WINNEMUCCA – On or around Dec. 10, 2021, the Black Rock Field Office (BRFO) will begin a wild horse gather in and around the Fox and Lake Range Herd Management Area (HMA) located in central Washoe County, approximately 60 miles north of Reno, Nevada. The Fox-Lake range consists of 172,692 acres of BLM land and 5,032 acres of a mix of private and other public lands for a total of 177,724 acres.
The BRFO plans to gather approximately 88 wild horses, remove approximately 20 wild horses, and treat and release approximately 40 mares from the gather area. The released mares will be treated with Gona-Con Equine fertility control. The BRFO will conduct gather operations using the helicopter-assisted method.
The total Appropriate Management Level (AML) for the Fox-Lake Range HMA is 122-204. In June, 2020, the BLM conducted an aerial flight or population inventory count where the current estimated population is 154 wild horses, which includes foals born this year. The most recent gather was completed in 2017.
The purpose of the gather is to prevent undue or unnecessary degradation of the public lands associated with excess wild horses, 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 BRFO aims to address resources issues related to drought and past fire damage and protect habitat for other wildlife species such as sage grouse, pronghorn antelope and mule deer. Removing excess animals will enable significant progress toward achieving the Standards for Rangeland Health.
All wild horses identified for removal will be transported to the Palomino Valley Center Off-Range Wild Horse and Burro Corrals near Reno, NV, where they will be checked by a veterinarian and readied for the BLM’s wild horse and burro Adoption and Sale Program. For information on how to adopt or purchase a wild horse or burro, visit www.blm.gov/whb.
