The Bureau of Land Management saw a record-breaking number of wild horse and burro adoptions this year, the agency announced this week, but it is not enough to manage the population growth of the animals throughout western states.
Although the agency saw over 7,100 adoptions – a 54% increase from last year – acting BLM Director William Perry Pendley said it would take 15 years and $5 billion to get the overpopulation on federal lands throughout the West under control, in a media conference call Wednesday afternoon.
Pendley, who is awaiting Senate confirmation, said the adoptions are just one necessary step in decreasing the wild horse population from 88,000 to roughly 27,000 horses, a size rangeland scientists estimate federal lands can sustain without harm to the ecosystems or other wildlife.
In March, the agency created an Adoption Incentive Program, which offered adopters up to $1,000 for successful adoptions. Pendley also said the demographics of adoptees has expanded from “cowboys wanting working horses” to “suburban families and moms wanting a horse.”
Although Nevada has the highest population of wild horses and burros, according to BLM records, the animals’ overpopulation is a problem throughout the western U.S.
In New Mexico, the BLM manages two herds, Bordo Atravesado and Carracas Mesa, on 29,000 acres with a total of 83 animals. The Carracas Mesa herd is located about 35 miles northeast of Bloomfield while Bordo Atravesado roams south of Albuquerque. There have been no horses from the New Mexico herds adopted in the past two years, according to Allison Sandoval, spokeswoman for BLM’s New Mexico state office. Consequently, horse gathers and removals are the primary population controls used by BLM in the state.
“Wild horses are a large grazing animal, and impacts are most pronounced on grasses and palatable shrubs,” Sandoval said. Overgrazing of the vegetation from the wild horses can then impact native wildlife species and the overall sustainability of the native plant community, according to Sandoval.
Colorado federal lands are home to a significantly larger population of wild horses and burros. The department overseas four herds on 400,000 acres with an estimated 812 animals. This past year, 254 horses were adopted and 18 sold in Colorado alone.
The issue of wild horses and burros is not solely contained to federal lands. In 2017, the Bureau of Indian Affairs estimated there were 40,000 wild horses roaming the Navajo Nation, across 27,000 miles. Like the wild horses on BLM land, the herds throughout the Navajo Nation compete with sheep, cattle and other wildlife for limited water and vegetation.
Despite the growing numbers of wild horses, Pendley said he is optimistic the BLM could get the job done, especially following increased collaboration between ranchers and animal welfare advocates. In addition to increasing adoption rates, the acting director said the agency is continuing to explore fertility control options and increased animal roundups.
“There’s a sense of sincerity on the Hill about this issue,” Pendley said. “They get it.”
lweber@durangoherald.com
