Wolves and Wildfires

According to the author, the wild wolf ‘problem’ and the wild horse ‘problem’ will largely solve each other, and address wildfire, IF we allow nature to take its course without intervention through so-called wildlife ‘management’.

NOTE: this article was originally sent to us (and is written by) William E.Simpson II – Rancher – Naturalist

There is a shocking level of ignorance shown in the debates about the problems we see with wolves and wildfires.

Nobody seems to ask the single most important question: WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?

WHY are wolves and lions attacking livestock (cattle and sheep), and why are the forests burning faster than they are regenerating. It's the same kind of economically-driven indifference (ignorance?) we see that supports the continuation of catastrophic wildfires in the same western states we see on the American Farm Bureau Federation’s wolf map below.

The ANSWER to the question (WHY), is simple: Ranchers want the lowest cost of production, which yields the highest profitability.  And the USFS, is not-longer supporting sustainable timber harvest and instead is arguably monetizing wildfires costing ALL AMERICANS $-BILLIONS each year.

The reason for BOTH PROBLEMS is the collapsed herbivory in the same western states.

Studies show that deer populations in western states have plummeted over the past few decades. California alone is down about 1,500,000 deer. Oregon is down about 500,000 deer, etc, etc. These millions of missing deer provided TWO very important functions:

1) These millions of deer now missing from the landscape were grazing tens of millions of tons of grass and brush wildfire fuels every year.

2) These missing deer were the preferred prey (food) for the Apex Predators (Lions, Wolves, Coyotes, Bears). So, what's left on the menu? CATTLE, SHEEP, Pets and an occasional human.

So, the only remaining question is this: HOW do we address the problem... more of the same failed logic and boneheaded ideas that got us all into this expensive debacle?

Or, something SMARTER?

We need an immediate moratorium on deer hunting in western states, especially in California. That same thing was done in 1910 when the deer population in CA plummeted due to over hunting by miners in the field. At that time, the CA population dropped to approximately 500,000 deer. The CA moratorium lasted ten years until 1927 when the population reached three-million (3-million) and hunting privileges were resumed. Today in CA the deer population is at approximately 380,000 if you believe those people (CDFW) who are responsible for this calamity (likely less). If we put normal prey animals back on the menu (increase deer and native wild horse populations) we will quickly see these RESULTS: 1) reduced grass and brush fuels that are fueling wildfire infernos... 2) less livestock taken as prey.... 3) a reduction of $-billions in taxes spent chasing ridiculous non-solutions that fail to address the CORE ROOT of the problems of Wolves and Wildfires.

This genuine solution, re-establishing vibrant herds of native herbivores benefits all stakeholders (taxpayers, hunters, ranchers), especially the American taxpayer who seems to be getting the shaft all the time by the same greedy mediocre minds that have created the problems in the first place. And these same people are doubling down on the same ridiculous approaches that merely address the symptoms of the problems.

Taxpayers own and are currently funding the board and keep for 70,000 American wild horses that the Bureau of Land Management ('BLM') has rounded-up, branded, sterilized and keeps in off-range holding, and costing American tax payers over $150-million annually. These horses are Nature’s wildfire fuels managers and the coevolved prey of all North American Apex predators. These incarcerated native horses can be immediately deployed into strategically key wilderness areas, thereby immediately addressing these problems in a cost-effective pro-active manner.

Secondly, free roaming wild horses remaining on the landscape that are in conflict with economic interests on BLM grazing lands can also be relocated. Under existing LAW (Humane Transfer of Excess Animals Act) wild horses can be relocated into appropriate wilderness areas where their presence will further the effort to reduce the frequency, size and intensity of catastrophic wildfires, and also create herds of natural prey for Apex predators.

We need smart natural resource management, NOT more of the same.

William E. Simpson II is an ethologist living among and studying free-roaming native species American wild horses.

William is the award-winning producer of the micro-documentary film 'Wild Horses'. 

He is the author of a new Study about the behavioral ecology of wild horses, two published books and more than 500 published articles on subjects related to wild horses, wildlife, wildfire, and public land (forest) management.

He has appeared on NBC NEWS, ABC NEWS, CBS NEWS, theDoveTV and has been a guest on numerous talk radio shows including the Lars Larson Show, the Bill Meyer Show, NPR Jefferson Public Radio and NPR National Radio, Global News, The Guardian, and AM BEST TV.

Check out William's Film Freeway account for films, studies, TV & radio interviews, and more HERE:  https://filmfreeway.com/WilliamESimpsonII