For decades, the largest wild horse herd in California resided in the lava strewn plateau of the Devil’s Garden Plateau Wild Horse Territory (DGPWHT) on the Modoc National Forest (MNF).  Over the years, however, ranchers who also graze their livestock on the 258,000 acres of federally protected wild horse habitat for pennies have been waging a war against them, claiming that the wild horses are destroying the ecosystem and causing economic ruin for Modoc County.  Their solution – elimination of the herd.

The Forest Service has announced it will proceed with the helicopter and bait trapping roundup of the Devil's Garden Plateau wild horses in the Modoc National Forest. The operation begins October 28th and is estimated to last for 30 days. The agency has awarded CD Warner Livestock, LLC up to $749,000 to capture and remove 500 wild horses roaming free on federally managed land. 

The Department of the Interior recently announced the 2024 public lands grazing Animal Unit Month (AUM) price at a paltry $1.35.

The fee was mandated in the 1980s as a means to steward healthy public landscapes without disrupting an extractive industry. Yet, over time, it has become clear that the scales have tipped heavily in favor of preventing harm to private interests and commercial industry with minimal regard for the true costs borne by taxpayers and the environment.

Congress just finalized FY2024 appropriations for the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program. While some celebrate Congress’s recommendations for the agency to utilize up to $11 million in funding for humane fertility control, little evidence points to congress steering the current roundup and hold ‘em system in a more sustainable direction.

Conservation groups are standing united in opposition to a looming threat hidden within the 2024 Department of Interior (DOI) Appropriations bill. The insidious culprits are riders, seemingly innocuous amendments added to bills that can have far-reaching consequences.

As a Nevada roundup results in killing a foal, the arguably baseless Bureau of Land Management program runs itself and wild horses in deadly circles.

Is it that wild horses have no natural predators, or is it that our society and government have hushed the ecosystem-balancing power of mountain lions to prioritize sprawl, convenience, and commercial interests?

While livestock grazing slaughters landscape health on public lands, the Bureau of Land Management scapegoats wild horses for the damage, and the agency uses taxpayer dollars to do its dirty work.

While WNP applauds an update to the definition of conservation, a commitment to restoration, and the ethics to follow science and data, we’re watching the evolution and potential implementation of this proposal closely.