WINNEMUCCA – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Winnemucca District, Humboldt River Field Office will begin a wild horse bait/water trap on Monday, June 23 with a placement of corrals located in Pershing County approximately 10 miles northeast of Lovelock at the Humboldt Herd Area (HA).
Actual gathering of wild horses will commence once the corrals are in place and the wild horses become accustomed. The BLM will gather and remove approximately 100 wild horses from the range.
“The Humboldt HA was not designated for the long-term management of wild horses through the Sonoma-Gerlach Management framework plan due to the checkerboard land pattern found within the HA and, therefore, is not currently managed for wild horses or burros,” said Humboldt River Field Manager Vic Lozano. “Since this area is not a Herd Management Area managed for wild horses, these wild horses have been identified as excess.”
An information line has been established for this gather at 775-623-1747. A recorded message will provide information on daily gather activities and updated gather schedules. The BLM will also post daily gather reports on its website at http://bit.ly/HHAGather.
A public and media tour has been set-up for Tuesday, June 24. Members of the public may meet at the Court House Park, 400 Main Street, in Lovelock at 7:30 a.m. Visitors must RSVP by calling the gather hotline at 775-623-1747 or by calling Lisa Ross at 775-885-6107 (email: [email protected]).
The gather area comprises 431,544 acres of private and public lands. Removing the wild horses will help prevent further deterioration of the range and water resources, as well as address safety issues on roads and private land issues. There are an estimated 282 wild horses from an aerial population count conducted in May 2014.
The contractor for this gather is Cattoor Livestock of Nephi, Utah. The gathered animals will be transported to the Palomino Valley Center near Reno where they will be prepared for the BLM adoption program. Horses not adopted 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. The BLM does not sell or send any horses to slaughter.
For more information, contact Mandy Deforest at 775-623-1579.
