This special issue of Cheiron holds the report by Craig C. Downer on the wild horses of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests (ASNF) and their legal habitat located in the Mogollon Rim region of eastern Arizona. Major logging of ponderosa pines, major cattle grazing and major trophy elk, deer and other game hunting seem to be the principal management goals of the Black Mountain Ranger District (BMRD) and the entire ASNF, while wild horse conservation is given minor priority. Given high disturbances from the major factors, it is surprising that the ecosystem examined is functioning as well as the transects indicate. The impacts of vehicles and roads, fences to accommodate the intensive trampling and grazing by cattle, as well as frequent vehicle entries – all combine to disrupt this ecosystem. The author proposes that the wild horses themselves are major mitigators of ASNF’s ecosystem-disturbing impacts and contribute very positively to maintaining its integrity. Given the major attention this herd and its habitat have received and the moderate growth it has demonstrated over several decades, the Secretary of Agriculture should seriously consider declaring this herd to be a Study Herd under Section 10 of the Wild Free-roaming Horses and Burros Act (WFHBA).

The report is complemented by a response by Prof. Christine Reed.