Bureau of Land Management to conduct nuisance wild horse gather from private lands
Organization
BLM Office:
Media Contact:
Price, Utah—The Bureau of Land Management will begin an effort to gather and remove up to 100 wild horses from private lands adjacent to and within the Range Creek Herd Management Area.
The BLM plans to gather and remove up to 100 wild horses using the water and/or bait method, consisting of a series of corral panels stocked with hay and/or water. Due to the nature of the gather method, wild horses are reluctant to approach the trap site when there is too much activity. Therefore, only essential gather operation personnel will be allowed at the trap site during operations.
The Range Creek HMA consists of approximately 55,000 acres of Federal, State and private lands located 10 miles northeast of Price, Utah. The BLM manages the area for up to 125 wild horses, but the current population exceeds 375, a number that may impact the area’s ecological balance. This gather is in response to numerous letters received from private landowners and the Utah Department of Natural Resources requesting the BLM to remove the horses from private lands.
“The BLM is charged, by law, with the enhancement and maintenance of healthy rangelands in order to provide a sustainable landscape for all species residing on the range,” said BLM Price Field Office Manager Chris Conrad. “Excess wild horses from the Range Creek HMA are affecting rangeland resources on private lands.”
Horses removed from the range will be transported to the BLM contract facility in Axtell, Utah, where they will be checked by a veterinarian and prepared for adoption. For more information on how to adopt a wild horse, visit the BLM National Wild Horse and Burro website at www.blm.gov/whb or call (866) 468-7826.
Gather reports and additional information will be posted on the BLM’s website at https://www.blm.gov/2018-
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.