Sometimes Even an Anarchist Has to Praise the BLM
By Jennifer Hill
Feral horse gathers have been hitting the mainstream news with regularity the last couple of months. Given the extensive and extended drought conditions across much of the western US it is no surprise that these unmanaged herds are looking desperate as they run out of water and feed resources. As conditions worsen the Bureau of Land Management has found themselves in a position where they must gather in large numbers of the feral horses, else the already damaged range be further destroyed and they face the bad PR that comes with pictures of starving horses. But of course, they cannot gather without squaring off against the wailing and gnashing of teeth from the horse activists who sling accusations and insults at BLM, contractors and ranchers alike. And they cannot do it alone. As much as it pains me to say it, we must, in this instance, stand behind the BLM in support and praise.
The feral horse problem is nothing new. It is, however, growing. My little corner of northwestern Colorado illustrates the problems associated with these herds perfectly. The Wild Horse and Burro Act was passed by Congress in 1971, declaring feral horses and donkeys federally protected species. It greatly limited what could be done with these animals, outlawing private gathers, slaughter or private party sales of the animals. Up to that point most ranchers had managed the horses similarly to their cattle; gathering them in, sorting and culling the bottom tier. After all, most of the herds originated from escaped ranch stock anyway, a point which has been repeatedly proven through genetic testing. By 1974 Horse Management Areas, or HMAs, dotted much of the west, included adjacent to my family’s ranch. Horses outside the HMAs were to be removed from the range, easier said than done. Without the resources or willpower to follow through, many horse herds outside the HMAs grew, often faster than those inside the HMAs. Despite the fact that these horses were not even in a designated HMA they were still afforded protective status and now, 50 years later, the situation is reaching crisis levels as all over the west the populations outgrow their natural resources.
The BLM claims to recognize the problem, at least at the local level. The feral horses have destroyed much of the range and it’s impossible to miss. As completely unmanaged herds they have grazed to the point of destruction. But despite the obvious range trauma nothing is done because we live in a litigious society. Every attempted gather or removal of horses winds up challenged in court by some horse advocacy group. For years they claimed cattle were the problem, so cattle grazing was severely limited and, in many areas, removed entirely, yet the problem continues to grow.
As the crisis comes to a head the BLM has been able to push through a few gathers to reduce herd size and rangeland pressure and boy are they taking a beating for it, both in the media and in person. During a gather of horses in our area my husband and I made the decision to take our kids and watch some of the round up. The gathers have designated viewing areas (mostly to limit protestors from intervening) and we figured the BLM could use some support. We also figured this might be the only opportunity our kids have to see an actual gather, given the direction Colorado is headed. What we witnessed was eye opening. The gather itself was peaceful. The horses were well treated, quietly gathered and loaded with very few incidents. But the little old ladies there to watch, not so much. They yelled at the BLM, contractors and my family, calling us all names that would make even a Daylight Burner blush. The fact that we were there with two young kids made no difference, they spewed hate the entire time. Or at least until the cameras of a local television station showed up. Then, like flipping a switch, they turned on the tears. Suddenly, instead of screaming hate they were pathetic, heartbroken old ladies. The scene was so repulsive that even I, an anarchist adjacent, federal government hating, BLM cursing rancher was forced to feel sorry for those BLM employees. So we showered the BLM with love. We made them cookies, we thanked them over and over and we praised them loudly for doing the hard, but right thing. We made sure they knew we’d have their back anytime they wanted to put politics aside and do what’s best for the range.
I’m not naive enough to think that the problem is fixed. The horses are still here and their population will rebound to pre-gather numbers quickly. The range is still in horrible shape and it will likely take another crisis for the BLM to do anything about it. But I was reminded that it is entirely possible to hate on the bureaucracy that is the BLM, bemoan their mismanagement and top down policies while simultaneously praising them when they get something right. Goodness knows they are going to need someone to stand behind them as they bring in more horses across the west.