Foals lined up at the fence line trying to find the tiniest bit of shade. Palomino Valley Center, July 7, 2024.

Record breaking heat is hitting much of the country. A massive heat warning has been issued in several states.

Not only does this heat impact safety during roundups, it impacts transportation in packed semi-trucks and holding facilities.

Temperatures this week at three Nevada holding facilities will range from 103 to 108. Air temperatures will not go under 100 degrees until July 14.Ground surface temperature has become an important component of weather. The temperature of the ground surface can be more than 10 C above air temperature on a sunny day. These facilities are all white reflective sand with no required shade.

By Wednesday, the Winnemucca facility will reach 107 degrees (no shelter), Fallon (no shelter) will reach 106, Palomino Valley Center near Pyramid Lake north of Reno  (no shelter) will hit 104.

No relief from the blazing sun and blisteringly hot ground.

Instead of postponing the operation north of Lovelock, BLM NV is moving ahead with the Blue Wing roundup as the heatwave beats the range.

The public is being warned that temperatures in a parked vehicle could reach lethal levels in a matter of minutes.

But BLM NV will chase horses and burros with a helicopter, cram them onto semi trucks and ship them over 8 hours to an off-limits to public viewing facility in Utah. Once in the facility they will have no relief; BLM facilities are not required to have shelter.

BLM will use a “lack of terrain to provide shelter from sun and elements” as a reason to zero out a herd.

BLM requires adopters to provide shelter.

But BLM refuses to require facilities to provide shelter. This very simple request has been refused year-after-year. BLM has even spent a ton of money on studies (given to the same people always paid to do “studies”) to justify why they do not need to provide shelter. At the same time they spend money on “studies” to claim that a lack of shelter on range is a reason to “zero out” (remove all) horses from an area.

Foals seeking a tiny bit of shade from the feeders BLM moved to the edge of the pen years ago and started simply feeding off the sandy ground.

While we focus on roundups this week, let us not forget the captives.

BLM simply refuses to create an enforceable welfare policy that meets current veterinary standards. BLM has created a set of internal standards after years and years in the courts. But BLM never allowed public input and never finalized the rules so they could be enforceable.

We are in the courts now on this issue.

Please include requesting funding in the 2025 Appropriations bill for rulemaking for an enforceable welfare policy (as an incentive) when you make your calls to your representatives.

The phone number for Congress is: (202) 224-3121. You should put it in your speed dial. Call the number tell the operator who your representative is (or where you live if you do not know) and you will be connected to an aide in the office. Ask to register your concerns and request. Ask that an amendment to the funding bill for the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program be crafted to simply create a line item for funding for “Rulemaking to create an enforceable welfare policy.”

The final drafts of the spending bill are being written now. Any member of Congress can propose an amendment to include funding for an enforceable welfare policy for our wild horses and burros.

You can see in the slideshow below it is “peak foaling season” in holding where about a thirds of the mares are still pregnant. BLM denies that July is foaling season season… not using data, but simply because they say so.

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Our team is out in the field covering roundups, investigating holding facilities, documenting range conditions and in the courts.

Our wild ones need you, too.

Thank you for keeping WHE on the frontline in the fight to protect and preserve our treasured wild ones!