Bureau of Land Management concludes the FY2022 Nevada Wild Horse Range Wild Horse and Burro Gather
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LAS VEGAS – The Pahrump Field Office concluded the FY2022 Nevada Wild Horse Range Wild Horse and Burro Gather near Tonopah, Nev., on January 3, 2022.
The Pahrump Field Office staff gathered 638 wild horses and removed 432 excess wild horses from public lands. In addition, 62 stallions were released back to the range. A population suppression control vaccine called GonaCon Equine was administered to 133 mares. The mares will get a second dose within approximately 30 days and then be released back to the Nevada Wild Horse Range Herd Management Area. The staff also gathered and removed 91 excess wild burros.
The purpose of the gather was to prevent undue or unnecessary degradation of the public lands associated with excess wild horses and burros, to restore a thriving natural ecological balance and multiple-use relationship on public lands, consistent with the provisions of Section 1333(b) of the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. By balancing herd size with what the land can support, the Pahrump Field Office aims to address resource issues related to drought and extremely limited water sources and protect habitat for other wildlife species. Removing excess animals will enable significant progress toward achieving the Standards for Rangeland Health.
“The BLM’s research priority is to improve understanding of the relationship between wild horses and burros and their environment, including how climate change will impact management and protection; for example, predictions of future forage and water availability could inform local-level herd planning,” said Nicholas Pay, Pahrump Field Manager. “Other research could reveal how herd density and resource availability might interact within the context of climate change”
The gather staff transported the excess wild horses removed from the range to the Palomino Valley Wild Horse and Burro Off-range Corrals located near Reno, Nev., and the excess wild burros to the Axtell, Utah BLM Off-Range Wild Horse and Burro Corrals, located in Axtell, Utah, to be readied for the Bureau of Land Management’s Wild Horse and Burro Adoption and Sale Program. Wild horses and burros not adopted or sold will be placed in long-term pastures where they will be humanely cared for and retain their “wild” status and protection under the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act.
Additional gather information is available for the FY2022 Nevada Wild Horse Range Herd Management Area Wild Horse and Burro Gather at https://www.blm.gov/programs/wild-horse-and-burro/herd-management/gathers-and-removals/nevada-southern-nevada-do/FY2022-NWHR.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.