Take action for the Montgomery Pass Wild Horses

The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

Last month, we asked you to speak up for the Montgomery Pass wild horses (also known as the Mono Lake horses). And thanks to your advocacy, we generated nearly 5,000 letters demanding that The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the United States Forest Service (USFS) implement humane, scientifically led conservation solutions instead of cruelly rounding this historic herd.

Now the wild horses who roam the 50,815 acres of public and private lands need your help again. On August 8, 2024, the BLM and USFS released an Environmental Assessment, detailing their proposed action for the Montgomery Pass wild horses.

This inhumane plan calls for multiple roundups in order to remove all horses who currently reside outside of the Territory, as well as to achieve the unscientific Appropriate Management Level (AML) of 138 to 230 animals. This AML was set in 1988 and has not been re-evaluated in the 36 years since. 

When evaluating the final proposed action in this Environmental Assessment, the agencies failed to consider:

1. Relocating the horses: According to binding USFS regulations, the agency must consider relocating the removed wild horses. In this case, the USFS should relocate the Montgomery Pass horses inside the Territory and address the ecological conditions that are causing them to leave their designated habitat. If that is not possible, they should evaluate other USFS lands where the horses could be relocated.
2. Reevaluating the AML: The BLM and USFS should conduct a thorough reassessment of the AML using new and updated scientific data to ensure it reflects the current ecological reality.
3. Implementing Fertility Control: Utilize humane, scientifically studied, and reversible fertility control initiatives to humanely manage the population of the herd, without resorting to removals.
4. The impact of Livestock Grazing: Assess and acknowledge the detrimental impacts of livestock grazing on the Territory and incorporate this understanding into all management decisions.
5. Protecting predators: A 25-year study on mountain lion predation shows this herd has been managed successfully by predation. This study provides invaluable insights into natural population control mechanisms and should be considered for re-establishing natural predation to manage the herd’s population.

This proposed action is not guided by science and allows for the most outdated, costly and cruel methods of managing wild horses including helicopter roundups. Speak up now to formally object to this proposed action!

Thank you for your advocacy,

Team AWHC