Elko Daily Free Press 6-28-10

BLM will begin wild horse roundup July 9

ELKO - The U.S. Bureau of Land Management's Elko District plans to start a wild horse roundup July 9 in northwestern Elko County to remove 1,137 to 1,197 horses.

"Elko's gather is the first out of the chute for the new season," said Heather Emmons of the state BLM office and the roundup coordinator.

The horses will be removed from the Owyhee, Rock Creek and Little Humboldt Herd Management Areas, and the BLM also plans to round up roughly 425 wild horses outside the Rock Creek HMA.

"That's a lot in the wrong spot," Emmons said.

The BLM estimates there are about 1,550 wild horses in the gather area and any horses gathered above targeted removal numbers will be released to keep the management level in the range of 337 to 561 horses.

"We will do more fertility treatment," Emmons said.

The BLM reported the mares released back to the range would be vaccinated with PZP-22 (Porcine Zona Pellucida) fertility control vaccine.

The gather, removal and fertility control are intended to slow population growth, maintain population size within the appropriate management levels and extend the time before another gather to remove excess horses would be needed, according to the BLM announcement.

Additionally, adjustment of sex ratios of the gathered animals to be returned to the HMAs may be made to 60 percent male/40 percent female ratios.

"The current wild horse population in these HMAs is more than three times what the range can sustain," said Field Manager David Overcast. "We need to gather and remove the excess wild horses to achieve a thriving natural ecological balance on the land and address the horse populations that have moved outside the HMA boundaries."

He said that by "keeping the wild horse population within the appropriate management levels, we can prevent further deterioration of Lahontan cutthroat trout streams, riparian zones, wildlife habitat, wilderness values and other important resources in these HMAs."

The forage and water supplies have become very limited due to extreme drought conditions in the HMAs, according to the BLM, citing climate data from the National Weather Service that shows precipitation for the current water year, beginning Oct. 1, 2009, is about 30 percent below the 30-year average.

Additionally, the HMAs have been severely impacted by catastrophic wildfires in 2001 and 2006.

The BLM will offer the gathered horses for adoption, and those that aren't adopted will be placed in long-term pastures, the agency reported, noting that the BLM doesn't sell or send any horses to slaughter.

The Tuscarora Field Office issued the decision for the final environmental assessment June 7 on the Owyhee, Rock Creek and Little Humboldt Herd Management Areas Gather Plan.

The BLM plans to announce public observation days for the gather and regularly provide updates and information on its website at: www.blm.gov/nv/st/en /fo/elko_field_office.html.

The EA and a video about the gather and other gather-related information are posted on the BLM website. Emmons said the video has good footage "showing what is out there."

Overcast may be reached at 753-0320.