The Bureau of Land Management Elko District, Wells Field Office and Ely District, Bristlecone Field Office on Aug. 25, 2022 concluded the Triple B Complex wild horse gather in Elko and White Pine counties, about 60 miles north of Ely, Nev.
A wild horse family including a white mare, a foal, and a yearling in a BLM corral
The BLM agency’s top research priority remains the development of safe, practical, effective and long- lasting fertility control methods for wild horses and burros.
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The BLM gathered 1,897 excess wild horses from public lands. The population suppression vaccine GonaCon-Equine is being administered to up to 50 mares. The mares will get a second dose within approximately 30 days of the first dose and be released back into the Complex.
The BLM will release the treated mares on or about Oct. 20, 2022. Members of the public are welcome to view the release operations, provided that doing so does not jeopardize the safety of the animals, staff, contractors and observers, or disrupt release operations. Agency staff will escort the public to the observation sites located on public lands. If you would like to view the release of the mares, please RSVP no later than October 11 to chanefel@blm.gov for the meeting location and time.
“The agency’s top research priority remains the development of safe, practical, effective and long- lasting fertility control methods for wild horses and burros,” said BLM Bristlecone Field Manager Jared Bybee.
The purpose of the gather was to prevent undue or unnecessary degradation of the public lands associated with excess wild horses and 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. Removing excess animals would also enable significant progress toward achieving the Standards for Rangeland Health identified by the Northeastern Great Basin Resource Advisory Council.
The action was also necessary to reduce overpopulation of wild horses within and outside the Complex where there currently is not enough water and/or forage, both for short and long-term management, to support the number of horses in the area, and to prevent further degradation of public lands by helping to balance herd size.
Gather reports and additional information are posted on the BLM website at https://go.usa.gov
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.
Press release by Bureau of Land Management Elko District, Wells Field Office and Ely District, Bristlecone Field Office