Stop El Rito Round-up

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Stop the US Forest Service from Capturing and Removing over 30 Wild Horses from the Jarita Wildhorse Territory near El Rito, New Mexico

Summary

The US Forest Service has contracted to have at least 30 horses removed from the Jarita Wildhorse Territory (approx 54,866 arces) near El Rito, New Mexico in April 2003.

US Forest officials claim the range resources cannot support all the horses, livestock and wildlife that roam the area. They estimate that 80 to 100 horses are roaming the territory and this population needs to be reduced in accordance to a 1982 management plan. In good forage years, the territory can support up to 70 wild horses, but only 20 in times of drought, the report states (Albuquerque Journal 4/18/03).

WHOA maintains that the wild horses are not an environmental issue and are not what is wrong with the cattle industry. Rather, the overgrazing of cattle are at issue with the environment. The drought, importation of beef from South America, as well as many other factors are much of what is wrong with the cattle industry. Even McDonalds lost money last year and it was not due to the 148 wild horses allowed on the Forest Service lands in New Mexico.

WHOA Goal

The Wild Horse Observers Association opposes this action by the US Forest Service and its contractors. WHOA advocates that the Wild Horses remain on the Jarita Wildhorse Territory unmolested by the US Forest Service.

Result

The Wild Horse Observers Association, along with the Forest Guardians and several New Mexico elected officials, were successful in bringing this travesty to an early halt (although nine Wild Horses were already captured before the the US Forest Service halted the roundup). The US Forest Service claimed the halt was due to concerns over the cost of helicopter support and with the roundup coinciding with the season for mares to foal. However, both of these issues were well known well before the roundup began.

At the time the US Forest Service initially announced the halt of their roundup there were seven Wild Horses already captured. However, it appears that the Forest Service had their contractor continue to roundup two more horses on the day after the announcement, for a total of nine Wild Horses.

Latest News

Due to the demonstration against Spring Roundups with Helicoptors and the public input generated, the roundup will proceed without helicopters and they Forest Service has declared that the El Rito Ranger District (as well as the Jicarilla District) will no longer do their roundups in the Spring.

These are among the nine wild horses rounded up by the Forest Service in April 2003 near El Rito, NM

Photo provided by the USDA Forest Service

In-Depth Analysis

The USDA Forest Service of New Mexico had or has 9 Wildhorse Territories and 3 Wild Burro Territories all of which are Congressionally mandated. However, we have wild horses on only 3 of these territories. Additionally, these 3 territories are being "managed" at numbers too low to remain genetically viable. The Forest Service appears to be using every legal remedy it can find, to wipe out these horses in favor of cattle. (See graph Wild Horses vs Cattle on Wild Horse/Burro Territories and document Wild Horse Territories List).

In addition, the courts have told the Forest Service that they are overgrazing both New Mexico and Arizona with cattle (See Forest Guardians vs US Forest Service) including other parts of the Carson National Forest, but to no avail so far.

For instance, in the El Rito Jarita Mesa round-up, 30 horses (of a total of only 33 to 63) were to be removed so that the permits for 518 cattle could be fulfilled at just $1.35/month per cow. Throughout the WHOA campaign, the Forest Service reduced this number from 518 to 387 to 346 cows, however, they would not stop the horse round-up or correspondingly reduce the number of horses to be removed. They also implied at public meetings and to the press that these horses were skinny after years of drought and winter, but take at the picture of them above. What do you think?

Requests to postpone this roundup to address several serious issues, as well as to ensure it did not occur during foaling season fell on deaf ears and evasive lips.

Congressman Udall's office called the Forest Service and requested a postponement, which the Forest Service denied . At the public meeting prior to the roundup, when John Merino (Acting District Manager) was asked about elected officials contacting him, he evasively answered "I've received no request for a stay". He persistently evaded admitting that he had in fact, been requested to postpone this roundup by Thomas Garcia of Congressman Udall's office.

This round-up cost the tax payers $29,000 for the helicopters and horseback riders to chase these pregnant mares and their families across rough terrain and up and down canyons. We taxpayers will receive a mere $2,802 in return, along with two dead wild horses.

This round-up was wrong for the many reasons outlined in WHOA's Request to Forest Service for Stay, including the fact that the Forest Service not following their own flawed Environmental Assessment and their use of wild estimates of the count of horses which went directly against their own statements in the EA based on 30 years of history for this herd. To this date, the Forest Service has not answered the questions asked in WHOA's request.

