Sand Wash Basin HMA 2024

Last week, the Little Snake Field Office concluded a bait trap gather in the Sand Wash Basin Herd Management Area (HMA) with 10 horses safely removed from the range. A May 2024 aerial survey found 409 horses in Sand Wash Basin, with approximately 38 horses outside of the HMA, which is above the appropriate management level (AML) of 163-362.

We plan to resume bait trap gather operations in 2025 as we continue to work toward achieving and sustaining a wild horse population within AML. This year has been exceptional for rain in the HMA and the range shows signs of bouncing back from the overgrazing prior to the 2021 gather.

When populations of wild horses are within AML, other wildlife thrive, including greater sage-grouse. Little Snake Field Office Assistant Manager Hunter Seim knows Sand Wash well and has the expertise to view the landscape through the lens of a long-term professional rangeland manager. 

“I was out there in late June and things looked incredible. I have never seen that many sage grouse in one trip,” said Seim.  “It’s amazing how the range looks when we have a better balance with a horse population that is within or close to AML.”

Based on data from Colorado Parks and Wildlife, greater sage-grouse counts in the Sand Wash have trended upward since 2022, supporting visitor reports of observing more greater sage-grouse. Researchers at the University of Wyoming recently published a study in The Journal of Wildlife Management, Volume 88, Issue 8 with the following management implication, “managing free-roaming horses at appropriate levels would be highly beneficial to sage grouse populations and other species that rely on functioning sagebrush ecosystems.”

In addition to overall rangeland health, there are many success stories to celebrate in the HMA.  The remaining horses from the 2021 gather were recently adopted at an event in Florence, Colorado.  We invested in infrastructure including installing a permanent bait trap, constructing a spur road to facilitate safe transport of gathered horses, improving an administrative site to better facilitate a base of operations for our partners, and maintaining or repairing nearly 10 miles of boundary fence.  Considerable resources and effort from the Bureau of Land Management and our partners helped implement these successful events and projects.

Through Colorado SB-23-275, Wild Horse Warriors for Sand Wash Basin were able to complete multiple improvements to waters within the HMA. The Sand Wash Advocacy Team trained new darters for operations in the HMA and contributed to 153 applications of fertility control with over 5,000 hours of volunteer time.

 “The Little Snake Field Office continues to work with partners and invest in wild horse management in Sand Wash to keep the wild horse population within AML and avoid large gathers,” said Tyrell Turner, BLM Wild Horse and Burro specialist for the Northwest District.  “Through increased fertility control and small bait trap gathers, we can maintain a healthy horse population on healthy lands that also support other wildlife.” 

The Sand Wash Basin HMA is located about 45 miles west of Craig in Moffat County on approximately 158,000 acres of public land. This area is one of Colorado’s most well-known areas to view wild horses due to the unique appearance of several bands. BLM and our partners take great pride in managing this herd and will strive to ensure the herd remains healthy and resilient to changes on the range.

For more information about the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program, and to learn about opportunities to adopt, visit https://wildhorsesonline.blm.gov/