Tell BLM: Protect Small Wild Horse Herds in Northern California

Carter’s Reservoir band. Photo Janine Dallow.

Three relatively small Herd Management Areas (HMAs) in Northern California—Carter Reservoir, Buckhorn and Coppersmith—are caught in the crosshairs of the Bureau of Land Management's aggressive roundup operations.

 Carter Reservoir is a tragic example of how BLM goes about destroying a wild horse herd. Once part of a sprawling 284,915-acre area of public lands designated to be principally devoted to wild horse use, it has been reduced to a mere 21,591 acres. This stark reduction underscores the challenges wild horse herds face as their habitats are systematically diminished, while prioritizing livestock grazing over their federally mandated protection.

 Of course, BLM cries that the range is suffering—and it is wild horses at fault.

 And though the range is too damaged for wild horses, from 2010 to 2022, BLM increased cattle grazing (even after a wildfire), matching or exceeding wild horse populations. Now, the agency proposes removing 618 of the estimated 752 horses across these HMAs, leaving just 134 on 171,171 acres of public land while ignoring the loss of 263,000 acres for the Carter Reservoir herd.

 BLM's outdated, biased management and invasive methods—sterilization, IUDs, and sex ratio manipulation—threaten wild horse herds, blaming them for range issues while prioritizing livestock land use.

 WE MUST STAND UP FOR THESE WILD HORSES!

Getting public comments on the record is critical. Otherwise, BLM can claim Americans support this mismanagement.

 Please join The Cloud Foundation to fight for fair and humane management that preserves natural wild behaviors, family, and freedom. Please click the TAKE ACTION below to personalize and submit your comments by November 22

 ~ The Cloud Team
"It always seems impossible until it's done." Nelson Mandella