The Bureau of Land Management concluded the Antelope Valley HMA emergency wild horse gather
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On July 28, 2020, the Bureau of Land Management, Elko District Office, Wells Field Office concluded the 2020 Antelope Valley Herd Management Area (HMA) emergency wild horse gather. The BLM gathered and removed 54 wild horses from areas around the Deer Springs water source, within the HMA located about 55 miles southeast of Wells, in Elko County Nevada. The action was needed due to lack of water, forage, and declining health of the wild horses associated with herd overpopulation. Gather operations were conducted using the water and bait trap method.
The gather was critical to ensuring the health of the HMA lands as well as the wild horses in the area, both of which are in jeopardy due to herd overpopulation and extremely limited water. The emergency gather will also help prevent further degradation of the public lands, associated with excess wild horses, and help make progress toward restoring 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 conducting this gather, the BLM was able to reduce the risk of starvation and thirst for the wild horses in the area while making progress toward achieving a thriving natural ecological balance on public lands,” said Gerald Dixon, Elko District Manager.
The BLM transported wild horses removed from the range to the Bruneau Off-Range Wild Horse and Burro Corral, in Bruneau, Idaho, 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 off-range 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.
Additional gather information is available on the BLM website at https://go.usa.gov/xfXMY.
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.