BLM Colorado to hold public hearing regarding use of motorized equipment for wild horse management
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MEEKER, Colo. – As part of the Administration’s commitment to make America great through shared conservation stewardship, the Bureau of Land Management Colorado is conducting a public hearing to discuss the use of motorized vehicles to monitor and manage wild horse populations from 5 to 6 p.m. July 28 at the White River Field Office, 220 E. Market St., Meeker, CO.
The BLM conducts an annual statewide public hearing to obtain public comment regarding the use of any motor vehicles in wild horse management as outlined in the Federal Land Policy and Management Act. Motorized equipment is used to accomplish a number of management objectives such as trapping operations, transporting horses and burros, and monitoring.
The BLM plans to use helicopter, fixed-wing aircraft and other motorized vehicles to estimate population numbers and obtain seasonal distribution information for wild horse herds throughout Colorado. Helicopters may also assist in gathering excess wild horses in Colorado this year, including a proposed gather of up to 72 wild horses from private land outside the Piceance-East Douglas Herd Management Area (HMA) southwest of Meeker.
Colorado has four herd management areas on Colorado’s western slope: the Sand Wash Basin HMA in the Little Snake Field Office, Piceance-East Douglas HMA in the White River Field Office, Little Book Cliffs Wild Horse Range in the Grand Junction Field Office, and Spring Creek Basin HMA in the Tres Rios Field Office.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.