Iron County to feds: Remove wild horses or we will

Iron County commissioners have given the Bureau of Land Management an ultimatum: Come up with an immediate plan to remove hundreds of wild horses from the area or residents will do it themselves. As drought damages rangelands in southwestern Utah, the overpopulation of wild horses is threatening livestock and wildlife,said Commissioner David Miller. In response, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) wants to reduce the number of cattle allowed or "allotted" in grazing leases, Miller said. "Inaction and no-management practices pose an imminent threat to ranchers who are being pushed to reduce their allotments by 50 percent thereby damaging the value of their private rights," reads a March 30 letter signed by Miller and Iron County Sheriff Mark Gower. Volunteers are ready, corrals are prepared and feed has been secured in case the BLM does not act promptly, Miller said. The letter, addressed to BLM Principal Deputy Director Neil Kornze, gives the federal agency until noon Friday to present a plan for removing horses by a "time acceptable to mitigate the threats and adverse conditions" in Iron County. A BLM management plan says there should be 300 wild horses in the area, but the agency estimates there are 1,200 animals, Miller said. "We will take whatever action we have to take to reduce those numbers immediately," Miller said Thursday. "We expect the BLM to take that action. If they refuse we cannot wait until the range is destroyed."...more