Nevada State Office
| Contacts: | JoLynn Worley | , 775-861-6515 | , jworley@blm.gov |
BLM to Continue Emergency Wild Horse Gather in Southern Area of the Jackson Mountains HMA
Reno, Nev.— The BLM will continue its emergency gather of wild horses in the southern portion of the Jackson Mountains Herd Management Area (HMA) following a court ruling Wednesday.
U.S. District Court Judge Howard McKibben denied a motion to enjoin the use of a helicopter to conduct the emergency gather that is currently underway in the southern portion of the HMA, but enjoined the agency from gathering excess wild horses from the non-emergency areas of the HMA by helicopter before July 1
“The Court recognized that emergency conditions in the southern area of the HMA required prompt action by the BLM,” said Gene Seidlitz, BLM Winnemucca District Manager. “To not take emergency action to gather excess horses to alleviate the distress of the wild horses as they became thinner and weaker by the day was unacceptable.”
“The emergency gather of the southern portion of the Jackson Mountain HMA continues to occur in a safe and humane manner,” said Seidlitz.
The BLM has gathered 368 wild horses since the emergency gather began on June 8.
The BLM estimates it may finish the emergency portion of the gather within the next 5 to 7 days. No helicopter gather operations will be conducted in the non-emergency areas of the HMA before July 1.
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.
Nevada State Office 1340 Financial Blvd. Reno, NV 89502