~ Mel Robbins
Hello and Happy Wednesday!
We are working with our friends at Oregon Wild Horse Organization to raise our voices for the Muddy Creek Wild Horses. The BLM has scheduled an emergency round up on this herd to begin on the 10th. The BLM is citing “Continued drought conditions including a lack of forage, available water, and an overpopulation of wild horses is prompting the Bureau of Land Management to initiate an emergency removal of excess horses from areas in and around the Muddy Creek Herd Management Area (HMA) in Emery County.” You can read the entire release here: https://www.blm.gov/announcement/blm-conduct-muddy-creek-wild-horse-gather-emery-county
We are asking that you take a moment to take our one click action that sends the following email to elected officials in the state of Utah, including state and federal legislators, the governor’s office and the BLM. You can take our one click action here: https://secure.everyaction.com/2BRiIhhoUEmULWIvCXPS9w2
Thank you to Jen Howe for use of the current photos of this herd used in this blog and our Call to Action. You can see these horses look healthy!
The email they will receive reads:
I write to urgently object to the Bureau of Land Management’s continued removal of wild horses from the Muddy Creek Herd Management Area (HMA) under the justification of drought and water scarcity. The public has now witnessed two deeply concerning developments:
The BLM recently bait-trapped members of this herd using a natural water source, taking advantage of a basic need to forcibly remove animals who were otherwise surviving on the range.
Now, the agency intends to return and conduct a helicopter roundup to remove even more horses, again citing drought conditions as the justification.
This two-pronged approach—using natural water to bait-trap, followed by helicopter removals under the guise of drought—is not only disingenuous, it violates the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 (WFRHBA).
1. Drought is Not Legal Grounds for Removal When Water Access Is Manageable
BLM has both the authority and precedent to supply emergency water—by trucking it in or using guzzlers—without removing horses. This was done in prior drought years throughout Utah and Nevada. Choosing not to provide water and then using that artificial “emergency” to justify removals is a policy choice, not a legal necessity.
The WFRHBA mandates that BLM protect wild horses on the public lands where they were found in 1971. If horses are removed every time drought arises, then they are not truly being “managed” on the range—they are being eliminated from it.
2. Using Natural Water Sources to Bait Trap Violates the Spirit of the Law
The recent use of a full, natural pond to lure and trap these animals raises serious ethical and legal questions. When the BLM intentionally uses the horses’ survival instincts against them—then turns around and claims drought necessitates more removals—it becomes clear this is not emergency response; it is opportunistic herd reduction, dressed as crisis management.
3. Management Decisions Have Created This Crisis
If fencing, grazing pressure, or other management choices have restricted access to water sources within the HMA, the resulting scarcity is a BLM-created problem. Wild horses should not be punished with permanent removal for the consequences of these land-use decisions. Instead, BLM has a duty to restore balance and water access without removing federally protected animals.
I formally request that:
No helicopter roundup proceed at Muddy Creek based on drought claims, and
Emergency water be provided immediately if needed, without any condition of removal.
Please demonstrate compliance with WFRHBA and your humane management obligations.
Thank you for your immediate attention to this urgent matter.
Thank you for your support and be sure to check back, we will have more on the TRNP wild horses and additional actions you can take for Wyoming’s wild horses.
Please help support our critical advocacy work! Click our logo below to make your tax deductible donation to Chasing Horses Wild Horse Advocates.
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