Date: September 15, 2003

CONTACT: Diane Hendry or Jamie Thompson at (775) 623-1500

BLM Completes Augusta Gather

The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Winnemucca Field Office (WFO) this week completed a wild horse and burro gather in the Augusta Mountains. This gather resulted in 380 wild horse captured; 67 of which were released back into the Herd Management Area (HMA). The remaining 312 horses were shipped to the BLM’s Palomino Valley Facility (PVC) located near Reno, Nevada. Four of these horses are privately owned and will be claimed by the owner. A fifth horse, an unmarked gelding, will become the property of the State of Nevada in accordance with a Memorandum of Understanding with the BLM. 

A wild free-roaming horse or burro as defined by federal law, is an unbranded, unclaimed, free-roaming horse or burro found on BLM or U.S. Forest Service administered public rangelands in the western United States. Although the population changes annually based on natural conditions, in February 2002, there were approximately 38,815 wild horses and burros on public lands in the following western states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Wyoming. There are 208 HMAs on about 30 million acres scattered among these 10 western states. The BLM captures and removes animals from HMAs to reduce wild horse and burro populations that exceed the Appropriate Management Level (AML). 

Nadine Paine, Wild Horse & Burro Specialist, said, "All horses are vaccinated against the West Nile Virus, Encephalitis, influenza, rabies, rhino virus and others before adoption procedures can take place. They are given Tetanus shots and gelded free of charge." They will be cared for by the BLM until they are adopted or, based on their age, kept in long-term care facilities administered by the BLM where they are humanely cared for thoughout their lives. 

Currently, a wild horse gather is in process in the south portion of the Blue Wing/Seven Troughs Allotments. The goal is to remove 862 wild horses and 112 burros which will reduce the population to below the Appropriate Management Level (AML) in this HMA.

The public is welcome to attend wild horse gathers and should seek further information from the WFO by calling 775-635-1500. For those interested in purchasing a wild horse, a saddle horse adoption is scheduled for Saturday, October 11, at the Warm Springs Correctional Center in Carson City, Nevada. (Rear entrance – from 395 South take East 5th Street, right at the roundabout on Edmonds Drive) 

Absolutely no blue clothing, blue jeans, shorts, or tank tops.

Horses can be viewed at www.nv.blm.gov  Competitive bid adoption begins at 10:30 a.m. with an opportunity to preview horses at 9:30 a.m. Bids start at $125.00 for BLM horses and $150.00 for Nevada estray horses. Adopters must meet qualifications to bid and information on this process can be found at www.wildhorseandburro.blm.gov  For additional information, please call Susie Stokke (775) 861-6469 or Wild Horse Organized Assistance (WHOA) (775) 851-4817.

- BLM -