BLM Proposes Local Wild Horse Roundups
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is planning to conduct wild horse roundups this year to remove hundreds of wild horses near Grand Junction, Meeker, and in Moffat County. These efforts are part of the BLM's ongoing strategy to manage wild horse populations and maintain ecological balance.
Public Comments Sought
The BLM's Grand Junction Field Office is seeking public comments on an environmental assessment. This assessment evaluates the use of bait and water to attract and corral wild horses in the Little Book Cliffs Herd Management Area, northeast of Grand Junction, with the goal of removing about 60 horses.
Proposed Gatherings
The BLM also proposes to gather and remove all excess wild horses outside the designated Piceance-East Douglas Herd Management Area near Meeker, totaling 374 horses. Methods such as bait-trapping and helicopter use are considered. Additionally, approximately 514 excess wild horses are targeted for removal from the Sand Wash Basin Herd Management Area and adjacent areas near Maybell using bait and water trapping.
Management and Environmental Concerns
The Little Book Cliffs area spans over 36,000 acres, with an appropriate management level set between 90 and 150 horses. The current population exceeds 175 horses. The BLM collaborates with the Friends of the Mustangs group to manage herd size, employing temporary vaccines to control fertility in mares.
Katie Stevens, BLM's Grand Junction field manager, stated, "While we have been successful at reducing birth rates and extending the time between gathers to an average of five years, periodic gathers are still necessary to keep the range healthy enough to support the herd long-term."
High herd numbers in the Little Book Cliffs are causing severe vegetation forage use, exacerbated by drought conditions. The BLM may use helicopters to gather horses if necessary. Any mare deemed unsuitable for removal will receive fertility treatment before being released.
Adoption and Further Information
Removed horses from the Little Book Cliffs will be taken to a temporary local holding facility, then to a Cañon City holding facility for freeze branding and vaccinations in preparation for adoption. Some horses may return to Grand Junction or other Western Slope areas for adoption opportunities.
An environmental assessment on the Little Book Cliffs proposal is available at go.usa.gov/xQm6V. Comments must be received by July 5 via mail to the BLM Grand Junction Field Office, 2815 H Road, Grand Junction, CO 81506, or by email to [email protected].
Wild horse roundups are approved by the BLM at a national level based on funding and priority. Approval for the proposed Sand Wash Basin and Piceance-East Douglas operations is pending, but plans are being developed in anticipation of approval.
The Piceance-East Douglas herd within the management area consists of 532 horses, exceeding the management level of 135 to 235 horses. The current proposal focuses on horses outside the management area. For more information and to comment, visit go.usa.gov/xQGGW.
The Sand Wash Basin herd consists of an estimated 677 horses within the management area and another 70 outside. The management level for that area is 163 to 362 horses. For more information and to comment, visit go.usa.gov/xQGdT.