September 7, 2016: BLM National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board Field Tour

Date: September 7, 2016
Event: Field Tour for the BLM National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board

Where: Elko, NV

The BLM National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board comprises representatives from various interest groups and the public. The nine board members, representing interests from humane advocacy to livestock management, typically meet twice a year to discuss issues affecting wild horse and burro management. They generate recommendations for the BLM's consideration. Learn more about the Board here.

Today, the Board and some observers, including myself, were taken on a field trip to observe the range conditions of the Antelope Valley Herd Management Area (HMA). BLM employees from the Elko and Ely offices guided the trip, taking us south from I-80 on Highway 93, east on Highway Alt 93, and then north on dirt roads around the Dolly Varden Mountains. We stopped at several locations within the HMA.

The primary agenda was to demonstrate that the HMA was overpopulated with horses, causing potentially irreversible damage to the range. The BLM also highlighted the impacts of limited water resources, emphasizing the potential for increased range degradation near water sources and catastrophic consequences if water runs dry.

The tour focused on two areas of the HMA: the east side of the Dolly Varden Mountains, where livestock hadn't grazed in eight years and many horses reside, and the west side, where fewer horses live and cattle graze in winter.

While it was evident that the range on the east side of the Dolly Varden Mountains is in poor condition, further investigation is needed to understand the impacts of livestock grazing on range condition fully.

The 2010 Environmental Assessment (EA) indicates that the greater complex is heavily grazed. Allotments in the Antelope HMA include Becky Springs, Becky Creek, Chin Creek, Goshute Mountain, Deep Creek, Sampson Creek, North Steptoe, Lovell Peak, and Tippett.

There was no mention of the thousands of sheep grazing in the Becky Springs area, which were in trespass for over a month last year after they were supposed to be removed.

Although the range was reportedly allocated equitably between horses and livestock, an analysis of the EA indicates that 7 to 15 times more forage is allocated to livestock. This discrepancy might be due to the BLM discussing a specific area of the range. It should also be noted that excess horses consume far more Animal Unit Months (AUMs).

Regardless of the degradation cause, all agreed that maintaining healthy rangelands is crucial for all users.

Note: To fully understand the situation in this HMA, board members and the public need to know actual livestock grazing use in all allotments for the past five years, water source locations, and a fencing map to determine impediments to wild horses utilizing their entire range. This information was not provided by the BLM, so no conclusions can be drawn from this range tour, which aimed to show wild horses overpopulating and damaging the range.

Antelope Valley HMA

• The Antelope Valley HMA is about 50 miles south of Wells, Nevada, covering 502,909 acres, with 6,553 privately owned.
• The Appropriate Management Level (AML) is 155-259 horses. The greater Antelope Complex AML is 427-788.
• The BLM estimates 1,100-1,200 horses on the HMA, about four times more than desired.
• The herd is divided by Highway Alt 93, double-fenced due to previous accidents involving cars and horses.
• Local ranchers have reduced cow numbers by about 25%, with some range portions unused for permitted grazing due to poor conditions, with blame directed at high horse numbers.
• The horses are in good condition due to a wet spring but are expected to degrade in fall and winter, switching from grazing to browsing.
• Horses north of Alt 93 often intermingle with horses from the Spruce-Pequop and Goshute HMAs.
• The horses were wary of vehicles and people, not allowing close proximity.
• The area typically receives 5-8 inches of precipitation annually, but the past four years have seen drought conditions with only 20-30% of normal precipitation.

Notes

• During the trip, we saw approximately 275 horses from the trucks and during stops. Unlike a normal range trip, we were in a convoy of about 10 trucks and couldn't stop at will to observe horses. Had we been able to, we likely would have increased our count.
• A major focus was to show the diminished rangeland quality where many horses reside. It was expressed that if we don't reduce to AML, the range will continue to degrade.
• Our first stop was just north of Alt 93 and south of Dolly Varden Spring, where we discussed the diminished range quality where many of the 1,100 horses live.
• To the untrained eye, the range can look lush, but many plants are of little grazing value. Halogeton, cheat, rabbit brush, and other undesirable plants are taking over due to overgrazing.
• The BLM stated no permitted livestock grazing for seven years, so excess horses were the main culprit for diminished preferred plants.
• The area experienced a good spring from a precipitation standpoint, so vegetation was taller than in recent years.
• The winterfat, an important plant eaten in late season and winter, was doing well, and horses seemed to reserve it for harder times.
• The consensus was that even if all horses were removed and no livestock reintroduced, the range would take decades to recover. Given low precipitation, reseeding efforts would likely not be effective, so restoration would have to occur naturally.
• Note: There was no discussion of historic livestock grazing impacts. If the range takes 100 years to recover, the Advisory Board was likely looking at a range degraded from historic livestock use, which horses shared at historically lower levels.
• The final stop was on the west side of the Dolly Varden Mountains to show a healthier range.
• Although vegetation was spread farther apart, plants were of better grazing variety, with no halogeton or cheat grass.
• Fewer horses graze on this side of the mountain. The BLM employees were unsure why, possibly due to less water access or horses not knowing about the area.
• The area has cattle grazing in winter, with proactive range management, explaining the better condition.
• The sage grouse is affected by overgrazing. Nevada is invested in keeping the sage grouse off the endangered species list. Riparian areas are essential habitat for young sage grouse, and horses can impact these areas when water is scarce.
• Water is limited on the Antelope Valley HMA. Private landowners control much of the water, with ownership rights often dating back to initial settlement. The BLM owns little water in Nevada and is at the mercy of landowners.
• We stopped at several water resources, including Boone Springs, owned by a non-rancher landowner, and Dolly Varden Spring, owned by a mining company. The spring is the primary water source for about 1,000 horses, though the BLM states it should support only 40-50 horses in good flow years.
• We stopped at Deer Spring, consisting of a trough fed by a pipeline and an elk guzzler. The spring was flowing, which is atypical this time of year. A few years ago, horses died here waiting for water. Their bones were still near the trough.
• When water is plentiful, horses walk 15-20 miles for preferred grazing sites. When scarce, they stay closer to water sources, impacting rangelands within 4-5 miles.
• On Day 1 of the Board meetings, Nevada State Veterinarian Dr. JJ Goicoechea mentioned a call about 250 horses congregated near a spring in desperate need of water.
• Not much contraception has been used in the area. When questioned, the answer was that there were too many horses for it to be effective.
• While heading south on Highway 93, we passed the closed gates of Madeleine Pickens' Mustang Monument. There was no mention of it or recent issues.
• Upon returning to Elko, we saw that the BLM was conducting an emergency gather in Wood Hills, which we drove past on Highway 93. No mention of this was made during the tour stops.

2010 Environmental Assessment – Antelope Complex: Read the full assessment here.

Pictures

• Alan Shepherd (Nevada BLM WH&B Program Lead)
• Ben Masters (Advisory Board Member)
• Fred Woehl (Advisory Board Member) and John Ruhs (BLM Nevada State Director)
• The pocket of white in the middle of the picture is winterfat.
• Ginger Kathrens (Advisory Board Member) inspecting a plant
• Wild horses near Dolly Varden Spring
• Coyote near Dolly Varden Spring
• Wild horses near Dolly Varden Spring – picture taken with 600mm zoom – the horses are very wary.
• Group at Dolly Varden Spring
• Group on west side of Dolly Varden Mountains – representative of an area with healthier rangeland.
• Indian Rice Grass – the good stuff!