Urgent Action Items

Below are urgent action items where you can make your voice heard on behalf of wild horses and burros

Images provided by Tandin Chapman

You can read the Documents here and submit your Comment here

Read the Scoping Letter first, then the Range Creek Herd Management Area Management Evaluation Report - July 2026

Keep your comment factual and mature. Do not mention the SAFE Act or horse slaughter as those topics are irrelevant to this comment period. Only refer to topics in the Report when making your public comment. 

Some points you could make include:

• BLM plans to reduce the herd to the low Appropriate Management Level ('AML') of just 70 wild horses at Range Creek. This is not a genetically viable population number. Ask for an increase in AML to avoid having to introduce horses from other HMA's and to keep the herd genetically viable and diverse. From the 2008 RMP:  'maintain, enhance, and perpetuate respective viable herds’ distinguishing characteristics (by HMA) that were typical at the time of the passage of the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act'

•  If you support the use of fertility control, then ask that a fertility control darting program be implemented that does not include the use of GonaCon, spaying, or gelding, but rather only the use of PZP native. BLM plans to use a fertility control method on the herd, to ask them not to use one would be useless. Rather ask for the least dangerous option:  PZP darting only.

• Request a ground-based population count before the 'gather' happens to ensure that the herd population is not taken below low AML during the 'gather'; do not rely on estimated numbers or a 20% annual increase

• Complete a new, updated rangeland health standard assessment (the last one was in 2000, 26 years ago)

Below is some valuable information provided by Katrin Bockstette regarding the Range Creek HMA:

• Area and AML: The official HMA area is approximately 55,023 acres; older records identify about 60,280 acres. Horse Bench was excluded from the HMA. The 1993 HMAP formed the AML range of 75–125 as ±25% around a management objective of 100 horses; the 2008 RMP carried forward 75–125 horses and 3,000 horse AUMs.
• Historical populations: The documented series begins with 63 horses in 1973. Other direct counts include 22 in 1979, 14 in 1981, 69 in 1989, 102 in 1991, 126 in 1993, 162 in 1994, 99 in 2010, 267 in 2017, 124 in 2019, and 231 in 2025.
• Gather figures: Official figures for 2018 differ: the MER reports 94, a BLM press release reports 92, and the daily gather page reports 91 horses captured and one death. For 2019, 154 horses captured, no returns, and one death are documented. For 2020, 148 horses captured are documented; the MER also reports the later release of six mares and six stallions.
• Long removal-free comparison: Between the published administrative values for 2007 and 2018, the population increased without a documented removal from 76 to 378: +302 horses, an average of +27.5 per year, and a nominal CAGR of 15.7%. This mixed series is not a birth rate.
• Direct-count comparison: Direct counts increased from 99 in 2010 to 267 in 2017: +168 horses, an average of +24 per year, and a nominal CAGR of 15.2%. The parallel estimates increased from 124 to 315: +191, an average of +27.3 per year, and a nominal CAGR of 14.2%.
• Population values 2021–2026: The official projection series is 73 (2021), 88 (2022), 106 (2023), 127 (2024), and 152 (2025). This equals 73→152, +79, and a nominal CAGR of 20.1%. The 2025 table simultaneously reports an estimate of 152 and a direct inventory of 231; the direct count is 79 higher and 1.52 times the estimate. The 2026 estimate is 300.
• PopEquus model: For the final projection year, the model reports means of 1,058 horses under no management, 740 under ZonaStat-H/PZP, and 382 under GonaCon. Reported persistence probability in these model runs is 100%.
• Compensatory growth: The National Academies concluded in 2013 that repeated removals can hold herds below food-limited densities and can increase compensatory population growth through reduced competition. The Range Creek series is consistent with this mechanism; its share cannot be isolated without local birth, survival, mortality, migration, and method data.
• Local genetic values: Published values are N=26, Ho=.663, He=.707, and MNA=5.250 for 2006, and N=50, Ho=.682, He=.652, and MNA=5.417 for 2018. The genetic attachment also reports Fst values below 0.10 against more than 173 comparison datasets and describes Range Creek as part of a highly connected metapopulation.
• Effective population size: The BLM handbook identifies 50 effective breeders, corresponding to approximately 150–200 total animals, as a benchmark for limiting loss of genetic variation. Applying the Ne/N range of 27–36% in BLM Resource Note 29 yields approximately 20–27 effective animals at 75 horses and 34–45 at 125 horses; Ne=50 corresponds to a sensitivity range of approximately 139–185 horses. This is not a local Ne estimate.
• Introductions and fertility treatment: The MER identifies eight horses from the Buck and Bald Complex once as released in 2006 and elsewhere describes the most recent introduction of eight horses as occurring in 2020. It also reports six GonaCon-treated mares and six released stallions in 2020; the cited MER passage contains no individual efficacy, booster, or long-term follow-up record.
• Rangeland data: The published rangeland-health basis is dated 1999 or 2000. The public AIM dataset contains 15 records within the HMA from 2011–2025, nine of them from 2024 and 2025. For seven design names, the linked public record does not include design worksheets, inference polygons, panel assignments, selection probabilities, or weights.
• Livestock AUMs and spatial overlap: GIS identifies approximately 139,486 acres for the Green River Allotment and approximately 53,479 acres of overlap with the HMA. The overlap equals 97.19% of the HMA but only 38.34% of the allotment. RAS lists 3,271 permitted and 1,982 suspended AUMs. The MER reports 1,771 actual-use AUMs for 2014–2025, averaging 147.58 per year, or 4.52% of 3,267.
• Wildlife: The MER reports approximately 2,100–2,200 elk compared with a Prior Stable Number of 1,800.
• Water and riparian areas: The MER lists five reservoirs, seven developed springs, and several undeveloped springs and seeps. Numerous developed facilities are described as fair or in need of repair or maintenance. Local riparian areas are rated fair to poor. A water-and-bait gather is documented for 2018.
• Animal-welfare standards: The 2026 CAWP standards prohibit pursuit to exhaustion, require special consideration for weak animals and foals, establish transportation limits, and require documentation of deaths and euthanasia.

