Twelve hours and 200 miles of rough road yielded:
Horses: 2 (Butte Valley)
Deer: 1 (Cherry Creek Canyon)
Antelope: 2 (Butte Valley)
Elk: 0
Cattle: @ 50
Temp: 75-93
The high desert is still relatively green, for mid-July.
Some snow remains on the highest peaks of the Ruby Mountains. Creeks in the higher elevations are slowing, and many of the washes are dry. Grass and vegetation are plentiful in the mountains and foothills.
There are THREE Cherry Springs near the Ruby Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. Two of them are located in the Ruby Mountains, south of Shantytown. The northwestern leg of Cherry Springs Canyon falls within the Cherry Springs Wild Horse TERRITORY.
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| Ruby Mountains Eastern Slope - Elko County, NV |
As there is still snow remaining, and plenty of forage visible, I quickly decided that these short canyons would not be the target of my investigation. The OTHER Cherry Springs, according to locals familiar with the area, would be dry, this time of year.
I stopped at the Ruby Lakes NWR information center and asked where a person might see wild horses?
The agent is new on the job, and anxious to be helpful. She doesn't have the answers, and goes into a back office to inquire of a more experienced agent. I hear him telling her that horses won't likely be visible now, as they will have moved up into the high country where it is cooler. He says that there are wild horses to the south, and to the east of the preserve, and that they are not allowed within the boundaries of the area. (A substantial post-and- barbed wire fence encloses the entire reserve.)
The agent is new on the job, and anxious to be helpful. She doesn't have the answers, and goes into a back office to inquire of a more experienced agent. I hear him telling her that horses won't likely be visible now, as they will have moved up into the high country where it is cooler. He says that there are wild horses to the south, and to the east of the preserve, and that they are not allowed within the boundaries of the area. (A substantial post-and- barbed wire fence encloses the entire reserve.)
The new agent relays precisely what I had overheard. I asked her if she knew whether BLM had been hauling water to horses in the area?
Oh! Yes! She knew first-hand that they have been collecting water from Ruby Lakes (probably from the fish hatchery), and carrying it to somewhere on the eastern side of the valley. She has no idea what road they were taking, or the exact location they were hauling it to.
Oh! Yes! She knew first-hand that they have been collecting water from Ruby Lakes (probably from the fish hatchery), and carrying it to somewhere on the eastern side of the valley. She has no idea what road they were taking, or the exact location they were hauling it to.
