The Black Rock Field Office to release Fox and Lake Herd Management Area Wild Horses treated with Fertility Control
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WINNEMUCCA, Nev. – The Black Rock Field Office concluded the Fox and Lake Herd Management Area wild horse gather near Gerlach, Nev. on December 17, 2021.
The Black Rock Field Office staff gathered 82 wild horses and removed 23 excess wild horses from public lands. In addition, 23 studs were released back to the range. A population suppression control vaccine, GonaCon Equine, was administered to 37 mares. The mares will get a second dose within approximately 30 days of the first dose and then be released back to the Fox and Lake Herd Management Area.
On or about January 15, members of the public are welcome to view the release operations, provided that doing so does not jeopardize the safety of the animals, staff, contractors and observers, or disrupt release operations. Agency staff will escort the public to gather observation sites located on public lands. If you would like to view the release of the mares, please RSVP to hohanlon@blm.gov for the meeting location and time.
“The agency’s top research priority remains the development of safe, practical, effective and long-lasting fertility control methods for wild horses and burros,” said BRFO Manager, Mark Hall.
The purpose of the gather was to prevent undue or unnecessary degradation of the public lands associated with excess wild horses, to restore a thriving natural ecological balance and multiple-use relationship on public lands, consistent with the provisions of Section 1333(b) of the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. By balancing herd size with what the land can support, the wild horse staff aimed to address resources issues related to drought and past fire damage and protect habitat for other wildlife species such as sage grouse, pronghorn antelope and mule deer. Removing excess animals will enable significant progress toward achieving the Standards for Rangeland Health.
Gather reports and additional information for the “Fox-Lake Range Wild Horse Gather” were posted on the web at https://www.blm.gov/programs/wild-horse-and-burro/herd-management/gathers-and-removals/black-rock-fo/2022-fox-lake.
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.