BLM to release Cedar Mountain horses back onto the range
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SALT LAKE CITY — The Bureau of Land Management Salt Lake Field Office announces plans to release 50 mares and 12 studs back onto the Cedar Mountain Herd Management Area in Tooele County, Utah, next Monday, Nov. 14. The release is part of an ongoing population growth suppression program and helps ensure healthy wild horse populations, while protecting resources in herd management areas.
“The BLM is committed to the continued use of fertility control treatments of mares in the Cedar Mountain Herd Management Area,” said BLM Salt Lake Field Manager Jessica Wade. “The BLM hopes to reduce birth rates and extend the time between gathers. This work helps ensure healthy horses on healthy rangelands.”
Public interested in observing the release should plan to meet at mile marker 20 on Highway 196—between I-80 and Dugway Proving Grounds—on Nov. 14. The convoy will depart at 1:30 p.m. sharp. Observers must provide their transportation and no public restrooms will be available.
The horses to be released were chosen among 100 horses selected specifically from those gathered in September 2022 to be returned to the herd management area for long-term management. The 50 mares were treated with the GonaCon fertility-control vaccine to help reduce the birth rate within the herd management area. The 12 studs will help maintain genetic diversity within the herd. The horses are currently being held at the Axtell Off-Range Corral near Axtell, Utah.
BLM Utah manages 19 wild horse and burro herd management areas on nearly 2.5 million acres. To learn more, visit https://on.doi.gov/3CUSY86. For additional information, please call Lisa Reid at 435-743-3128.
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.