How can the risk of devastating western wildfires be reduced in the future?
Could part of the solution be horses—wild horses?
There is so much blame to go around for the horrific fires raging in Los Angeles. From feckless governmental “leadership” at several levels, to an empty reservoir and fire department budget cuts, they all add up to lack of planning for the inevitable. Another case in point: diverting snow melt from the Sacramento River tributaries into the sea to help the delta smelt (fish), rather than making sure reservoirs are full.
The result is loss of lives, houses disintegrating to rubble and Armageddon for horses and other animals in what some have labeled the country’s biggest natural disaster.
There is concern about how the fires will affect plans for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The authoritative “Inside the Games” newsletter noted that the fires are, “raising alarm bells” for the Olympic committee, with several venues “under threat.”
On Thursday, the newsletter noted, “With fatality figures that alarm even the most skeptical, the land reduced to ash, and reconstruction costs estimated at an unfathomable $135 billion, the city’s ability to host the world’s largest sporting event is now subjected to thorough investigation.”
The current situation means that “the challenges of ensuring the Games’ safety are becoming increasingly apparent.”
Years of permitting delays on such forest management issues as thinning out brush and tree density, with controlled burns designed to stop the rapid spread of fire and toxic smoke, have been hampered by lawsuits from “climate activists.”
After the current blazes subside, it’s past time to do something that can decrease future devastation. A key step would be removing the brush and undergrowth that have acted as tinder. And that’s where the horses come in.
William Simpson of the Wild Horse Fire Brigade says he knows just how it should be done,
The former logger and rancher manages a wild horse herd on the border of California and Oregon, so every day, he sees the capability of these animals to clean up rough terrain where cattle and sheep don’t graze anymore, and herds of deer and elk have diminished.
William Simpson of the Wild Horse Fire Brigade with part of the wild horse herd that lives on the California Oregon border. (Photo courtesy Michelle Gough)
Mustangs have no problem navigating the undulating ground and consuming underbrush that acts as kindling for wildfires, when a spark hits and Santa Ana winds blow. He points out that unlike domestic horses, the mustangs are able to consume weeds and brush with no ill effects. Simpson characterizes them as gardeners, because seeds in manure are viable, which works for starting fresh growth instead of leaving ground barren. On the other hand, seeds are destroyed in the complex digestive systems of ruminant animals, such as cattle, he pointed out. And he contends wild horses do not share domestic horses’ fear of fire.
“We’re trying to get the LA fire department, the Malibu fire department, the Malibu homeowners association and the Palisades homeowners association to call me up and say, `You come down here and tell us how to do this’ and I would do it,” said Simpson.
“I do everything I do for free. The bottom line is, we want to provide guidance to communities, legislators, to people who want to reduce toxic smoke and wildfires and stop these fires.”
All the approximately 39,000 horses remaining in the wild and the 70,000 or so living in cramped Bureau of Land Management holding facilities could be used in the project, he contended. Rewilding will “put them where they really belong and where they reduce fires,” Simpson maintained. He estimates each wild horse will eat 30 pounds of grass a day, or 5.5 tons a year on a mere 7 percent of land available for grazing.
Simpson said there is no conflict of interest on the land involved “no lithium mining, no cattle” but noted, “it (the dried vegetation) burns like crazy.” His own home was saved from destruction by fire in 2018 due to a fire break created by grazing wild horses.
“My goal, with our all-volunteer nonprofit, is to provide proper evolutionary-level genetic conservation of these relatively few remaining wild horses, which hold the last bastion of superior equine genetic vigor,” he said.
“If I put out one horse on every 300 acres for fuel reduction, I could re-wild every horse in America in a safe area where nobody is going to mess with them. I only need 3 million acres. Everybody wins. The horses get to be wild and free, they’re not stepping on anybody’s toes.”
You can learn more by watching a video about using horses for fire prevention from AM Best, the world’s oldest credit agency, specializing in the insurance industry. To see the video, click on this link
Numerous organizations are accepting donations connected with helping fire victims. Pets affected by the fire are being helped by the Pasadena Humane Organization
It is working to log every report of animals left behind and dispatching search and rescue teams as quickly as possible in areas that are safe to enter. They are prioritizing reports of animals seen alive in the area and in urgent need of medical attention, as well as cases in which owners have informed them they were forced to leave their pets behind. Fleet of Angels is geared to helping horses who are victims of disasters. The Equestrian Aid Foundation is also pitching in. This is a link to a private rescue seeking funds. Check to see whether your favorite charity also has a role in helping fire victims.
