BLM to Gather 275 Horses Near Gerlach Nevada
Edited Press Release

Winnemucca, Nev. – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Winnemucca Field Office has begun an emergency gather to remove 270-275 horses from the Fox & Lake Herd Management Area (HMA). Immediate removal of excess animals is necessary because water and forage is expected to become limited by mid-August.

The Fox & Lake HMA is located 80 miles north of Reno and 100 miles west of Winnemucca, within Washoe County, Nev. This HMA is approximately 177,724 acres in size and lies between the Pyramid Lake Paiute Reservation to the south and the town of Gerlach to the north and is accessible via State Highway 447 from Fernley.

The herd population will be brought down to approximately 122 animals, which is the low range of the appropriate management level (AML). AML is an agency term used to describe the number of animals the landscape can sustain with adequate forage and water.

The gathered horses will be shipped to the Palomino Valley Center, near Reno, to be prepared for adoption or long-term holding. They will be fed and watered and will receive inoculations to protect them from disease and freeze marks with a unique number once they arrive at the facility. Many of the animals will be available for adoption or sale to interested members of the public within 45 days.

The horses will be gathered with the assistance of a helicopter due to limited road access, terrain and animal behavior.

For more information about BLM wild horses and burros, please visit www.blm.gov.

Source: www.blm.gov/nv