BLM issues temporary closure of public lands during Murderer’s Creek wild horse gather
Prineville, Ore. — Certain areas on public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management’s Prineville District are temporarily closed to public access, use and occupancy, effective Monday, December 2. The closure involves about 18,800 acres in the Murderer’s Creek Wild Horse Joint Management Area and is necessary to help ensure the safety and effectiveness of an emergency bait trap gather.
The gather is a direct response to the devastating effects of the Rail Ridge Fire, which burned more than 175,000 acres of habitat on federal and state lands earlier this year, including nearly 44,000 acres within the Joint Management Area. The gather will help address severe forage shortages that pose an immediate risk to the herd, protect sensitive ecosystems damaged by the fire, provide recovery for the burned area, and support rangeland restoration.
The area identified for temporary closure includes lands lying north of U.S. Forest Service Road 24, east of the South Fork John Day River Road, south of Jackass Creek, and west of the Malheur National Forest boundary, all in Grant County, Oregon. Gather operations could continue through February 28, 2025. Once the gather concludes, these public lands will be reopened.
Adjacent lands in the Joint Management Area administered by the U.S. Forest Service and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife are or will be temporarily closed soon as well.
For more information about this closure or the Murderer’s Creek emergency wild horse gather, go online to https://www.blm.gov/programs/wild-horse-and-burro/herd-management/gathers-and-removals/oregon-washington/2024-murderers-creek or call the Malheur National Forest office at 541-575-3008.
This order is in accordance with 43 CFR 8364.1, the 2015 John Day Basin Resource Management Plan, and the Determination of NEPA Adequacy for the Murderers Creek Herd Management Area Emergency Gather.
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.