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Frequently Asked Questions About the
SALT RIVER
WILD HORSES
(PART 3 OF A CONTINUING SERIES)
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WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT TO SAVE
THESE WILD HORSES? HOW CAN THE USFS PROTECT THE
SALT RIVER FREE ROAMING HORSES?
Now that we are down to the last of these historic
living symbols, it is crucial that we make informed
decisions based on science and based on what future
generations of Americans would want us to do. Nothing in the Forest Service Directive prohibits the
US Forest Service from managing wild horses.
These wild horses are crucially important to the
local, environmental and global communities for
many reasons, including recreational enjoyment and
economic, cultural and educational contributions.
The herd is iconic, representative of nature at its best:
wild and free. It is also accessible — tourists and
photographers come from all over the nation to see
these wild horses.
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
the wildlife viewing industry in the U.S. garnered
$65.7 billion in 2012 alone, a figure that grows every
year. Wild horse ecotourism, in particular, is on
the rise. Madeleine Pickens’ Mustang Monument
Wild Horse Resort in Nevada draws international
tourists willing to pay more than $1,000 per night
for the opportunity to spend time with mustangs.
On the Salt River, visitors can spend an entire day
with wild horses for just $7 — the cost of a Tonto
National Forest day pass. The Salt River wild horses
draw visitors to the area, providing a boost for local
businesses and the economy.
These horses are also important to the Salt
River Pima and Fort McDowell Sovereign
Nations and as such are protected by both tribes
because of the horses’ long and rich heritage with
indigenous peoples and because of their historic
and cultural significance.
Children of all ages benefit from the presence of
these horses. Local high schools have taken their
classrooms outdoors to study the wild horses. Very
few urban areas exist where students can travel a short
distance to gain tremendous experiential knowledge
in an outdoor classroom that extends beyond a
school’s four walls. Educational seminars about the
wild horses are offered routinely by Ranger B at the
Usury Pass Center on the Salt River.
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May 2017
Legally, the USFS has the discretion to protect these
horses for future generations by managing them as
part of its overall forest management plan. The USFS
can also choose to protect the horses by designating
a territory for them under the Wild Free-Roaming
Horses and Burros Act so that they may receive a
budget for managing the horses. The Salt River Wild
Horse Management Group has presented Tonto
National Forest officials with a detailed proposal
for a humane management program and is offering
a public-private partnership to implement it. Key
components of the plan include:
• A humane fertility-control program to manage herd
expansion. Immuno-contraception can be humanely
darted by certified individuals without need to
capture animals.
• Range management measures, such as addition and/
or removal of fencing or restoration of water sources
to facilitate natural horse migration and alleviate
areas where horses are congregating in close
proximity to people.
• Continued work with the Maricopa County
Department of Transportation to improve traffic
safety through horse crossing signs and other
measures, such as “animal detection systems”
that trigger warning lights or other signals when
large animals are present. Such traffic safety
improvements could be privately funded.
• Public education and other measures to ensure
public and horse safety.
• Longterm range-health studies to determine
impacts of various uses, including but not limited
to the horses.
By entering into a public-private partnership for the
humane management of the Salt River wild horses,
the USFS can balance recreational, environmental
and public safety concerns while delivering win-win
solutions that will protect this iconic herd for future
generations to come.
AZintheSaddle.com