2020 SEAMAN AND WHITE RIVER HERD AREAS WILD HORSE GATHER
The Bureau of Land Management’s Bristlecone and Caliente field offices, and Basin and Range National Monument will resume the Seaman and White River Herd Areas (HAs) wild horse gather on or about Jan. 5, 2020.
Gather operations began Nov. 12, 2019 and were suspended Nov. 20, 2019 when the remaining excess wild horses moved into heavy pinyon-juniper in the higher elevations of the wilderness due to unseasonably warm and dry fall conditions. In the initial operation, the BLM gathered and removed 294 excess wild horses from in and around the Seaman and White River HAs. The BLM had planned to gather and remove up to 450 excess wild horses. Appropriate Management Level (AML) is zero wild horses. The 358,834-acre Seaman HA and 116,060-acre White River HA are located in Lincoln and Nye counties, about 55 miles south of Ely, Nevada. On January 6, 2020 the gather resumed.
Purpose of Gather:
The purpose of this gather is to remove all excess wild horses from areas not designated for or suitable to their long-term management and prevent further degradation of public lands. In the 2008 Ely Resource Management Plan, the BLM decided to manage this area for zero wild horses as it no longer met the criteria for maintaining a thriving ecological balance with multiple uses as authorized under the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976. The gather is necessary to improve watershed health, protect wild horse health, and make significant progress towards achieving Mojave-Southern Great Basin Resource Advisory Council Standards for Rangeland Health.
Details of Gather:
The BLM will utilize the services of a helicopter contractor to gather and remove the excess wild horses. Appropriate Management Level is zero wild horses. During the gather, the BLM will collect information on herd characteristics and determine herd health. The gather operation is expected to last approximately six days.
Public Observation:
Members of the public are welcome to view daily gather operations, provided doing so does not jeopardize the safety of the animals, staff and observers, or disrupt gather operations. The BLM escorts the public to gather observation sites located on public lands. Anyone wanting to view gather operations are to notify Public Affairs Specialist Chris Hanefeld at (775) 289-1800 prior to the desired viewing date for addition to the attendee list and to receive specific instructions on meeting locations and times.
Observers must provide their own transportation. The BLM recommends footwear and clothing suitable for harsh field conditions and a four-wheel drive, high clearance vehicle.
Adoption Information:
All horses identified for removal will be transported to the Ridgecrest Regional Wild Horse and Burro Corrals in Ridgecrest, Calif., where they will be checked by a veterinarian and readied for the BLM’s wild horse and burro adoption program. For information on how to adopt a wild horse, visit www.blm.gov/whb
Background:
The Seaman and White River HAs are located in the Ely District on public lands administered by the Bristlecone and Caliente field offices and Basin and Range National Monument.
AML in the HAs is zero wild horses. AML is the level at which wild horse populations are consistent with the land’s capacity to support them and other mandated uses of those lands, including protecting ecological processes and habitat for other resources.
Access the decision record and determination of National Environmental Policy Act adequacy on ePlanning. For more information on the Wild Horse and Burro Program, call 1-866-468-7826 or email wildhorse@blm.gov
Gather Reports
Jan. 12, 2020
Summary: High of 35 and low 18
Animals gathered: 0 (0 Studs, 0 Mares, 0 Foals)
Animals shipped: 32 (17 Studs, 15 Mares, 0 Foals)
Released: 0
Total Deaths Today: 0
Acute: 0
Chronic/Pre-existing: 0
Jan. 11, 2020
Summary: High of 35 and low 18
Animals gathered: 17 (7 Studs, 10 Mares, 0 Foals)
Animals shipped: 0 (0 Studs, 0 Mares, 0 Foals)
Released: 0
Total Deaths Today: 0
Acute: 0
Chronic/Pre-existing: 0
Jan. 10, 2020
Summary: High of 37 and low 18
Animals gathered: 6 (1 Studs, 5 Mares, 0 Foals)
Animals shipped: 47 (13 Studs, 33 Mares, 1 Foals)
Released: 0
Total Deaths Today: 1
Acute: 0
Chronic/Pre-existing: 1
- 10-year-old white mare w/missing eye was euthanized in accordance with IM 2015-070, due to pre-existing condition with a poor prognosis for recovery
Jan. 9, 2020
Summary: High of 41 and low 22
Animals gathered: 29 (14 Studs, 14 Mares, 1 Foal)
Animals shipped: 0 (0 Studs, 0 Mares, 0 Foals)
Released: 0
Total Deaths Today: 0
Acute: 0
Chronic/Pre-existing: 0
Jan. 8, 2020
Summary: High of 45 and low 24
Animals gathered: 28 (8 Studs, 20 Mares, 0 Foals)
Animals shipped: 45 (22 Studs, 23 Mares, 0 Foals)
Released: 0
Total Deaths Today: 0
Acute: 0
Chronic/Pre-existing: 0
Jan. 7, 2020
Summary: High of 48 and low 30
Animals gathered: 18 (10 Studs, 8 Mares, 0 Foals)
Animals shipped: 0 (0 Studs, 0 Mares, 0 Foals)
Released: 0
Total Deaths Today: 1
Acute: 0
Chronic/Pre-existing: 1
- 8-year-old black stud w/BCS of 2 was euthanized in accordance with IM 2015-070, due to pre-existing condition with a poor prognosis for recovery
Jan. 6, 2020
Summary: High of 42 and low 16
Animals gathered: 28 (17 Studs, 11 Mares, 0 Foals)
Animals shipped: 0 (0 Studs, 0 Mares, 0 Foals)
Released: 0
Total Deaths Today: 0
Acute: 0
Chronic/Pre-existing: 0
Nov. 20, 2019
Summary: Weather conditions today were unseasonably warm with the high of 64 and low 29.
