Well, here we are again.... dealing with BLM shenanigans - I really REALLY am so tired of having to read, reread, research, reread it again, save screenshots and print documents because things have a way of magically disappearing or being changed without explanation or even an acknowledgment of the change, and then write some kind of blog or post because BLM staff no longer find it convenient to do their job correctly.

This time it is about the planned roundup and removal of wild horses from the Red Desert Complex.... we have gone through the comment periods for both the Scoping Notice and the preliminary EA and proposed HMAP updates, and as we expected I then had to file an Appeal against the final Decision Record as not one of my (or your) suggestions was honestly considered or even remotely applied.

We currently are waiting for a response from BLM to that Notice of Appeal... we are now more than 30 days since we filed, BLM has up to 60 days to respond - so we wait.

And in the mean-time the roundup and removal dates were announced... and while I wanted to and felt like I should file for a Stay against the removal, one of my much smarter than me friends walked me through the process, and it was agreed that I should instead keep focused on my Appeal for Arapaho Creek, as that is in and of itself a demanding task to complete.

In general wild horse roundups and removals are detestable things, there is nothing but ugliness in chasing a wild horse with a helicopter into a metal barred trap, at which point they are subjected to humans yelling, shaking flags at them, and in some cases using electric cattle prods to force them to move in whatever direction the human wants them to go.... ugliness abounds in these things.

And most of these wild horses will have permanently lost their true freedom... some will lose their lives. All will be separated from their bandmates as stallions are separated from mares, and any foal deemed old enough, is separated from its mother.

As ugly as these things are they used to be SO much worse!!

Public observation has helped to change things to make it a bit less ugly - it is never pretty but it can be done with care, offering the horses as much dignity and respect as possible during the process.

Public observation also is about watching how horses are brought in by the helicopters - and that matters - I have been there when a foal died after being run too far and too hard.... operations were altered for at least a few days after me and some others took to the public what had happened.

And even if all went quietly without incident it matters that someone is standing witness as a friend of the horses.

It seems BLM is making it a new habit to limit observation opportunities.... for this particular removal BLM is allowing a limited # of people to attend and observe, and at this time BLM is only offering observation from October 15th through October 18th - this is a removal that will minimally last several days as it is currently stating a roundup of over a thousand wild horses, across at least two HMAs and other off-HMA sites - it will not be completed within the current dates offered to the public for observation.

When asked about what happens after October 18th the response is that BLM may not have staff available to escort observers out to the removal operations.

I fully believe the lack of staff.... the federal government has systematically been eliminating federal positions across multiple agencies since the beginning of 2025, regardless of if they were necessary positions.

However, that is not our problem, if roundup and removals can be scheduled, then the staff can and should be provided to allow for meaningful public observation.

And then is the inconsistent information of how many horses will be removed.... as per the final approved EA there were to be roughly 1800 wild horses removed.

But when the initial FY2027 Tentative Roundup Schedule was first posted it showed very little information, then there was information showing 931 horses to be gathered, with 104 to be returned, leaving 827 wild horses being removed.

Today the FY2027 Tentative Schedule shows as you see above, with 931 removed, 52 treated with Gonacon, and 104 returned, with a total of 1,035 wild horses being brought in during roundup operations.

Mind I am not at all advocating for more horses to be removed.... I am absolutely set against the idea that even 500 wild horses should be removed from the complex at this time - there are still after affects from the combination of the 2020 roundup and removal followed by a record harsh winter two years later - these horses are only beginning to truly recover this year from those events.

Sadly, the commentary from one of the Wild Horse Specialists earlier this year was that he was very unhappy with the contractor in 2020, as he believes 'too many horses were left out there' - he is still bitter that he did not hit his expected number of removed wild horses from six years ago.

My problem with this is the lack of explanation as to why the change in planned removals, was there a more recent aerial survey showing new counts, and if so where is the report for that new census count?

I suspected something was up and I had a hunch.... a few days later as I was looking over an entirely separate document I found the answer.

The answer is also now on the Red Desert Complex Gather Report page - this is why I now take screenshots or print documents, the changing or dropping of information is constant and we the public are left scrambling to figure out if we remembered something wrong or did not look hard enough the first time.... or if you have a life and don't check information every few days, you may never know.

At this moment, as per information found in two different BLM locations, the roundup and removal is in only two HMAs and selected off-HMA sites - BLM intends to do multiple removals across multiple years, without specifying to the public how or when.

And finally lets discuss the closure... it is only by chance I noticed the link buried near the bottom of the Public Observation section, as it is beneath the typical and standard Protocol and Know Before You Go links that I have already read dozens of times, I did not pay attention to it.

So - initially it is a fairly intimidating document that reads like the entire Red Desert is going to be closed to the public, a friend read through it and found that the closures are in effect only during actual roundup operations, in or around the area that is being targeted for wild horse removal that day.

In addition to this notice that is found only by clicking on the link, there should also be signage on the range warning the public of pending closures - some of these locations have public land users that would not be aware of any roundup... we traveled miles across the desert yesterday, passing ever so many roads where traps may be set or roundup operations can be expected to be occurring - we found no notices or signs.

Also, the closure notice states that a map showing the herd management area and the temporary closure areas is attached to the Decision Record - there is no map.

And that is it.... one big mess with no attempt to keep the public informed and a lot of information seeming to be hidden for no good reason - whenever there are attempts to limit access to information I wonder - what exactly are you hiding?