Date: January 14, 2004

CONTACT: Diane Hendry at (775) 623-1500

AUGUSTA MOUNTAINS AND SOUTH BLUE WING COMPLEX WILD HORSE AND BURRO GATHERS

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Winnemucca Field Office (WFO), completed the gathering of wild horses in the Augusta Mountains Herd Management Area (HMA) on September 8, 2003. The gathering of wild horses and burros on the South Blue Wing Complex HMAs was completed on September 17, 2003. These were the third and fourth wild horse gathers in the Winnemucca District during fiscal year 2003 and lasted approximately two weeks. Dave Cattoor, national wild horse and burro contractor, was contracted for these gathers. Cattoor subcontracted with Jim Hicks to provide helicopter services.

The WFO captured 380 horses from the Augusta Mountains HMA. Three hundred and twelve horses were removed and will be placed in the BLM wild horse adoption program or into the BLM long-term holding facility. The remaining horses were released back to the HMA. The current population of approximately 185 horses meets the low range Appropriate Management Level (AML) objective for the Augusta Mountains HMA. 

Five hundred and twenty-nine horses and ninety-three burros were captured from the South Blue Wing Complex HMAs (Blue Wing Mountains, Nightingale Mountains, and Shawave Mountains). The capture number was less than expected as animals had moved north out of the gather area. Another gather is tentatively scheduled for July 2004 and will include both the North and South HMAs of this Complex to better ensure that management objectives are met. Twelve burros were released back into the Blue Wing Mountains HMA; no horses were released. The current population of approximately 104 horses and 17 burros meets the low range AML objective for the South Blue Wing Complex.

The next wild horse and burro gather is tentatively scheduled to begin in early February 2004, in the Calico Complex HMAs north of Gerlach. The public is welcome to attend wild horse gathers and should seek further information from the WFO by calling 775-635-1500.

- BLM -