Page 20 - Spring 2018 issue v1
P. 20

20 Friends oF red rock canyon                                                                                                                                                                Friends oF red rock canyon      21


                                                                                                                                         they do not make a big                                             ing consumed on a scale of zero
                                                                          When Tabitha Romero comes to work,                             enough impact on herd                                              to 100 percent. We also monitor
                                                                       her “office” happens to extend 2.3 million                        numbers to help properly                                           spring conditions to measure
                                                                       acres across all of southern Nevada.                              manage the populations.                                            impacts to riparian areas from
                                                                          She must balance that with constant                               At this time, what is                                           wild horse or burro usage.
                                                                       office work such as writing and analyzing                         the population of wild                                                What do you want the
                                                                       environmental assessments and other docu-                         horses and burros in                                               public to know about these
                                                                       ments, as well as spending time from the Red                      Red Rock Canyon?                                                   animals?
                                                                       Rock Canyon Visitor Center to Pahrump and                            Romero: There are                                                  Romero: Some believe that
                                                                       Amargosa conducting outreach programs                             200 wild horses and a                                              we are “managing the animals
                                                                       about wild horses and burros.                                     wild burro population of                                           to extinction” and that we cater

                                                                          Another aspect of her wide-ranging job                         approximately 70.                                                  to cattle ranchers or private
                                                                       is working with people adopting wild horses                                                                                          individuals. This is not the case.
                                                                       – from interviewing them to inspecting how                           When bands get                                                  We are passionate not only about
                                                                       they are treating the animals.                                    overpopulated, does       Assessing the amount of available forage.   the wild horses and burros, but
                                                                                                                                         BLM let them die natu-                                           also the rangeland and all activities
                                                                                                                                         rally if they are malnourished, or are all horses   occurring on them. By striking a balance among all
                                                                                                                                         relocated?                                        these, we benefit all parties, not just a few.
                                                                                                                                            Romero: If there are animals that are in
                                                                                                                                         distress due to lack of water or forage the BLM     How do they potentially threaten the habitat?
                                                                                                                                         typically removes them from the range permanently.   Romero: When overpopulated, wild horses
                                                                                                                                         Dying of starvation or dehydration is a very painful   and burros can overgraze forage, impact soils, and
                                                                                                                                         death and is not a humane form of management.     severely damage riparian areas. While this area can
                                                                                                                                                                                           support healthy herd numbers, if they get too numer-
                                                                                                                                            How do you go about observing and measuring    ous the results can be devastating. We do not have
                                                                                                                                         their numbers and impacts?                        the luxury of high precipitation and lower tempera-
                                                                                                                                            Romero: Every year we conduct forage utilization   tures here in the Mojave. The annual rainfall average
                                                                            Article and photos by Glenn Ritt                             surveys of our herd management areas. This allows   is roughly four inches; so when our desert ecosys-
                                                                                                                                         us to see how much of a key species of forage is be-  tems are damaged, it can take decades for them to


                        abitha Romero is responsible for all the wild horse and burro herds here. She shares her work
      Volunteers dedicated to the preservation of Red Rock Canyon
                    T and passion for these special animals that confront constant challenges where water and
                 forage is always so precious.
                    Recently, the Rock spent a day with Romero driving across part of her immense region - Red Rock
                 Canyon National Conservation Area - inspecting bands of wild horses and monitoring precious water-
                 ing locations ideally fed by natural springs, but during drought conditions reinforced by tanker trucks
                 that must navigate rutted and rock-strewn remote paths for a full day.

                  What are the most significant challenges in   we care for in long-term holding corral and pasture
               your job?                                        facilities.
                  Romero: Human interaction with the wild horses
               and burros, forage and water conditions. If they want   What are the current conditions of wild horses
               the wild horses and burros to stay wild, they have to   and burros?
                                                                   Romero: Throughout 10 western states, there are
               let them be wild.                                26.9 million acres of public lands managed for wild
                  We have domesticated these animals for more   horses, wild burros and other species. While this may
               than 6,000 years. So, they revert back to domesti-  seem like a lot of land, the vast majority of these
               cated behaviors very quickly if they experience hu-  areas are arid or semi-arid and contain limited re-
               man interaction. Many people do not understand that   sources that must not only support healthy wild horse
               these are not backyard barn animals. They are wild   and burro populations but also grazing permittees,
               and can be dangerous.                            mineral, oil, and gas development, native wildlife,
                                                                and outdoor recreation to name a few.
                  What brings you the greatest satisfaction in
               your job?                                           Congress designated BLM a multi-use agency,
                  Romero: When I’m able to place wild horses and   so we have to strive for the best balance between all
               burros into good adoptive homes. We currently have   stakeholders. Wild horses and burros do have preda-
               approximately 46,000 wild horses and burros that   tors such as mountain lions in some of areas, but                                   A group of mares with a new foal in the northern section of Red Rock Canyon.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                   (Continued on page 22)


               the Rock - Volume 8 Issue 3                                                                                                                                                                                  Spring 2018
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