BLM to Remove Ten Bachelor Stallions in Fish Springs

CARSON CITY, Nev. – On or around November 13, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Carson City District, will begin to gather and remove up to 10 excess wild horses from the Fish Springs area of Gardnerville, approximately 12 miles south of the Pine Nut Mountains Herd Management Area (HMA). The band of aggressive stallions has created public safety issues and continues to cause damage to private property.

Over the last several months, the BLM has received numerous calls from concerned residents within the Fish Springs community regarding issues with the wild horses. A formal request for their removal was submitted by the Pine Nuts Wild Horse Advocates group, as in compliance with CFR 4720.2-2. The BLM also received several written requests from local residents, as the horses have continued to cause damage to private property. Citizens have also cited a concern for their personal safety and for the safety of their families as the horses have shown aggressive behavior.

The gather will consist of a bait and water trap operation to remove the band of excess wild horses from Gardnerville’s Fish Springs area, which resides outside of the HMA. Though BLM is obligated to manage wild horses within designated HMAs, the agency is balancing this obligation with its desire to cultivate community-based solutions. The BLM continues to work with the Pine Nuts Wild Horse Advocates group and other citizens who reside in the community to come up with solutions to the management of these excess wild horses.

The BLM’s priority is to conduct safe, efficient, and successful wild horse gather operations while ensuring humane care and treatment of all animals gathered. The BLM will use temporary water and bait traps, set up on private property, which consist of a series of corral panels stocked with water and hay. Because of the nature of the bait and water trap method, only essential gather operation personnel will be allowed at the trap site during operations.

All horses identified for removal will be transported to the Palomino Valley Wild Horse and Burro Off-Range Corrals in Reno, Nevada, where they will be checked by a veterinarian and prepared for the BLM’s wild horse and burro adoption program. For information on how to adopt or purchase a wild horse or burro, visit www.blm.gov/whb.

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The agency’s mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. Diverse activities authorized on these lands generated $96 billion in sales of goods and services throughout the American economy in fiscal year 2017. These activities supported more than 468,000 jobs.