Page 21 - Spring 2018 issue v1

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