This area of Triple B was a priority for the state of NV while Cold Creek continued to deteriorate.

We have been discussing prioritization of funds and workforce by federal agencies with our readers for over a year now.

In 2015 there was an emergency removal of wild horses at Cold Creek. Since that date nothing has been done; no removals or long term strategic action. However funding has been used in the state for removals in other areas where range degradation is not in the shape of the Wheeler Pass/Cold Creek area. The area (Cold Creek) has multiple jurisdictions and no long term strategy. This area was not a “work priority.”

We have been telling our readers to expect an emergency operation at “Cold Creek.” It was just announced. With no official strategy to create a long term plan, this was expected.

It is long past time where the reality of the range should influence land managers; not just political, and peer, pressure.

Our response document to “BLM’s Report to Congress” delves into political (buddy system) style operation of federal land management agencies. Management is based on politics; in every aspect from prioritization of funding and projects to who gets to participate at the table. It makes investing any time and effort into any “collaborative” process frustrating unless you are a profit driven political player or a personal friend. It, in truth, causes almost every area of contention. There are a lot of people in that area (Cold Creek) that have tried to work with federal agencies, become frustrated over years, and now there is a divide that has a lot to do with personality. That’s not public land management.

BLM report to Congress, so does WHE: https://wildhorseeducation.org/2018/04/27/blm-report-to-congress/

We discussed how politics and buddy systems prioritize the attention of land managers when we covered the recent Triple B operation. https://wildhorseeducation.org/2018/02/21/wild-horse-organization-pushes-for-investigation-into-triple-b/

Joint Agency Press Release in full below (to be clear this is not our press release. This is what USFS and BLM have to say). The following was sent by USFS and BLM today; we did not write the information below.

Deteriorating Health of Wild Horse Herd Near Las Vegas Prompts Action by USDA Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management

LAS VEGAS, May 7, 2018 – Due to extreme drought conditions and lack of forage, the USDA Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will begin gathering and providing emergency care for up to 200 wild horses on starting around the week May 14 in the Cold Creek area of Wheeler Pass Joint Management Area (JMA), about 30 miles northwest of Las Vegas. A Cold Creek Community Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, May 9 at 6 p.m. at the Cold Creek Volunteer Fire Department, 28431 Coldcreek Road, Cold Creek, Nevada.

“The Forest Service and BLM have been monitoring the situation and the wild horse population has increased beyond the area’s limited forage resources,” said Bill Dunkelberger, Forest Supervisor of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. “Many of the animals are in very poor condition, and we do not expect the situation to improve any time soon.”

Both agencies have observed the wild horses in the Cold Creek area of the Wheeler Pass JMA browsing on the bark of Joshua trees and other desert shrub forage that lack sufficient nutritional value. There is adequate water available for the animals, however they must travel over 10 miles from existing water sources to find adequate forage on the valley floor or farther up into the Spring Mountains. The traveling in search of forage has negatively impacted the horses’ body conditions and the health of foals.

The Wheeler Pass JMA is made up of the Spring Mountain Wild Horse and Burro Territory (WHBT), which encompasses around 102,221 acres within the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest’s Spring Mountains National Recreation Area, and Wheeler Pass Herd Management Area (HMA), which encompasses approximately 102,221 acres within the Southern Nevada BLM District. Since 90 percent of the wild horses are on National Forest System lands, the Forest Service will be the lead agency conducting the emergency gather.

The wild horses will be gathered by low-stress bait trapping by an approved BLM Gather Contractor. The gathered horses will immediately be moved to a temporary holding facility where they will receive health assessments and feeding. Once medically cleared by on-site veterinarians the horses will be transported to a BLM holding facility in Ridgecrest, California, where they will be made available for adoption or transferred to off-range holding facilities.

“The Forest Service and BLM are committed to the safe and humane treatment of these wild horses throughout the emergency gather operations,” stressed Dunkelberger. “Prior to and during gather operations, a veterinarian will be accessing the condition of the horses and supplemental feeding will be provided to prevent further deterioration of their body condition and improve their chances of survival.”

Because of the need for wild horses to adjust to the hay and corrals in a quick and safe manner, only essential wild horse personnel will be allowed at the gather sites during initial operations. Depending on the animals’ adjustment, public viewing through an escorted tour of the temporary holding facility may be arranged at some point during the gather. A qualified veterinarian will be on-site during all gather operations.

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Clearing mining roads and grazing allotments was a priority for BLM as Cold Creek stood on the edge of an emergency.