappointment over the program's closure, emphasizing the need to invest in other evidence-based programs to better prepare inmates for re-entry into society.

The two agencies will continue to work together to resolve any outstanding financial issues. Gorey noted that the program was never intended to be profitable but provided rehabilitation and job-training opportunities for inmates. The future of the Gunnison prison's facilities and potential new programs remains uncertain.

The Wild Horse & Burro Program at Gunnison has been operational since April 2007, with three supervising officers and a rotating crew of inmates caring for the mustangs. The BLM also facilitated an Internet-based adoption program, averaging 34 adoptions per year from the facility.

Gorey highlighted the benefits of such programs, noting that inmates learn patience and responsibility through horse training. The BLM plans to hire a non-governmental agency for another audit of their finances and arrangement with Utah's corrections system.

The American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Preservation) has called for a hold on the BLM's horse program following the financial disagreement with Utah, citing concerns of mismanagement.

Utah corrections officials have stated their willingness to cooperate with the BLM if the agency cannot relocate all 1,100 horses by the deadline.

Originally posted by Salt Lake Tribune