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BLM completes Colorado wild horse gather

Craig Daily Press Staff Report

— The Bureau of Land Management completed its wild horse gather operation Thursday in Northwest Colorado, according to a news release from the agency.

The BLM reported it gathered a total of 73 wild horses from outside the Piceance-East Douglas Herd Management Area, southwest of Meeker.

The majority of the wild horses gathered will be available for adoption through the BLM’s wild horse and burro program.



The gathered wild horses will be sent to the BLM’s wild horse facility in Canon City following Thursday’s denial in court of a preliminary injunction filed against part of the gather.

The Piceance-East Douglas Herd Management Area is a 190,000-acre area “managed for a healthy wild horse herd that is in balance with other resources and uses,” the BLM reported in the release.



The BLM did not gather any of the estimated 318 wild horses within the herd management area, the agency reported.

“We are dedicated to managing a healthy wild horse herd in the White River Field Office that is in balance with other public land uses and resources,” White River Field Manager Kent Walter said.

More information about the gather and the Piceance-East Douglas Herd Management Area is available at http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/wrfo.html.

Under the authority of the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, the BLM manages, protects and controls wild horses and burros as part of its overall mission.

“The agency works to ensure that population levels are in balance with rangeland resources and other uses of the public lands,” the BLM reported. “Wild horses have virtually no predators and can double in population about every four years, if not managed.”

The BLM manages four herd management areas in western Colorado for wild horses: the Piceance-East Douglas Herd west of Meeker; the Little Bookcliffs Herd northeast of Grand Junction; the Sand Wash Herd west of Craig; and the Spring Creek Herd southwest of Montrose.

The BLM encourages those who are interested in providing good homes to wild horses or burros to visit http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/wild_horse_and_burro.html for information about adoptions or sales.


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