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USDA Forest Service Concludes Emergency Wild Horse Gather Operations Near Las Vegas
Release Date:
Contact(s): Erica Hupp (775) 355-5311; Naaman Horn (702) 515-5413
Las Vegas – The USDA Forest Service concluded the 2018 Cold Creek Emergency Wild Horse Gather on Tuesday, May 22, in the Cold Creek area of Wheeler Pass Joint Management Area (JMA), about 30 miles northwest of Las Vegas. The Forest Service gathered 148 wild horses (72 studs, 67 mares, 9 foals).
“It was necessary for us to gather these wild horses due to the extended drought and poor range conditions,” said Donn Christiansen, Area Manager on the Spring Mountain National Recreation Area of the Humboldt Toiyabe National Forest.
Gathered wild horses have been transported to the Ridgecrest Regional Wild Horse and Burro Corrals, located at 3647-A Randsburg Wash Road, Ridgecrest California. This facility supports wild horse and burro management for the three-state region of California, Nevada, and Arizona. The horses gathered will receive veterinary care at the facility, including vaccinations, deworming, blood test, and freeze marking.
Anyone interested in adopting wild horses can find details and an application on the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program website at https://www.blm.gov/programs/wild-horse-and-burro/adoption-and-sales. For more information regarding the Ridgecrest Regional Wild Horse and Burro Corrals, call 760-384-5765.
The Forest Service and Nevada BLM have been monitoring the condition of the wild horses in the Wheeler Pass JMA and also received reports and photos from the public. Due to the declining condition of these horses and the lack of available forage, the Forest Service decided to conduct an emergency gather on National Forest System lands.
Wheeler Pass JMA is made up of the Spring Mountain WHBT, which encompasses around 102,221 acres within the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest’s Spring Mountains National Recreation Area, and Wheeler Pass Herd Management Area (HMA), which encompasses approximately 275,000 acres within the Southern Nevada BLM District. The Appropriate Management Level (AML) for this JMA is 47-66 wild horses. The current population estimate post gather is 138-142, based off of the April 2018 population inventory conducted.
For more information on the 2018 Cold Creek Emergency Wild Horse Gather, visit:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/htnf/home/?cid=FSEPRD578852