Caliente (another roundup set to begin)

By Laura Leigh on December 5, 2020

Caliente roundup 2016

On (or about) December 6 the BLM will begin another roundup in the Caliente Complex that is part of the “zero out” of the Herd Areas (HA) in the complex. This roundup is expected to last 2 weeks.

On December 6 BLM plans to roundup and remove approximately 414 wild horses from areas in and around the Meadow Valley Mountains and Delamar Mountains HAs.

An HA is different from an HMA. HMA stands for Herd Management Area, meaning “managed for horses.” When you see “HA” that means BLM says they can not manage wild horses in that area and made a designation in a land use plan at some juncture (in the case of Caliente Complex, associated HAs, that designation came in 2008).

It is important to learn the “lingo” and engage land use planning. We have an action item to help get actual management planning before more wild ones pay the ultimate price. HERE.

Area of the operation set to begin Sunday outlined in red

In 2008, BLM issued a land use plan that determined the Caliente Complex would not be managed for wild horses. Then, in 2009, BLM conducted the first roundup intended to remove all wild horses from the Complex. Since 2008 there have been at least 3 roundups in the complex.

The Meadow Valley Mountains HA encompasses approximately 94,521 acres of BLM-administered lands. The Delamar Mountains HA consists of approximately 183,558 acres of BLM-administered lands. BLM has set the population level in these areas at “0.”

In July 2020, the Meadow Valley Fire burned approximately 59,265 acres, impacting 60-percent of the Meadow Valley Mountains HA and a small portion of the Delamar Mountains HA. The Stewart Canyon and Bishop Fires burned approximately 25,729 acres or 14-percent of the Delamar Mountains HA.

BLM states the current population estimate in the Meadow Valley Mountains HA is 216 wild horses and current population estimate in the Delamar Mountains HA is 198 wild horses.

The wild horses captured will be transported about 500 miles to the Bruneau Off-Range Wild Horse Corrals, in Bruneau, Idaho.

The BLM is conducting the gather using the DOI-BLM-NV-L030-2017-0031-EA Caliente Herd Area Complex Wild Horse Final Environmental Assessment signed April 27, 2018. Access the Decision Record and Environmental Assessment at https://go.usa.gov/xfVkq.

If you want to view the operation you must call the gather hotline nightly at (775) 861-6700 to receive specific instructions on each days’ meeting location and time.

BLM claims they will follow all CDC guidelines. They will require Facemasks for daily safety briefings and in the observation areas.

At the Shawave gather in NV earlier this year, BLM and contract staff may have required the public to wear masks at briefings, but contract staff did not wear facemasks at any time, not even in town.

We are checking with BLM to determine the policy for this operation so you can determine safe travel plans if you intend to observe.

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What you can do today to help in the fight.

Please take action to demand Congress defund any roundups where the BLM has failed to create open and transparent management planning. Click HERE.

Call the Senate switchboard and ask for your rep. Demand that all actions against wild horses and burros halt until William Perry Pendley leaves the BLM. His tenure was ruled illegal and BLM is still moving an agenda forward for Pendley’s former law clients. Switchboard (202) 224-3121

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Help us stay in the fight.