Which Science? Rethinking the Salt River Wild Horse Debate
For the past few months, I have watched people on both sides of the Salt River wild horse debate accuse the other side of ignoring—or even opposing—“the science.” It has...
THE GENETIC STUDY IS A BEGINNING, NOT AN ANSWER
Why Salt River horse advocates should celebrate the new research—and resist the temptation to declare victory The new genetic study is a milestone, not a conclusion. It provides the scientific...
Looking Beyond the Slogans: Three Questions About PZP and Long‑Term Fertility
What the Research on PZP Actually Shows—and Why Salt River Needs Answers For years, I've followed the scientific debate over porcine zona pellucida (PZP) and its use in managing wild...
Eradication: A Book Review
I don't write many book reviews. What interests me isn't whether I enjoyed a book. It's whether a book leaves me asking better questions than I was asking before I...
Why Was 2016 Successful and 2026 Wasn’t?
Ten years ago, people from very different backgrounds came together around a simple goal: protect the Salt River horses. In 2016, that movement achieved something remarkable. The Legislature acted. Public...
How the Decision was Made
What the AZDA Documents Show About the Salt River Horse Contract Decision I filed a public records request with the Arizona Department of Agriculture (AZDA) asking for the documents behind...
What the Heber Documents Reveal
Heber Wild Horses: A Local Story That Reveals the Big Picture When outsiders look at wild horse debates in the American West, the conflicts can seem almost impossible to untangle....
The Salt River Herd and the Problem of Governance
I have been asked repeatedly a straightforward question: Who should manage the Salt River horses?And if I were in that position, how would I respond to being told to reduce the...
The Water Behind the Horses: What 2025 Tells Us
What the ADWR Report Says About the Salt & Verde Rivers The Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) has released its annual report for Water Year (WY) 2025, which runs from October...
Native, Invasive, and the Problem of Choosing a Baseline
Debates over wildlife management often rely on the language of native and invasive as if these were fixed biological categories. They are not. While the terms sound scientific, they implicitly depend on a prior—and usually unspoken—decision...
Misunderstood: Patriarchy, Stallion Myths, and Truth
How Cultural Narratives Distort Our Understanding of Free-Roaming Horses For much of recorded history, men have controlled the documentation and interpretation of human societies, shaping norms and knowledge through a...
The SRWHMG’s Case for Renewal, Examined
A Logical Analysis of the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group’s Argument for Renewal The Salt River Wild Horse Management Group (SRWHMG) overseeing the Salt River horse herd has staked...
What’s In a Name? Language and the Salt River Horse Herd
Philosophers on the Power of Words From antiquity onward, philosophers have reminded us that words are never neutral. Plato, in his dialogue Cratylus, asked whether names simply mirror reality or whether...
From Managed Rescue to Free-Roaming Herd
The Path Forward for the Salt River Horses A Vision for the Salt River Horses Introduction In recent weeks, it has become clear that my vision for the long-term management...
Counting Horses, Missing the Point
Core Principle 2: Long-Term Survival Over Numbers 📊 Why Humans Rely on Numbers There is something deeply human about reaching for numbers when we feel uncertainty. We count and measure because...
Misty, the Pony Swim, and the Salt River Horses
When I was a boy, my favorite book was Misty of Chincoteague Island. Yes, I was an unusual lad—preferring to read quietly for hours instead of running around with the other kids....
Photography as a Way of Knowing
I’ve always been a verbal learner — I learn best through reading, and I communicate best through words. I also live with something called aphantasia, which means I don’t have images...
No More “Normal”
What Arizona’s Changing Climate Means for the Salt River Horses If you read Sunday's paper, you likely saw the headline: “No more normal.” For many of us who live in Arizona, that phrase...
Understanding Foal Loss at the Salt River
Predators, Patterns, and the Cost of Predictability Recent reports that foals are being lost to mountain lions have sparked strong reactions and widespread speculation. Unfortunately, much of what’s circulating online...
When Trust Frays
A Climate of Uncertainty It is hard not to notice how much distrust seems to hang in the air lately. It is not confined to one institution, one controversy, or...
Explore the River
Beyond discussions of management and policy lies a diverse landscape shaped by river, desert, and time. Through wildlife observations, photography, history, poetry, and personal reflections, this section explores the natural and cultural richness of the Salt River region.
