Tens of thousands of wild horses still inhabit the western states. The Bureau of Land Management is caught between two camps: ranchers who want them contained and advocates who want them to roam free.
James McWilliams covers a rural land use drama: how to handle thousands of free-ranging wild horses. Currently, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) contains many of the animals and attempts to control their movements. "The primary reason they're confined is the nearly 18,000 ranchers grazing an estimated 747,963 'animal units'—a bureaucratic term that can represent either a horse, a cow/calf pair, or five sheep—on 155 million acres of land."
Ranchers must compete with the horses for forage opportunities, a difficult task during drought. "They view the remaining 58,150 mustangs and burros roaming wild across 10 western states as invasive pests who gorge on precious forage and trample the landscape into hardpan."
Since the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, the BLM has been charged with protection and management of wild herds on federal land. "Because the BLM also issues grazing allotments to private ranchers [...] the agency is entrusted to balance wild horse and cattle populations on land where these animals overlap."
Many ranchers argue for drastic measures to contain the horses. But advocates say they're exaggerating the problem. "Of all the public grazing land the BLM manages (155 million acres), wild horses are technically allowed to graze on only 17 percent of it."
FULL STORY: Western Cattlemen Square Off Against 60,000 Mustangs
Grand Teton Foundation Races to Fundraise — or Lose Key Wildlife Corridor
Wyoming could sell a currently protected parcel of land, key to elk and other hoofed mammal migration paths, to private developers.
Utah and Wyoming Sue BLM Over Conservation Rule
The states allege the agency overstepped federal regulations in its attempt to boost conservation efforts on public lands.
BLM Grazing Lands Largely Fail Health Assessment
Grazing lands under the agency’s management are not meeting its own criteria for ecosystem conservation and sustainable use.
Florida Considers Legalizing ADUs
Current state law allows — but doesn’t require — cities to permit accessory dwelling units in single-family residential neighborhoods.
HUD Announces Plan to Build Housing on Public Lands
The agency will identify federally owned parcels appropriate for housing development and streamline the regulatory process to lease or transfer land to housing authorities and nonprofit developers.
Conservatives’ Decongestion Pricing Flip-Flop
When it comes to solving traffic problems, the current federal administration is on track for failure, waste, and hypocrisy.
Can Geothermal Energy Fuel Hawaiʻi’s Future?
Gavin Murphy, a New Zealand-based consultant with experience in indigenous-led geothermal projects, argues that Hawaiʻi is poised to achieve energy independence and economic growth by respectfully developing its untapped geothermal resources.
Climate Gardening: Cultivating Resilient Landscapes in Los Angeles
TreePeople’s 4th Annual Urban Soil Symposium explored how climate gardening, soil health, and collaborative land management strategies can enhance urban resilience in the face of climate change.
Electric Surge: EV Chargers Outnumber Gas Nozzles in California
California now has 48% more electric vehicle chargers than gasoline nozzles, reflecting its rapid shift toward clean transportation and aggressive zero-emission goals despite federal pushback.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Florida Atlantic University
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
City of Piedmont, CA
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland