2026 Moriah Herd Area Wild Horse Gather
***Pursuant to Section 303(a) of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1733(a), 43 CFR 9268.3(d), and 43 CFR 8364.1, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) provides notice that, effective upon execution of this order, all public lands Moriah Herd Area (HA) are closed to the public. (Please see the Temporary Closure Order and Closure Map down in the "Informational Materials" section of this page.)
Purpose of Gather:
The purpose of the gather is to remove all excess wild horses from areas not designated for or suitable to their long-term management and prevent further degradation of public lands. In the 2008 Ely Resource Management Plan, the BLM decided to manage this area for zero wild horses as it no longer met the criteria for maintaining a thriving ecological balance with multiple uses as authorized under the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976. The gather is necessary to improve watershed health, protect wild horse health, and make significant progress towards achieving Northeastern Great Basin Resource Advisory Council Standards for Rangeland Health.
Details of Gather:
The BLM will utilize the services of a helicopter contractor to gather and remove up to 500 excess wild horses. The gather may also take place in areas outside the HA where wild horses have moved in search of food and water. During the gather, the BLM will collect information on herd characteristics and determine herd health.
Public Observation:
Members of the public are welcome to view the gather operations, provided that doing so does not jeopardize the safety of the animals, staff and observers, or disrupt gather operations. The BLM will escort the public to gather observation sites located on public lands. Once gather operations have begun, those wanting to view gather operations must RSVP by calling (775) 625-0440 by 5:00 PM the night before they want to observe gather operations. They will receive specific instructions on each day’s meeting location and time by 9 PM. Temporary closures will be in place for public, staff and wild horse safety.
Adoption Information:
Horses identified for removal will be transported to the Winnemucca Off-Range Corrals, in Paradise, Nevada, where they will be checked by a veterinarian and readied for the BLM’s wild horse and burro adoption program. Those that are not placed into a new home will be cared for in off-range pastures, where they live off the rest of their lives on grass pastures. For information on how to adopt a wild horse, visit www.blm.gov/whb.
Background:
The Moriah Herd Area (HA), about 48 miles northeast of Ely, Nev., is in the Ely District on public lands administered by the Bristlecone Field Office.
The Moriah HA is typical of the Great Basin region, characterized by valleys and long, narrow steep mountain peaks covered with heavy pinyon-juniper woodlands. Elevations within the area range from approximately 5,000 feet to 10,200 feet.
Vegetation in the HA consists primarily of brush, fir and mountain mahogany in the higher elevations, pinion-juniper and sagebrush on the lower mountain slopes and white sage, black sage, saltbush and other “salt desert shrub” type communities on the valley floors.
Precipitation normally ranges from approximately five to seven inches on the valley bottoms to 16 to 18 inches on the mountain peaks. Most of this precipitation comes in the form of snow occurring primarily in the winter and spring with the summers being quite dry. Temperatures range from greater than 90 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer months to minus 15 degrees or colder in the mountains in the winter.
The current population estimate for the Moriah HA is XXX wild horses, excluding the XXXX foal crop. AML in the HA is zero wild horses. AML is the level at which wild horse populations are consistent with the land’s capacity to support them and other mandated uses of those lands, including protecting ecological processes and habitat for other resources.
Access the Moriah Herd Area Gather Plan decision record and determination of National Environmental Policy Act adequacy at the BLM National NEPA Registry.
For more information on the Wild Horse and Burro Program, call 1-866-468-7826 or email [email protected]
- Daily Gather Reports
Monday, July 27
Summary: Temperatures were
Animals Gathered: 0 (0 Stallions, 0 Mares, and 0 Foals)
Animals Shipped: 0(0 Stallions, 0 Mares, and 0 Foals)
Animals Released: 0 (0 Stallions, 0 Mares, and 0 Foals)
Deaths: 0
- Sudden / Acute: 0
- Pre-existing / Chronic: 0
Gather Status
The gather began July 27.
Animals Gathered: 0(0 Stallions, 0 Mares, and 0 Foals)
Animals Shipped: 0 (0 Stallions, 0 Mares, and 0 Foals)
Animals Released: 0 (0 Stallions, 0 Mares, and 0 Foals)
Deaths: 0
-Sudden / Acute: 0
-Pre-existing / Chronic: 0
Scroll to the bottom of this gather page for detailed “Daily Gather Reports"