BISHOP, Calif. – The Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service have approved a plan for the agencies to gather and remove excess wild horses that have roamed outside the Montgomery Pass Wild Horse Territory near Benton onto public and private lands, in accordance with the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burros Act of 1971.

High priority areas for this gather include, but are not limited to, horses located in the Mono Basin and horses along CA State Route 120 East and U.S. Highway 6.

“This plan will allow the Inyo National Forest to gather horses beginning summer of 2025 from high-priority areas outside the Montgomery Pass Wild Horse Territory, where wild horses are causing impacts to sensitive wildlife habitat, riparian areas, and tufa geological formations; where there are safety concerns for motorists; and areas where private landowners have requested their removal,” said BLM Bishop Field Manager Sherri Lisius.

The Montgomery Pass Wild Horse Territory is managed by the Forest Service for a wild horse population between 138 to 230 animals under the 2019 Inyo National Forest Land Management Plan. A 2024 aerial survey of the surrounding areas estimated there were 699 horses, with most of those roaming outside the territory in areas not designated for their management. The current plan authorizes approximately 300-500 horses to be gathered. Wild horses that stray from their established areas may be removed to reduce conflicts with other resources in accordance with the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971. When the gather occurs, animals removed will be transported to Forest Service off-range corrals, where they will be checked by a veterinarian and prepared for adoption and sale programs.

Appeals of the BLM decision can be submitted to the Interior Board of Land Appeals by April 7, 2025. Additional information about the gather is available at the BLM NEPA National Register. Information on the Inyo National Forest’s decision notice is available at the projects page or the Pinyon Public page.

For more information, please contact BLM_CA_Bishop_MPWHT@blm.gov or SM.FS.InyoWH_B@usda.gov.

CALIFORNIA – In order to protect the historic and cultural integrity of the Schwartz and Leff Administrative Site along the North Fork of the Salmon River, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland has withdrawn approximately 40 acres of National Forest System lands within the Klamath National Forest from location and entry under U.S. mining laws for 20 years. The withdrawal, initiated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, prevents new mining claims, but allows leasing under the mineral or geothermal leasing laws and disposal under the Materials Act of 1947.

The withdrawal will help preserve the unique historical and cultural significance of the site, which represents mining activities from the late 1800s to the Depression era. The largely unaltered site includes six buildings and two structures, five of which likely originate from the 1930s. Built by members of the U.S. Naval Construction Force, the site stands as a testament to the determination of the early mining community in Siskiyou County, California. The site is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district for its association with placer mining during the Great Depression.

The notice of withdrawal application published in the Federal Register July 27, 2017 (82 FR 34974-75). The notice gave affected users, parties of interest, and the public an opportunity to raise any concerns and to comment on the withdrawal application. The Forest Service consulted Federal, state, Tribal, and local agencies during the development of the environmental assessment. The project was first published to the schedule of proposed actions and the project website on October 1, 2017. All comments were reviewed, and summaries were published in the environmental assessment on the project website.

For further information about this withdrawal, please visit the project website, or contact Melissa Bleier at mbleier@blm.gov (until January 7, 2025), or Shannon Benavides, BLM Realty Specialist, at sbenavides@blm.gov (after January 7, 2025).