Billings Field Office
| Contacts: | Greg Albright 406-896-5260 |
Gather of Pryor Mountain Wild Horses Concluded
BRITTON SPRINGS, Wyo.--The Bureau of Land Management has concluded the gather of wild horses from the Pryor Mountains that began last Thursday.
Qualified members of the public will have the opportunity to adopt 57 of the horses on September 26 at Britton Springs north of Lovell, Wyo. Three of the mares to be adopted have foals that will remain with them. Most of the rest of the 146 horses that were gathered and evaluated have already been released back onto the horse range.
Roads within the horse range that had been temporarily closed are once again open. The Britton Springs administrative site will remain closed; however, beginning this Saturday and continuing daily except Sundays until September 25, public wishing to view the horses slated for adoption may do so at 11 a.m. sharp each day at the Britton Springs corrals. There is not staffing available for viewing at other times.
The horses being retained for adoption were vaccinated, wormed, and freeze branded at the corrals. The BLM collected a hair sample for genetic testing of all the horses returned to the range. Most mares returned to the range received a fertility control injection.
In order to maintain a balance between the horse population and the resources available, BLM removes horses from the range and makes them available for adoption from time to time.
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.
Billings Field Office 5001 Southgate Drive Billings, MT 59101