Winnemucca District Office
| Contacts: | Lisa Ross | , 775-304-8850 | , lross@blm.gov |
BLM Concludes Tri-State Calico Wild Horse and Burro Gather
Winnemucca, Nev. – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Winnemucca District concluded the Tri-State Calico Complex wild horse and burro gather on Monday, Jan. 9. The preliminary numbers for the animals gathered are 1,203 excess wild horses and 142 excess wild burros gathered from the HMAs, located northeast of Gerlach, Nev., and northwest of Winnemucca, Nev., within Humboldt and Washoe counties. Of those gathered, some stallions and mares were released back to the range after the mares received a 22-month fertility control vaccine treatment.
“The gather was a success and significant strides have been made on the public rangelands with the removal of excess wild horse and burros,” said District Manager Gene Seidlitz. “In turn, we now have a better balance with wildlife, livestock, and wild horse and burros. During this gather, the BLM provided a transparent and safe opportunity to the American public, to take time to observe and interact with the BLM staff to gain additional insight and information about the BLM’s management of wild horses.”
The gather started on Nov. 19. The gathered wild horses have been transported to the Palomino Valley Center near Reno, Nev., and the majority of wild burros were transported to Broken Arrow/Indian Lakes Facility at Fallon, Nev., where they will be prepared for the BLM adoption program. Un-adopted horses will be placed in long-term pastures where they will be humanly cared for and retain their “wild” status and protection under the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. The BLM does not sell or send any horses to slaughter.
The Complex consisted of approximately 584,000 acres (public and private) but the gather area consisted of approximately 1,041,000 acres to encompass wild horses and burros residing outside of the HMAs. The Complex included the following HMAs: Black Rock Range East, Black Rock Range West, Calico Mountains, Granite Range, Warm Springs Canyon, and McGee Mountain.
Removing the excess wild horses and wild burros will help to achieve and maintain a thriving natural ecological balance and multiple-use relationship as required under the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, and Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as well as help to achieve and maintain healthy wild horse and burro populations.
For more information, contact Lisa Ross, BLM Winnemucca District public affairs specialist, at 775-304-8850 or lross@blm.gov.
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.
Winnemucca District Office 5100 E. Winnemucca Blvd. Winnemucca, NV 89445