BLM to Skip Wild Horse Gatherings in Colorado This Summer
By Nancy Lofholm, Denver Poste
GRAND JUNCTION — The U.S. Bureau of Land Management will not be gathering wild horses in Colorado this summer.
The agency plans to round up wild mustangs in other Western states, but Colorado is close to its targeted population on public lands, said BLM spokesman Steven Hall.
"We're fortunate in Colorado that we don't have as many challenges as other states do," Hall said.
Colorado has about 780 wild horses in four Western Slope management areas and all are within the upper limits set for a sustainable herd size.
Hall said that the BLM may take other steps this year, such as treating horses with birth-control drugs.
The BLM's recently released roundup schedule shows that 2,400 wild horses will be gathered in other Western states this summer. The largest gathers will take place in Wyoming, where 1,535 horses will be rounded up. In Nevada, 285 horses are slated for removal, along with 200 in Utah, 70 in Oregon, 50 in California and 35 in Idaho. The bureau also plans to gather 140 burros in Arizona, 50 in California and 25 in Oregon.
The BLM has removed nearly 100,000 wild horses from Western range over the past decade and estimates there are about 40,600 wild horses remaining on ranges while about 49,000 are penned in short- and long-term holding facilities.