The federal government announced Thursday it would move ahead with plans to round up wild horses from a large area of public lands west of Cedar City.

An estimated 254 horses are living near the Utah-Nevada border in the North Hills Joint Management Area, an 85,000-acre block northwest of Enterprise that includes lands managed by the National Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management.

After publishing an environmental analysis of the area last year, the BLM now says the preferred wild horse population for the area should be 40 to 60 horses.

"This population size was determined based on public input, vegetation inventories, allocation of forage, and other resource considerations in order to support wild horses in balance with other uses and values on public land," according to a release from the agency.

The decision would also update the government's management plans for the area, establishing short and long-term goals that could involve regular removals of wild horses over the next 10 years.

"The objective of this operation is to achieve and maintain a balance between wild horses on the range and other public land resources," according to the agency.

The government permits grazing by approximately 1,079 cattle and 772 sheep on seasonal allotments that include at least some portion of the North Hills area, figures calculated based on the amount of forage available, according to the environmental assessment, which was published in July.

The last wild horse gather in the area was in December of 2010, according to the BLM. Ninety-seven horses were removed, with the remaining population estimated at 40 animals.

David DeMille is the content strategist and editor for The Spectrum & Daily News. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today.

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