Public viewing opportunities offered at temporary holding corrals for the Pancake HMA emergency gather
Organization
BLM Office:
Media Contact:
NOTE: PUBLIC VIEWING OPPORTUNITY AT THE TEMPORARY HOLDING CORRALS FOR THE PANCAKE HMA EMERGENCY GATHER, SCHEDULED FOR THURSDAY, JULY 12 HAS BEEN CANCELLED due to extreme rain in and around the gather area. In addition, the gather will be postpone until the area dries out. The BLM apologizes for any inconvenience. For further information and updates on when the gather will resume, please visit the BLM website at https://goo.gl/8avaYw.
ELY, Nev. —Beginning on Thursday, July 12, the Bureau of Land Management, Bristlecone Field Office will offer members of the public the opportunity to view wild horses gathered from overpopulated public rangelands in central Nevada. The wild horses will be in temporary holding corrals, located in the Railroad Valley. BLM will continue to offer viewing opportunities every Thursday only on the weeks the gather operation is active.
The BLM began a wild horse gather on July 9 in Big Sand Spring Valley as there is not enough water to support the number of horses in the area. The gather is being conducted by BLM employees (not contractors) using the bait and water trap method; no helicopters will be used. Gather reports and additional information for the 2018 Pancake Emergency Wild Horse Gather are posted on BLM’s website at https://goo.gl/8avaYw.
The July 12 viewing area is located on public land near the temporary holding corral in Railroad Valley. This will provide observers an opportunity to see the gathered wild horses while maintaining safe practices for the BLM personnel and animals at the holding site. Because the bait and water trap method requires horses to adjust to the hay and corrals in a quick and safe manner, and wild horses are reluctant to approach the trap site when there is too much activity, only personnel essential to the gather will be allowed at the actual trap sites.
Members of the public interested in this viewing opportunity, must meet BLM personnel by 5:45am on Thursday, July 12 at Court House Park, in front of the Court house located at 801 Clark St, Ely, NV 89301. Participants must provide their own transportation, water and food. Public participants should have a vehicle that can travel on gravel roads with adequate fuel - there are no services near the gather area and it is estimated to be a 90-minute drive to the site. Public restrooms will not be available onsite.
BLM strives to place horses removed from public lands into good, private homes. Horses gathered during the Pancake HMA emergency gather will be transported to the Indian Lakes facility, located in Fallon, Nevada, where they will be made available to the public for adoption or purchase throughout the year at off-site adoption events and through BLM’s online program. For more information on upcoming events and opportunities, visit https://go.usa.gov/xnKq3.
If you have questions regarding Thursday viewing opportunity, please contact BLM public affairs specialist Jenny Lesieutre at (775) 861-6594. For future viewing opportunities at the temporary holding corrals, please contact BLM public affairs specialist Chris Hanefeld at (775) 289-1842.
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.