Colorado's Controversial Wild Horse Roundup: Federal Plans and Public Outcry

The latest effort to manage the wild horse population in Colorado targets the Little Book Cliffs, a rangeland near Palisade home to about 200 mustangs. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has announced a 10-year management plan involving helicopter roundups, birth control, and bait-and-trap operations to maintain the population within federal limits.

The BLM's plan involves removing 85-110 wild horses using helicopters, administering fertility control, and conducting trap operations. The rangeland can support a maximum of 90-150 horses, but the current count is 1,322, exceeding the BLM's target of 827 for Colorado's mustang herd management areas.

Helicopter roundups, like those planned for Little Book Cliffs, have faced criticism from mustang advocates. Scott Wilson, a spokesman for American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Campaign), expressed disappointment in the BLM's reliance on such methods, advocating instead for humane fertility control.

Gov. Jared Polis has previously called for the cessation of helicopter roundups, but the BLM maintains that while fertility vaccines are useful, they cannot replace roundups. The agency is accepting public comments on its management plan until June 15.

Since 1971, nearly 4,400 wild horses and burros have been removed from Colorado's public lands. Nationwide, the BLM plans to remove about 20,000 mustangs and burros this year, continuing efforts to manage populations that surged to over 95,000 in 2020.