I’ve been remiss in posting about some of the interesting work over the past several months, so I hope to start catching up on wild horse management in Arizona, on green growth in China, on rhino conservation in southern Africa, and a host of other projects that I’ve been working on lately. For now, let me start with one of the most fun and interesting projects that I’ve had an opportunity to work on lately.
In December, I started working with the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests and Southwest Decision Resources, a skilled group of environmental facilitation, conflict mediation and collaboration professionals. I was asked to convene a collaborative group to develop a management strategy for the Heber Wild Horse Territory in the Black Mesa Ranger District. See the map of the Territory from the Forest Service below.
The Territory is roughly 19,700 acres and is home to many (numbers currently being assessed) horses. Our goal is to develop a management plan through a collaborative process to look for sustainable outcomes that balance the well-being of the horses with multiple uses including cattle ranching (there are two grazing allottments that overlap with the Territory), wildlife, and ecosystem health. It’s a tall order, but we are excited to get started.
The collaborative working group meets for the first time next week. We look forward to it. For anyone interested, we have a public website that discusses what we are doing, provides more information about the horses and the governance/management, and gives a detailed overview. See https://heberhorsecollaborative.asu.edu/
And below are some photos of the horses!
michaelschoon 