The timing of this round-up was wrong being that it was mid-foaling season, and as a result, a colt died after it's captured mother gave birth. The Forest Service was warned of this likelihood ahead of time. Their comment to this after the death of the colt was "we knew there were risks".

HELP!! The Forest Service has plans to roundup another 100 or so horses in the Jicarilla Wild Horse Territory, another area of Carson National Forest. Please contact WHOA or the Forest Service so that you can be involved in the comments on their Environmental Assessment prior to the 30 day deadline. (See Jicarilla EA Status)

It's important to understand that these horses in these areas are protected by the 1971 Free-Roaming Wild Horses and Burros Act, regardless of breed or blood type. Up and beyond that, the horses at El Rito's Jarita Mesa have repeatedly been confirmed as containing significant amounts of Spanish blood.

Key Information

WHOA's Wild Horse Territories Project

Communication Between WHOA and USDA Forest Service

WHOA Request to Forest Service for Stay - April 10, 2003

	Problems with the El Rito Environmental Assessment - Thanks to the Forest Guardians for providing this information.
	FSM 2200 - Range Management (MS Word .doc) portion of the USDA Forest Service document.

Press Releases from USDA Forest Service

US Forest Service Updates on Wildhorse Roundup- Jarita Wildhorse Territory

	April 12, 2003 AM - Five horses captured
	April 14, 2003 AM - Total of six horses captured to date
	April 16, 2003 AM - Total of seven horses captured to date
	April 21, 2003 - Wild Horse Roundup Ends Early, two Wild Horses Die
	December 2003 - Roundup to proceed, but without helicopters and roundups will no longer be done in the Spring.

Jicarilla Environmental Assessment Status - The next US Forest Service Roundup

Communications between WHOA and NM elected officials

	US Representative Tom Udall's request of postponement was finally acknowledged by the US Forest Service, despite repeatedly denying the request was ever received in prior statements.
	Office of Heather Wilson emailed by WHOA - WHOA's request for US Rep. Wilson's assistance. Unfortunately US Rep. Wilson has thus far declined to intervene in any significant manner, beyond forwarding our concerns to the US Forest Service.
	Governor Bill Richardson's office was contacted by WHOA, requesting his support.

Media Coverage

Albuquerque Journal and Albuquerque Journal (North Edition)

	April 8, 2003 - Horse Roundup Draws Objections - "By the end of this week, a Utah company is expected to start its roundup of wild horses within the Jarita Wildhorse Territory unless two organizations are able to stop it."
	April 12, 2003 - Forest Service Tries To Corral Horses - "Over objections from an animal rights group and other environmentalists, the Forest Service on Friday began efforts to round up wild horses in the Carson National Forest."
	April 14, 2003 - Cattle Rancher Claims Wild Horses Are Stealing (and the WHOA response) - "For more than 100 years, Sebedeo Chacon's family has relied on the Jarita Wildhorse Territory for cattle grazing. He supports the Carson National Forest's attempt to remove 30 wild horses by the end of the week."
	April 15, 2003 - Horses Outsmart Wranglers - "After four days, wild horses within the Jarita Wildhorse Territory are getting the best of wranglers who have a goal to capture 30 of the national treasurers. As of the end of Monday, K.G. Livestock had captured seven wild horses."
	April 19, 2003 - Wild Horse Roundup Halted - "A wild horse roundup on northern New Mexico's Carson National Forest was to be suspended Friday because of costs and fewer captures than expected, forest officials said."
	Aoril 22, 2003 - Forest Roundup Nets Nine Horses - "The Carson National Forest's roundup of 30 wild horses within the Jarita Wildhorse Territory fell far short of its goal, and Forest Service officials had to deal with the death of two horses. In the eight-day roundup, the Carson's contractor, K.G. Livestock, was able to catch nine horses with the use of a helicopter crew and eight workers on horseback within the El Rito Ranger District north of Santa Fe."

WHOA member comment on KOB-TV coverage - April 15, 2003 - Coverage of El Rito Horse Roundup in Carson National Forest Falls Short

Wild Horses Rounded up in the Jarita Wildhorse Territory for the US Forest Service

Photo from Albuquerque Journal North (Eddie Moore) April 15, 2003