BLM to conduct North Hills wild horse gather in Iron and Washington Counties
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CEDAR CITY, Utah — The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Cedar City Field Office will soon begin operations to gather and remove excess wild horses in the North Hills Joint Management Area (JMA) that is located west of Enterprise and jointly managed by the BLM and U.S. Forest Service. The gather will begin on Dec. 15 and is expected to last approximately seven days.
The BLM will gather approximately 250 horses from Federal, State and private lands within and near the JMA. The current estimated population of the North Hills JMA is 317 horses, 528 percent above the appropriate management level of the 40-60 horses identified for this area.
Opportunities are available for the public to observe daily operations through BLM-escorted visits so long as conditions remain safe for both the horses and participants, and ensuring that gather operations are not disrupted. Observers must provide their own transportation, water, and food. No public restrooms will be available. The BLM recommends weather-appropriate footwear and neutral-colored clothing. Binoculars and four-wheel drive or other high-clearance vehicles are also strongly recommended.
To protect the wild horses and the horse gather operations, no drones will be allowed to be flown in the vicinity of the gather sites. Details on the BLM-escorted visits will be updated each evening during the gather and announced daily on the BLM gather hotline at (801) 539-4050.
For those interested in observing the gather, opportunities begin on Sunday, Dec. 15. Individuals should meet at the Maverik Adventure’s First Stop gas station located at 220 North Airport Rd in Cedar City, Utah, where visits will depart at 5:30 a.m. MST.
Horses removed from the range will be transported to the Axtell Off-Range Contract Wild Horse Facility in Axtell, Utah.
Public lands will remain open unless closures are deemed necessary due to safety concerns. Outdoor recreationists and visitors to the gather area should be aware that there will be low flying helicopters. The recreational use of drones is discouraged from the southwest corner of Iron County, stretching southeastward from the Nevada border just south of Modena, and west of Enterprise. Brief road closures may also be needed to allow movement of horses during gather operations.
Gather updates and information will be posted online at: https://on.doi.gov/2rc85ct. Anyone interested can get updates on Twitter by following @BLMUtah or searching #NorthHillsGather. To learn more about how to adopt or purchase a wild horse or burro, visit the BLM National Wild Horse and Burro website at www.blm.gov/whb or call (866) 468-7826.
For additional gather information, contact Lisa Reid at (435) 743-3128 or lreid@blm.gov. Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to leave a message or question for Lisa Reid. The FRS is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Replies are provided during normal business hours.
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.