The Bureau of Land Management concluded the Buffalo Hills Wild Horse Gather
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Gerlach, Nev. – On July 9, 2022, the Black Rock Field Office concluded the FY2022 Buffalo Hills Herd Management Area wild horse gather near Gerlach, Nevada.
The contractor gathered 380 wild horses from public lands. In addition, the wild horse and burro staff will release up to 27 mares back to the range. The mares to be released, will be treated with GonaCon, a population suppression control vaccine.
The purpose of the gather was to reduce overpopulation of wild horses within and outside the Buffalo Hills Herd Management Area, where there was not enough water to support the number of animals in the area, to prevent further degradation of the public lands associated with excess wild horses and restore a thriving natural ecological balance and multiple-use relationship on public lands.
“The gather was critical to ensuring the health of public lands in and around the Buffalo Hills Herd Management Area, as well as the wild horses in the area, both of which are at risk due to herd overpopulation and severe drought conditions,” said Mark Hall, Black Rock Field Office Manager.
The gather was conducted in compliance with the provisions of Section 1333(b) of the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. Removing excess animals will enable significant progress toward achieving the Standards for Rangeland Health identified by the Sierra Front North Western Great Basin Resource Advisory Council. In addition, by balancing herd size with what the land can support, the BLM aims to protect habitat for other wildlife species such as mule deer, pronghorn antelope, sage grouse, chukar partridge and coyote.
The BLM transported the animals removed from the range to the Palomino Valley Wild Horse and Burro Off-range Corrals located in Reno, Nev., to be readied for the BLM’s wild horse and burro Adoption and Sale Program. Wild horses not adopted or sold will be placed in long-term pastures where they will be humanely cared for and retain their “wild” status and protection under the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act.
If you would like to view the release of the mares, please RSVP to hohanlon@blm.gov for the meeting location and time.
Additional gather information is available on the BLM website here.
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.