BLM Wild Horse Roundup Set for Oct. 15

The Bureau of Land Management has announced that operations will begin Saturday, Oct. 15, to round up excess wild horses from public lands in northwest Nevada, about 40 miles east of Cedarville, Calif.

The BLM said about 1,300 wild horses will be gathered and about 1,090 removed from the range to bring populations to within the appropriate management level range of 258 to 451 animals. Wild horses removed from the range will be taken to the BLM's short term Litchfield Corrals near Susanville and the Palomino Valley National Wild Horse and Burro Center north of Reno. They will be made available for public adoption after receiving vaccinations or other needed veterinary care.

Horses that are not adopted will be held in large Midwestern pastures to live out their lives.

“Our goal is to manage healthy wild horse herds on healthy rangelands in balance with other authorized users of the public range,” said Nancy Haug, manager of the BLM’s Northern California District, which oversees these wild horse herd management areas. “To keep the herds and the land healthy, we need to keep populations at levels the range can sustain, while meeting needs of users such as wildlife and livestock.”

In addition to removing excess animals from five herd management areas collectively referenced as the High Rock Complex, the 1,090 horses removed will include nearly 400 horses that are living outside of herd management areas. These removals are required by the federal Wild Free Roaming Horses and Burros Act.

Members of the public are welcome to observe gather operations from vantage points at each capture site.

Anyone interested can meet with the BLM staff at 5:30 a.m. daily, at the BLM Surprise Field Office, 602 Cressler St., Cedarville, Calif. They are responsible for their own transportation in a high clearance four wheel drive vehicle, beverages and food for the day. The BLM will maintain an informational telephone line at (530)279-2816 to provide daily updates on observation opportunities.

Details about the upcoming roundup are available in several environmental documents posted online at www.blm.gov/ca/surprise.

Wild horses and burros are protected by the Wild Free Roaming Horses and Burros Act which requires the BLM to manage wild herds as part of a “thriving natural ecological balance on the range.” The law mandates the removal of excess animals when populations exceed established levels.