Wild horses from public ranges in northeast California and burros from the southern California, Nevada, and Arizona deserts will be available for adoption Saturday and Sunday, May 10 and 11, at the Amador County Fairgrounds, 18621 Sherwood St., in Plymouth. The event will be at the Empire Lot.

The Bureau of Land Management will offer 14 yearling fillies and geldings, eight mares and geldings aged 4 to 8, and 10 gelding and jenny burros of all ages. Additionally, one halter-trained filly will be available.

Anyone interested can preview the animals beginning at noon, Friday, May 9. The adoption gates open at 8 a.m. Saturday, and a silent auction will be held from 9 to 10 a.m. Animals not adopted during the auction will be available for the BLM’s adoption fee of $125 all day Saturday and until noon Sunday on a first-come, first-served basis.

“All of these animals are certified healthy and are ready to train for a variety of activities,” said Doug Satica, manager of the BLM Litchfield Wild Horse and Burro Corrals near Susanville. “With training and patience, they make loyal companions and can excel in everything from trail riding to ranch work.”

Animals will receive deworming treatments and vaccinations against all common equine diseases. The BLM will provide health care records. Adopters must be at least 18 years old and have corral facilities that meet BLM requirements. BLM staff members will be available to review and approve adoption applications at the adoption event.

The BLM is responsible under the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, a federal law, for protecting and managing wild horses and burros on public lands. The agency periodically removes animals from the range when populations exceed levels established to allow wild horse and burro herds to thrive in balance with wildlife and the ecosystem or with BLM’s multiple use mission. The animals are then available for private ownership. Visit the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program online for more information.

The BLM’s Ridgecrest Regional Wild Horse and Burro Corrals, in cooperation with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, are offering horses and burros for adoption.

We will bring 10 horses less than 2 years old and 10 older than 2 years old, as well as 10 burros. Adoptions are by a first come, first served basis.

Animals must be picked up by 4 pm, May 10, unless adopters have made prior arrangements with BLM staff. Applications approved on-site!

To streamline the process, you can bring a completed application to the event: www.blm.gov/whbapplication. For more information, visit the online corral website: www.blm.gov/whb-ridgecrest.

 

REDDING, Calif. – Wild horses and burros from public rangelands will be available for adoption Saturday and Sunday, April 5 and 6, at the Butte County Fairgrounds, 199 E. Hazel St., in Gridley.  The Bureau of Land Management will offer 14 adult horses, 14 yearling horses, and 12 burros of all ages.

Anyone interested can preview the animals when they arrive at the fairgrounds at about 3 p.m. Friday, April 4. The adoption event gate opens at 8 a.m. Saturday, and adoptions begin with a silent auction from 9 to 10 a.m. Animals not adopted during the auction will be available all-day Saturday until 5 p.m. and from 8 a.m. to noon on Sunday for a $125 adoption fee.

“These horses are healthy and ready to train,” said Doug Satica, manager of the BLM Litchfield Off Range Corral near Susanville. “They have been vaccinated against all common equine diseases. We provide complete health care records.”

Adopters must be at least 18 years old and have facilities that meet BLM requirements.

The BLM is responsible under the Wild Free Roaming Horses and Burros Act for protecting and managing wild horses and burros on public lands. The agency periodically removes animals from the range when populations exceed levels established to allow wild horse and burro herd to thrive in balance with other range users including wildlife and permitted livestock. The animals are then available for placement in private ownership. Visit the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Adoption Program online for more information.

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.

Cedarville, Calif. – The Bureau of Land Management is seeking public comments on a plan to manage wild horse populations in three herd management areas in far northeast California and far northwest Nevada. The environmental assessment, available for review and comment through the BLM National NEPA Register, addresses population management actions on the Carter Reservoir, Coppersmith and Buckhorn herd management areas.

“Wild horse populations in these herd management areas have greatly exceeded the appropriate management level established in our Resource Management Plan,” said Craig Drake, manager of the BLM Applegate Field Office. “Managing the population at the appropriate management level is important to maintaining healthy, viable herds as part of a thriving natural ecological balance on the range, as required by the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act.”

A 30-day comment period runs through Nov. 22. Anyone interested can comment by using the “participate now” button on the above NEPA Register page. Those who need the document in printed form can contact the BLM’s Surprise Field Station in Cedarville at 530-279-6101. Comments can also be sent to the Bureau of Land Management, Surprise Field Station, 602 Cressler St., Cedarville, CA 96104, attention Wild Horse Gather. 

The BLM plans to gather excess wild horses from the three HMAs to achieve and maintain populations within the appropriate management level range shown in the EA. The HMAs are not managed for burros; any that have roamed into the HMAs would be removed.

