It's been less than three years since Bureau of Land Management (BLM) helicopters descended on the remote and austere Challis Mountains in Idaho to stampede and capture 366 federally-protected wild horses who had been living peacefully in this 160,000-area public lands area. During the July 2009 roundup, 11 horses were killed, several foals were orphaned, and 225 horses were permanently removed from the range, their freedom and families gone forever.
Now the BLM is proposing to return to the Challis Herd Management Area (HMA) again for another roundup in October 2012. The agency is accepting public comments on the proposed roundup. During this "scoping period," which ends on March 5, 2012, the public can raise issues and suggest alternatives to be considered in the environmental analysis and final plan for the horse-capturing action.
Please send a letter opposing another roundup of wild horses in the Challis HMA. Please personalize the sample letter below and then press the "Send Message" button to send your email to the BLM in Idaho. Thank you for speaking up for Idaho's mustangs!
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If you prefer to send your comments directly to the BLM, they can be emailed with the subject line containing “proposed wild horse gather comments” to BLM_ID_ChallisOffice@blm.gov.
Comments can be submitted by mail to: Challis Field Office, 1151 Blue Mountain Road, Challis, Idaho 83226, Attention: Kevin Lloyd. Comments must be postmarked by March 5, 2012.
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More Info on the Challis Herd Management Area
Location: Challis Mountains, central Idaho
Acreage: 154,150 BLM Acres
Elevation: 4,600 to nearly 8,000 feet
"Allowable" Management Level for Wild Horses: 185
Authorized Cow/Calf Pairs: 953
BLM allocates five times more forage resources (Animal Unit Months, or AUMs) to commercial livestock than to wild horses in this federally-designated Challis Herd Management Area.
