Wild Horse Chief Steps Down Amid Management Challenges

The Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) top official in charge of managing wild horses and burros, Joan Guilfoyle, has stepped down from her post. Guilfoyle, who became BLM's division chief for wild horses in August 2011, will now oversee business and financial programs at BLM. Mary D'Aversa, who has managed BLM's Phoenix district office since January 2013, will serve as the acting wild horses chief.

Leadership Transition

Mary D'Aversa, with over two decades of experience at BLM, will be the acting chief for at least four months while BLM seeks a permanent replacement. The reasons for this personnel shuffle remain unclear.

Challenges in Wild Horse Management

Guilfoyle took over BLM's horse and burro program during a major overhaul aimed at increasing the use of fertility drugs to manage herd growth. The goal was to reduce the need to gather and store excess horses from public rangelands, which significantly increased program costs. At that time, BLM was storing more than 40,000 horses in short- and long-term corrals. Currently, BLM cares for nearly 48,000 wild horses in captivity, consuming more than half of its wild horse and burro budget.

BLM had pledged to increase the use of fertility control, specifically a drug known as PZP that makes mares temporarily infertile. However, the application of the drug has dropped sharply due to budget constraints and litigation.

Fiscal Challenges and Legal Pressures

In a 2013 memo, Guilfoyle warned that the program was on the brink of fiscal collapse and recommended suspending all roundups until the agency could sell or adopt thousands of mustangs held in federal corrals. She suggested considering sterilizing or euthanizing wild horses as a last resort if they faced near-death conditions due to declining resources.

A 1971 law requires BLM to manage wild horses in a "thriving natural ecological balance" on public lands. However, horse advocates and ranchers often have differing views on what constitutes "balance," placing BLM in challenging legal and political situations.

Under Guilfoyle's leadership, BLM faced pressure from Western states and ranchers to remove excess wild horses, seen as competitors with domestic livestock and a potential threat to endangered species. Conversely, wild horse advocates frequently sued BLM over herd roundups.

Current Wild Horse Population

As of last year, BLM estimated there were 49,209 wild horses and burros on public lands, up from 40,605 the previous year. The agency stated that the range could only sustain 26,684 animals. Herd numbers are expected to increase further in 2015 due to fewer roundups in the previous year.

Guilfoyle, a longtime federal employee with experience at BLM, the National Park Service, the Forest Service, and the Fish and Wildlife Service, has a personal history with horses, having ridden them as a child.

Originally Posted By E & E