Two of the biggest concerns currently in the Basin are the amount of water and vegetation available for all wildlife in the Basin, including the Wild Horses. Aletha and I have spent some time with Hunter in the Little Snake River BLM office, in Craig, CO, trying to better understand these issues.
Here’s part of what we have learned and questions we now have:
In the past there have been several areas in the northern part of the HMA that were bush-hogged to allow more growth of perennial grasses.
T. J.Holmes, from the Spring Creek Basin HMA, was quoted as saying “You’ve got to have the resources to enable the horses and the other wildlife to live here. If you don't have that, you don't have a healthy wild horse herd, you don't have a healthy elk herd, you don't have a healthy deer herd or pronghorn herd. I love these horses more than anything but you’ve got to have the range to support them or we won’t have any horses here,” “The ecosystem is very fragile. The soil is very erodible. If it’s overgrazed, the vegetation doesn’t come back, or if it does come back, it’s not the preferable plant species coming back. This country was built on the backs of horses, mules, and burros, they’re a part of the American Western landscape, and they’re important to keep because they’re a part of our culture and our history.”
We believe that WHERE THERE IS A WILL ,THERE IS A WAY.