U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT NEWS RELEASE
Billings Field Office |
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| Release Date: 09/08/09 | ||||||
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Update on Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Gather |
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As of Monday night, the Bureau of Land Management had gathered 131 wild horses from the Pryor Mountains. The gather began last Thursday and should end later this week. Studies and monitoring over the past few years have shown that the range can only support about 120 horses. In order to rebalance the horse population with the resources available on the range, about 70 horses will be removed and offered for adoption. Since 1971, BLM has removed horses from the Pryors 23 times to maintain a healthy ecological balance on the horse range. The BLM plans to gather as many of the 190 Pryor horses as possible. The horses being retained for adoption are vaccinated, wormed, and freeze branded at the corrals. The BLM takes a hair sample for genetic testing of all the horses being returned to the range. Most mares being returned to the range receive a fertility control injection. So far, 27 of the captured horses have been returned to the horse range. The horses are being held at BLM’s Britton Springs corrals north of Lovell, Wyo. The adoption will be held September 26 at Britton Springs. Once all of the horses have been gathered and sorted, the public will be able to view them at Britton Springs during specified hours that will be announced after the gather is complete.
The BLM manages more land - 253 million acres - than any other Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The Bureau, with a budget of about $1 billion, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. 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. |
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| --BLM-- Billings Field Office 5001 Southgate Drive Billings, MT 59101 |
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| Last updated: 09-08-2009 | ||||||
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