BLM concludes Owyhee Emergency Wild Horse Gather
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WINNEMUCCA AND ELKO, Nev. – The Bureau of Land Management’s Winnemucca and Elko District Offices have concluded an emergency wild horse gather within the Owyhee Complex located in Humboldt and Elko Counties, Nevada. The BLM gathered 1,178 wild horses and removed 873 excess wild horses. In addition, the BLM treated 127 mares with the fertility control drug PZP-22 and returned 129 mares and 151 studs back to the range.
The BLM conducted the gather, which ran from September 21 through October 4, due to the aftermath of Nevada’s largest wildfire in 2018, the Martin Fire. The Martin Fire was reported in the early morning hours on July 5, 2018, which burned over 400,000 acres. The Martin Fire burned approximately 46 percent of the Little Owyhee HMA and 26 percent of the Owyhee HMA, severely reducing prime grazing for wild horses. Due to loss of forage resources, an emergency gather was necessary to help as many wild horses as possible while protecting water sources, vegetation, and important habitat for other wildlife, such as the Greater Sage-Grouse.
The BLM transported wild horses removed from the range to the National Wild Horse and Burro Center at Palomino Valley, north of Reno, Nev., to be readied for the BLM’s wild horse and burro adoption and sale program. Wild horses not adopted or sold will be placed in long-term pastures where they will be humanely cared for and retain their “wild” status and protection under the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act.
For information on how to adopt or purchase a wild horse or burro, visit www.blm.gov/whb.
Additional gather information is available on BLM’s website at https://go.usa.gov/xP4jx.
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.