From the 2022 Decision of Record that this plan is being based on: 

"I have determined that Alternative B – Gather, Removal, Use of PGS Vaccines, Tracking Units, and Intrauterine Devices (Proposed Action), with modifications, would not significantly affect the quality of the human environment. Therefore, an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is not warranted. 

As stated in Cedar Mountain Herd Management Area Population Control Plan DOI-BLM-UT-W010-2022-0005-EA Decision Record 

BLM will conduct gathers, administer population growth suppression (PGS) vaccines, utilize intrauterine devices (IUDs), and equip wild horses with global positioning system (GPS) tracking units (either collar or tag). 

Population inventories will be conducted every 2-3 years. Subsequent gathers will be conducted to maintain population numbers within AML over the 10-year period based on rangeland condition, herd health, and to maintain PGS treatments. 

BLM will manage population growth using PGS vaccine treatments (administered by hand injection or darting techniques) and IUDs. GonaCon-Equine, ZonaStat-H, and Porcine Zona Pellucida (PZP-22) are the currently available immunocontraceptive vaccines. 

For this reason, a 10-year plan is needed to remove excess wild horses and bring the population down to low- to mid-AML, implement population control measures over a sufficient period of time to reduce population growth and measurably reduce the number of excess animals that would need to be removed from the Cedar Mountain HMA, and to provide enough time for vegetative and riparian resources to recover and reestablish..."

 Proposed Action Title/Type: Cedar Mountain Herd Management Area (HMA) Gather 

The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Salt Lake Field Office (SLFO) is proposing to gather and remove up to 500 excess wild horses from the Cedar Mountain HMA in Tooele County, Utah. The Appropriate Management Level (AML) of the HMA is 190-390 horses; the goal of the gather is to bring the population size of wild horses down to low- to mid-AML. The current estimated population is 574 adults, not including any foals born in 2026. It is estimated that when the gather occurs the population will be approximately 660 horses. 

The BLM would continue to administer Population Growth Suppression (PGS) vaccines (GonaCon-Equine or the porcine zona pellucida [PZP] vaccine known as ZonaStat-H) through remote darting or hand injections in association with gather activities, 

With the possible exception of a limited number of mares previously treated with a fertility control vaccine, no horses would be released back to the HMA after the gather unless the post-gather population is below low AML as determined by an aerial survey that would be conducted after the gather. 

Since the 2022 EA was completed, there have been four new, notable, peer reviewed and published papers addressing effects of PZP and GonaConEquine fertility control vaccines (Thompson et al. 2022, Baker et al. 2023, Schulman et al. 2024, Rutberg et al. 2024) and the BLM presented summaries of the effects of GonaCon-Equine vaccine based on monitoring of treated animals in a presentation to the national wild horse and burro advisory board (BLM 2025). 

Suggested comments you can make based on the information above:

1. Ensure that the 2026 count following the roundup and return of wild horses to the HMA provides a population of no less than 273 as stated in the 2022 Decision
2. Informational: How many cattle/sheep are allowed? 

2a) SOUTH SKULL VALLEY allotment includes 9,139 cattle and sheep on 9191 AUM’s; 

2b) SKULL VALLEY allotment includes 8,778 cattle on 14,216 AUMs

2c) Comment can include CFR 4710.5 which means livestock should be removed before wild horses so the range can heal:

§ 4710.5 Closure to livestock grazing.

