Staff report

Mason Valley News

The Bureau of Land Management’s Pine Nut Mountains wild horse gather ended Feb. 19. Nearly 350 wild horses were gathered during the gather.

The BLM gathered and removed 340 excess wild horses from public and private lands in and outside the Pine Nut Mountains Herd Management Area in western Nevada. The gather was suspended due to weather. It may be resumed later this year.

Wild horses removed from the range were transported to the Palomino Valley Off-Range Wild Horse and Burro Corrals in Reno to be readied for the BLM’s wild horse and burro adoption and sale program. Wild horses not adopted or sold to good homes will be placed in long-term pastures where they will be humanely cared for and retain their “wild” status and protection under the 1971 Wild FreeRoaming Horses and Burros Act.

The purpose of the gather was to address public safety and natural resource issues. Due to overpopulation, increasing numbers of horses have left the HMA in search of food and water, creating traffic hazards, conflicts with local property owners, and other public safety issues. Within the last year, three horses have been killed in vehicle accidents outside of the HMA. The gather was also conducted to prevent undue or unnecessary degradation of the public lands associated with excess wild horses, including bi-state sage grouse habitat.

Additional gather information is available on the BLM website at https://go.usa.gov/xEXxR

For more information, contact Lisa Ross, BLM Carson City District public affairs specialist, at (775) 304-8850 or lross@blm.gov.