I disagree with Rob Hammer’s Aug. 13 wild horse commentary. While working as a botanist for the Bureau of Land Management in southwestern Wyoming and northern Nevada, I witnessed the damage wild horses do to natural resources first-hand. Not only do horses trample springs and other water sources, they scare away wildlife so they cannot drink. Unlike cattle, horses tear out the vegetation and can completely denude areas where they have congregated. They also spend the full year in the same areas, which results in the vegetation never getting a chance to recover.
Horse populations are growing exponentially. Currently, there are nearly 73,000 wild horses living in areas that can only support 27,000, if you include wildlife and permitted cattle grazing. Even if all the cattle are removed from the wild horse and burro herd management areas, there would only be enough forage for about 90,000. Given the fact that horses have no natural predators, the horses will reach that population level soon.
Meanwhile, Congress has decreased funding to the BLM, adoptions have dropped dramatically, the holding areas are full and PZP fertility control needs to be administered yearly. Mass sterilizations and culling are what’s needed to manage wild horse populations long term.
Melanie Florence
Dammeron Valley