(a) If necessary to provide habitat for wild horses or burros, to implement herd management actions, or to protect wild horses or burros, to implement herd management actions, or to protect wild horses or burros from disease, harassment or injury, the authorized officer may close appropriate areas of the public lands to grazing use by all or a particular kind of livestock.

(b) All public lands inhabited by wild horses or burros shall be closed to grazing under permit or lease by domestic horses and burros.

(c) Closure may be temporary or permanent. After appropriate public consultation, a Notice of Closure shall be issued to affected and interested parties.

1. I oppose the use of GonaCon-Equine as research does show that GonaCon can be a permanent sterilization injection resulting in that mare never contributing to the genetic viability of the herd in the future

Informational: I recommend the BLM use the least invasive methods to employ any fertility control such as darting and only use vaccines in a protocol that can be reversed (PZP native annually). - From WHE in 2022

      2. I oppose the use of tracking collars; these are detrimental to the health and safety of the wild horses the collars are placed           on. BLM should only use tags which are less intrusive.

      3.I oppose a 10-year plan. BLM should re-evaluate the range and herd population before each gather and not rely on an          outdated, up to a decade-old plan. 

The petition asks the following:

The Issue

Save The Salt River Wild Horses

We strongly object to the forced removals of over half of our beloved Salt River Wild Horses.

Petition to Katie Hobbs, Governor of Arizona.

We, the undersigned, call on you to cancel the mandate by your AZDA to remove over half of the Salt River Wild Horse herd. That is not in accordance with state law in the Salt River Horses Act, that you voted for. We urge you to allow the second half of the successful 10-year plan implemented by the previous AZDA Director to continue, without removals. The Salt River Act states: “A person shall not interfere with, take, chase, capture or euthanize a horse that is part of the Salt River horse herd without written authorization.

The department or the county sheriff may provide written authorization only for humane purposes.” The Salt River Horse Act clarifies that Salt River wild horses are not stray livestock and are not subject to livestock removal laws such as ARS § 3-1371 and §3-1402. Therefore, the AZDA does not appear to have the authority to require removals of healthy wild horses. In the original 10 -year plan, the first five years has seen the herd size reduction go from 450 to 274 today, an over 40% decrease. This was achieved through birth control and natural attrition. There is no sudden imperative to discard this program. At this rate, the population would be approximately 168, in the second five years, well within the expert recommended range necessary for a healthy, genetically diverse herd. We urge Governor Hobbs to:   Uphold the spirit and letter of the Salt River Horse Act, ARS § 3-1491 and cancel forced removals   Continue humane, science-based management in partnership with SRWHMG, allowing the successful original 10-year plan to continue Let’s honor our state’s proud history, the will of the people, and a working solution that reflects compassion and common sense. Humane wild horse management works — please let it continue, without forced removals. Only YOU can stop this and honor the wishes of the majority of Arizonans.

On June 9th in Australia, helicopters once again took to the air and starting using rifles to shoot at the wild Brumbies. Stallions, mares, and foals will be shot at indiscriminately until June 30th. They will suffer as these are not direct kill shots, but rather random shooting meant to inflict pain, suffering, and in most cases a long death.

The claim is of course that the Brumbies are 'overpopulated', are trampling and eating native plants, pushing out native wildlife, but we all know it's for livestock.

So what can we do? Make our voices heard and help bring awareness to this atrocity. I know there is so much going on in the world and it's hard to think that we can make a difference, but we can if enough of us take the time and effort needed.

Here are some details below for contacts provided by facebook.com/Australianbrumby to raise your concerns. It is best to use polite but strong language to let them know how you feel about this issue (i.e. no death threats, swearing, or all caps).

RSPCA Australia

https://www.rspca.org.au/report-animal-cruelty/

Chris Minns- Premier NSW: kogarah@parliament.nsw.gov.au

https://www.nsw.gov.au/nsw.../premier-of-nsw/contact-premier

Minister Sharpe is currently suspended from parliament and is not answerable, despite this being her portfolio! and now will only accept communication screened through NSW Parliament.

The Governor General of Australia

https://www.gg.gov.au/office-official.../email-contacts

The Prime Minister of Australia

pmc@pmc.gov.au or the online form

https://www.pm.gov.au/contact#no-back

There is a script you can use in one of the graphics below. You can also contact tourism offices in Australia at https://www.tourism.australia.com/en/contact-us.html and let them you will not visit the country until this plan of shooting the Brumbies stops.

Will all of this take some time and research? Yes. Is it worth your time? I hope the answer is yes. We might not be able to stop the current culling for June, but as you can see in one of the graphics below, they plan to do it again in November. Let's help to stop that one.