Animals gathered: 0 (0 Studs, 0 Mares, 0 Foals)
Animals shipped: 22 (10 Studs, 6 Mares, 6 Foals)
Released: 0
Total Deaths Today: 0
Acute: 0
Chronic/Pre-existing: 0
Nov. 19, 2019
Summary: Weather conditions today cooled down from previous days but still unseasonably warm with the high of 65 and low 30.
Animals gathered: 14 (4 Studs, 7 Mares, 3 Foals)
Animals shipped: 40 (31 Studs, 9 Mares, 0 Foals)
Released: 0
Total Deaths Today: 1
Acute: 0
Chronic/Pre-existing: 1
- 10-year old grey mare w/missing eye was euthanized in accordance with IM 2015-070, due to pre-existing condition with a poor prognosis for recovery
Nov. 18, 2019
Summary: Weather conditions today were unseasonably warm with the high of 74 and low 42.
Animals gathered: 26 (14 Studs, 9 Mares, 3 Foals)
Animals shipped: 54 (1 Stud, 35 Mares, 18 Foals)
Released: 0
Total Deaths Today: 3
Acute: 0
Chronic/Pre-existing: 3
- 8-year old buckskin stud with a club foot was euthanized in accordance with IM 2015-070, due to pre-existing condition with a poor prognosis for recovery
- 11-year old dun mare with a club foot was euthanized in accordance with IM 2015-070, due to pre-existing condition with a poor prognosis for recovery
- 12-year old grey stud with missing eye was euthanized in accordance with IM 2015-070, due to pre-existing condition with a poor prognosis for recovery
Nov. 17, 2019
Summary: Weather conditions today were unseasonably warm with the high of 67 and low 41.
Animals gathered: 43 (11 Studs, 20 Mares, 12 Foals)
Animals shipped: 0 (0 Studs, 0 Mares, 0 Foals)
Released: 0
Total Deaths Today: 1
Acute: 0
Chronic/Pre-existing: 1
- 20+ year old grey mare, BCS 2 w/severe tooth loss was euthanized in accordance with IM 2015-070, due to pre-existing condition with a poor prognosis for recovery
Nov. 16, 2019
Summary: Weather conditions today were unseasonably warm with the high of 65 and low 34.
Animals gathered: 7 (2 Studs, 3 Mares, 2 Foals)
Animals shipped: 0 (0 Studs, 0 Mares, 0 Foals)
Released: 0
Total Deaths Today: 0
Acute: 0
Chronic/Pre-existing: 0
Nov. 15, 2019
Summary: Weather conditions today were unseasonably warm with the high of 64 and low 36.
Animals gathered: 32 (14 Studs, 14 Mares, 4 Foals)
Animals shipped: 72 (27 Studs, 39 Mares, 6 Foals)
Released: 0
Total Deaths Today: 2
Acute: 0
Chronic/Pre-existing: 2
- 6-year old grey stallion, previously broken left rear leg was euthanized in accordance with IM 2015-070, due to pre-existing condition with a poor prognosis for recovery
- 16-year old bay mare, missing an eye was euthanized in accordance with IM 2015-070, due to pre-existing condition with a poor prognosis for recovery
Nov. 14, 2019
Summary: Weather conditions today were unseasonably warm with the high of 64 and low 27.
Animals gathered: 56 (22 Studs, 31 Mares, 3 Foals)
Animals shipped: 0 (0 Studs, 0 Mares, 0 Foals)
Released: 0
Total Deaths Today: 0
Acute: 0
Chronic/Pre-existing: 0
Nov. 13, 2019
Summary: Weather conditions today were unseasonably warm with the high of 70 and low 31.
Animals gathered: 14 (6 Studs, 5 Mares, 3 Foals)
Animals shipped: 97 (39 Studs, 41 Mares, 17 Foals)
Released: 0
Total Deaths Today: 1
Acute: 0
Chronic/Pre-existing: 1 (4-year old gray stallion, was euthanized in accordance with IM 2015-070, due to pre-existing condition with a poor prognosis for recovery (missing an eye))
Nov. 12, 2019
Summary: The gather began today on the White River side. Weather conditions today were unseasonably warm with the high in the upper sixties and low right around freezing.
Animals gathered: 102 (40 Studs, 45 Mares, 17 Foals)
Animals shipped: 0 (0 Studs, 0 Mares, 0 Foals)
Released: 0
Total Deaths Today: 1
Acute: 1 (12-year old gray stallion, broken neck)
Chronic/Pre-existing: 0
