Controversial helicopter roundup of wild horses in Piceance-East Douglas herd area begins, despite calls from governor to pause

Friday, July 15, the Bureau of Land Management began its controversial helicopter gather of Colorado's wild mustangs living in the Piceance-East Douglas herd area, located near Meeker on the Western Slope. The BLM plans to remove 750 horses over the next 30 days from the area, despite an outpouring of public opposition, including from Gov. Jared Polis and the first gentleman. 

The BLM has contracted a private company to conduct the helicopter roundup, which will cost $550,000. The horses gathered will be taken to a holding facility in Utah.

It wasn't supposed to happen until September, but the BLM decided to move it up last month, a move the governor spoke out against.

Polis met with BLM officials and sent them a letter this week urging the agency to pause the roundups and use "a more cost-effective, humane, and stable way of managing" wild horse herds, like more birth control.

If they must move forward with the plan, the governor also asked the BLM to take extra care of foals and pregnant mares, offering a state veterinarian to be on site. 

Eric Coulter, public affairs specialist with the BLM, said the agency accepted that offer. 

Asked why the BLM decided to move forward with the roundup, despite opposition, Coulter said, "We have had the governor out here. We've done some field trips with him, and we appreciate his involvement and working with us. A lot of these gathers happen when time is of the essence... luckily, we did get a little green-up, so the horses got a little better, but it's probably the best they will be throughout the year. So, we want to gather those horses before the body condition gets so bad that it's really hard to gather."

Wildlife photographer and American Wild Horse Campaign board member Scott Wilson went to the area just three weeks ago to check out the conditions of the horses. He says the mustangs look healthy, and he spotted several young foals and a pregnant mare.

Wilson worries about how the young foals will fare running from the helicopters in the July heat. 

"It's just a completely inhumane way to run foals at this time of year," he said. 

One reason many advocates are against the roundups is because, as CBS4 Investigates reported in May, private ranchers are allowed to graze thousands of cows on those same lands. Some advocates feel the BLM is favoring ranching operations over the welfare of horses, at the expense of taxpayers. 

Coulter says the BLM is required to ensure the lands are shared and enjoyed for multiple uses. He says right now there are too many horses in the herd area. 

"We are we are required by law to have multiple uses and livestock grazing is one of those, including recreation, and oil and gas development, so, horses are part of that, and it's really balancing those efforts," Coulter said. "Within this area, the ranchers who do have livestock permits and allotments, they actually have done voluntary reductions and have reduced over half of the amount of cattle out here, partially with those range conditions. It's not sustainable for it to continue that way."

Advocates like Wilson say the government should reconsider its priorities.

"These horses are part of your heritage. They're a national treasure and they're protected in law. That protection is not being followed through, (instead) the protections are being sacrificed for the sake of livestock interests, and other interests outside of the primary protection there should be for wild horses," Wilson said. "So, this is your law, your legal protection of wildlife has been let down."

The governor's office sent the following statement about the BLM beginning the roundup Friday: "We appreciate that the BLM has taken us up on our offer to have the State Veterinarian present and that they have noted several other steps that will be taken to improve transparency and the care of the wild horses in response to the concerns we have raised. We will continue to work for the health and welfare of these wild horses, but we acknowledge that this is a significant positive step in the right direction."