The Bureau of Land Management's White River Field Office plans to begin its West Douglas Herd Area wild horse gather in Rio Blanco County, Colorado, operations on September 1, 2023
BLM workers getting pens and transportation ready for gathering wild horses.
The current appropriate management level for wild horses in West Douglas Herd Area is zero animals since nearly all forage and water sources are located on adjacent private lands.
© 2013 by BLM Nevada New window.
Details of Gather
The BLM will conduct gather operations by using helicopter drive trapping which has been proven effective in this area. Helicopter gathers are one of the most efficient and humane methods to capture wild horses, especially when terrain and access is difficult.
The BLM and the contractor will do everything they can to ensure wild horses are treated humanely. All operations will comply with the BLM’s Comprehensive Animal Welfare Program. The BLM plans to gather and remove up to 122 excess wild horses.
Purpose of Gather
The purpose of the gather is to protect the health of wild horses in the area due to limited water and food sources, protect the rangeland from overuse due to excess wild horses, and 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 Horse and Burro Act.
The current appropriate management level for wild horses in West Douglas Herd Area is zero animals since nearly all forage and water sources are located on adjacent private lands.
Public Observation
Members of the public are welcome to view the gather operations, provided that doing so does not jeopardize the safety of the animals, staff and observers, or disrupt gather operations. The BLM anticipates that viewing opportunities will begin on September 1, 2023, weather and logistics permitting. Please review the "Know Before You Go" and "Observation Protocol" documents, located on the right-hand side of this page, before planning to attend.
All media and/or visitors wanting to attend gather operations as an observer must call the gather information hotline at (720) 432-9689 for daily meeting location and times. BLM staff will meet the public each morning at the pre-determined meeting location to escort the group to and from the gather observation site. Observers must provide their own transportation.
The BLM recommends a four-wheel drive, high clearance vehicle with spare tires and an extra can of gas. Please do not bring any pets or you may not be permitted to the observation area due to safety concerns.
Further Information:
• Observation Protocol
• Know Before You Go
• Frequently Asked
• Colorado WHB Facts
Adoption Information
Horses removed from the range will be transported to Canon City, Colorado where they will be checked by a veterinarian and readied for the BLM’s wild horse and burro adoption program. Those that are not placed into a new home will be cared for in off-range pastures, where they live off the rest of their lives on grass pastures. For information on how to adopt a wild horse, visit www.blm.gov/whb.
Background
The BLM has determined that the West Douglas Herd Area and other areas outside the Piceance-East Douglas Herd Management Area are not to be managed for wild horses because of the complex terrain and lack of summer range. However, wild horses have continued to exist here for a variety of reasons and are at population levels that require excess wild horses to utilize private land for food and water resources. The appropriate management level for the West Douglas Herd Area is zero wild horses. The current estimated population is approximately 122 wild horses.
The BLM manages the 190,000-acre Piceance-East Douglas Herd Management Area, which is across the highway from the West Douglas Herd Area, for a healthy wild horse herd between 135 and 235 wild horses. This is the most suitable area to successfully manage a wild horse herd within the White River Field Office.
Press release by Bureau of Land Management's White River Field Office