BLM to gather wild horses at Naval Air Weapons Station – China Lake
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RIDGECREST, Calif. – The Bureau of Land Management Ridgecrest Field Office will conduct a gather of up to 140 wild horses in the Centennial Herd Management Area in San Bernardino and Inyo counties, roughly 10 miles northeast of Ridgecrest, beginning on Monday, Nov. 20. The gather will take place entirely on the military facility at the request of the Naval Air Weapons Station- China Lake, where the majority of the Herd Management Area is located; no gather activities will take place on BLM-managed public lands.
The scheduled wild horse gather is necessary due to decreased forage and water resulting from prolonged drought and two August 2020 fires that burned tens of thousands of acres within the Naval Air Weapons Station-China Lake; this combination of factors has distressed the wild horses.
The animals will be gathered using a helicopter and wranglers to move the horses at a slow pace to the capture sites. All gather operations will be conducted with care and compassion for the animals’ well-being and will adhere to humane handling standards as outlined in the BLM’s Comprehensive Animal Welfare Program.
Due to the gather operations taking place entirely within the military facility, there will be no public viewing opportunities; however, members of the public are invited to view the gathered horses at the Ridgecrest Regional Wild Horse and Burro Corrals daily from 3 to 4 p.m., from November 22-27.
For information about daily gather reports and additional information, please visit the gather webpage. For information on how to adopt or purchase a wild horse or burro from the Ridgecrest Wild Horse and Burro Corrals, visit the webpage or contact BLM_CA_RidgecrestCorrals@blm.gov
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.