The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Colorado's Tres Rios Field Office is seeking public comment for a bait trapping proposal for the wild horses of the Spring Creek Herd Management Area (HMA) located in the Disappointment Valley area of southwestern Colorado. 

The proposal was submitted by TJ Holmes, Kathryn Wilder, the National Mustang Association-Colorado (NMA-CO), along the Four Corners and Mesa Verde Back Country Horsemen (collectively known as Disappointment Wild Bunch Partners). It represents a major step toward humane management of these wild horses, particularly when considered in conjunction with the PZP fertility control program that began on this herd in 2011. 

It is important to note that there is no roundup planned or needed at this time, and the goal of the PZP program is to minimize and, eventually to eliminate, removals of wild horses from the range. For any horses who may need to be removed in the interim, bait trapping is clearly a more humane and cost-effective approach than traumatic and expensive helicopter roundups. The Spring Creek Basin HMA is one area in which the BLM is working with the local advocacy groups to protect these mustangs and should be thanked and encouraged to continue this cooperative effort.

Please add your name to the letter bellow to let the BLM know that you support this proposal.

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Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the proposal to implement bait trapping in the Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area (HMA). I strongly support the efforts of the Disappointment Wild Bunch Partners and the BLM Tres Rio Field Office to humanely manage this small but well-known wild horse herd. 

I support Alternative A in the Environmental Assessment, which prioritizes bait trapping should horses need to be removed from this HMA in the future. The bait trap proposal, in conjunction with the use of the PZP fertility control vaccine, represents an important step forward toward humane and cost-effective management of the wild horses in this HMA. The ultimate goal of the PZP program should be the elimination of removals to keep the Spring Creek Basin mustangs wild and free on the range. However, should it become necessary to remove some wild horses, bait trapping is clearly the superior method for the BLM to employ. The technique has been used successfully in several other HMAs, including the Little Book Cliffs and McCullough Peaks HMAs as well as in the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range. 

I commend and thank the BLM Tres Rios field office for working with local wild horse advocacy organizations to protect the Spring Creek Basin wild horses. I encourage you to continue these efforts.

Thank you for your consideration.