Theses and Dissertations

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Wild horses in northwestern Colorado: cultural values of wild horses and attitudes towards wild horse management methods
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2021) Dosamantes, Elena Graciela, author; Fernandez-Gimenez, Maria, advisor; Archibeque-Engle, Shannon, committee member; Meiman, Paul, committee member
Since its creation, the Wild and Free Roaming Horse and Burro Act of 1971 has been a source of conflict and controversy on American rangelands. Studies in other regions and countries have found that divergent values about wild horses held by different groups influence similar conflicts. However, the role of values and their influence on attitudes towards wild horse management methods has not been studied in relation to conflicts over wild horse management in the western United States. We interviewed Bureau of Land Management (BLM) employees, BLM permittees, and wild horse advocates in northwestern Colorado to identify and describe values each group associates with wild horses and explore how these values are related to attitudes towards different wild horse management methods. With rising wild horse populations, paralleled by increasing conflict and media attention, this study contributes to understanding the role of values and attitudes in wild horse management controversies in the western United States.