U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT NEWS RELEASE
Colorado State Office
Colorado State Office
| Contacts: | Chris Joyner | , 970-244-3111 |
BLM to Host Wild Mustang and Burro Adoption in Grand Junction
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The Bureau of Land Management is scheduled to offer twenty horses and burros for adoption Sept. 22 at the Mesa County Sheriff’s Posse Grounds.
The BLM plans to have approximately twenty previously wild mustangs and burros available for adoption through a silent bidding process and those remaining will be available on a first-come basis.
The horses were gathered in Wyoming, Oregon and Colorado. The burros were gathered in Nevada.
“The BLM is responsible for managing multiple resources on public lands, including the nation’s wild horse and burro herds,” said Fran Ackley, BLM Colorado wild horse and burro program lead. “One of the most important parts of our job is finding good homes for wild horses and burros whose populations are outgrowing the range’s ability to support them.”
Registration for the adoption will be from 5-7 p.m. on Sept. 21 and from 8-10 a.m. on Sept. 22. The horses and burros can be viewed during registration times. Actual bidding will be from 10-11 a.m., Sept. 22. The minimum bid for untrained animals is $125. The minimum bid for saddle-trained horses is $1,025.Halter-trained horses will start at the prices listed on the bid sheets.
The Mesa County Sheriff’s Posse Grounds is located at the corner of F½ and 25 Roads in Grand Junction.
Several saddle and/or halter- trained mustangs, yearling and two-year-old mares, geldings, and young burros will be available. A variety of colors will be featured including palomino, buckskin, grulla, roan, appaloosa, sorrel, black, and brown. Mustangs typically range from fourteen to fifteen hands at maturity. Burros will be offered in a variety of colors as well.
The BLM works to restore the ecological balance of resources on public lands by gathering wild horses and burros from public rangelands each year to keep their populations within sustainable levels. The BLM offers mustangs and burros gathered for adoption or sale to individuals and groups willing and able to provide humane long-term care. For more information about the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program, please visit our web site: www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/wild_horse_and_burro.html. To see photos of some of the mustangs and burros available, go to www.coloradoci.com and click on wild horse program.
For more information, contact BLM Public Affairs Specialist, Chris Joyner at (970) 244-3111.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.
Colorado State Office 2850 Youngfield Street Lakewood, CO 80215