The Bureau of Land Management will begin an effort to gather and remove up to 100 wild horses from private lands adjacent to and within the Range Creek Herd Management Area, according to a press release.
The BLM plans to gather and remove up to 100 wild horses using the water and/or bait method, consisting of a series of corral panels stocked with hay and/or water. Only essential gather operation personnel will be allowed at the trap site during operations, the email from spokeswoman Lisa Reid.
The Range Creek herd area consists 55,000 acres of federal, state and private lands 10 miles northeast of Price, Utah. The BLM manages the area for up to 125 wild horses, but the current population exceeds 375, threatening the area’s ecological balance. This roundup was ordered after landowners complained about the horses, Reid said.
“The BLM is charged, by law, with the enhancement and maintenance of healthy rangelands in order to provide a sustainable landscape for all species residing on the range,” said Chris Conrad, manager of the BLM Price Field Office. “Excess wild horses from the Range Creek HMA are affecting rangeland resources on private lands.”
Horses will be transported to the BLM contract facility in Axtell, Utah, where they will be prepared for adoption. For information on adopting a wild horse, visit www.blm.gov/whb or call 866-468-7826.
Additional information will be posted on the BLM’s website at https://www.blm.gov/2018-range-creek-gather. For more information, contact Mike Tweddell at 435-636-3609.