Based on aerial surveys, ground observations, and expected annual population increases, the BLM expects there are more than 700 wild horses in the three HMAs, where the combined appropriate management level is 134 – 195 wild horses. This overpopulation has impacted water and riparian resources on both public and private lands. The BLM would conduct new population survey flights prior to any gathers. The BLM does not intend to reduce populations below the appropriate management level range in any of the herd management areas. Wild horses removed from the range would be made available for private ownership through the BLM’s adoption and sales programs.

The BLM is responsible under the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act for protecting and managing wild horses and burros to protect resources and ensure healthy herds. The agency periodically removes animals from the range when populations exceed levels established to allow the herds to thrive in balance with other users including wildlife and permitted livestock. More information about the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program is available online. 
 

SUSANVILLE, Calif. – The Bureau of Land Management has announced plans to gather and remove excess wild horses from public rangelands in the Twin Peaks Herd Management Area to prevent impacts to rangeland health in Lassen County, Calif., and Washoe County, Nev. Gather operations will begin Tuesday, Oct. 1, and could continue for 15 days or longer.

The BLM plans to gather about 940 wild horses and remove about 870 of those from the rangeland along the California-Nevada border northeast of Susanville. Animals removed will be prepared for placement in private ownership through adoption or sale. Some animals, including mares treated with fertility control, would be returned to the range to maintain herd viability.

Operations will focus on wild horse home ranges in the northern and southern areas of the Twin Peaks HMA. In addition to managing populations within the herd management area, the operation will remove horses that are roaming outside of the HMA boundaries.

“While our gather in 2022 reduced populations, additional removals are needed to bring the population down to the appropriate management level of 448 to 758 wild horses,” said BLM Eagle Lake Field Manager Emily Ryan. “These high populations are causing rangeland degradation in the herd management area, with wild horses using more than their allocated forage and damaging riparian areas, wetlands and cultural resource sites.

Members of the public will be welcome to observe gather operations each day. They must reserve space by calling the gather information line at 530-252-5332 at least a day before they plan to visit. Information on the meeting location and time will be provided on the information line. Observation groups will be limited to 10 persons per day due to limited space for people and vehicles.

Those who plan to visit should plan on spending the entire day at the observation site. There are no nearby services and there will be no cell coverage. Temperatures this time of year may be cold when operations begin at dawn, warming to the 60s and low 70s in the afternoons.

Based on aerial counts earlier this summer and subsequent population modeling, the BLM believes there are about 1,800 wild horses and 140 wild burros in the herd management area that encompasses more than 800,000 acres including approximately 656,000 acres of BLM-managed public land.

The decision to gather excess animals was analyzed in a 2019 environmental assessment covering a 10-year period. The Notice of Decision authorizing the upcoming gather, the 2019 EA, and a determination of adequacy under the National Environmental Policy Act are available online.   

The BLM is responsible under the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act for protecting and managing wild horses and burros to protect resources and ensure healthy herds. The agency periodically removes animals from the range when populations exceed levels established to allow the herds to thrive in balance with other users including wildlife and permitted livestock. More information about the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program is available online.

SUSANVILLE, Calif. – The Bureau of Land Management has announced plans to gather and remove excess wild horses from public rangelands in the Twin Peaks Herd Management Area to prevent impacts to rangeland health in Lassen County, Calif., and Washoe County, Nev. Gather operations will begin Tuesday, Oct. 1, and could continue for 15 days or longer.

The BLM plans to gather about 940 wild horses and remove about 870 of those from the rangeland along the California-Nevada border northeast of Susanville. Animals removed will be prepared for placement in private ownership through adoption or sale. Some animals, including mares treated with fertility control, would be returned to the range to maintain herd viability.

Operations will focus on wild horse home ranges in the northern and southern areas of the Twin Peaks HMA. In addition to managing populations within the herd management area, the operation will remove horses that are roaming outside of the HMA boundaries.

“While our gather in 2022 reduced populations, additional removals are needed to bring the population down to the appropriate management level of 448 to 758 wild horses,” said BLM Eagle Lake Field Manager Emily Ryan. “These high populations are causing rangeland degradation in the herd management area, with wild horses using more than their allocated forage and damaging riparian areas, wetlands and cultural resource sites.

Members of the public will be welcome to observe gather operations each day. They must reserve space by calling the gather information line at 530-252-5332 at least a day before they plan to visit. Information on the meeting location and time will be provided on the information line. Observation groups will be limited to 10 persons per day due to limited space for people and vehicles.

Those who plan to visit should plan on spending the entire day at the observation site. There are no nearby services and there will be no cell coverage. Temperatures this time of year may be cold when operations begin at dawn, warming to the 60s and low 70s in the afternoons.

Based on aerial counts earlier this summer and subsequent population modeling, the BLM believes there are about 1,800 wild horses and 140 wild burros in the herd management area that encompasses more than 800,000 acres including approximately 656,000 acres of BLM-managed public land.

The decision to gather excess animals was analyzed in a 2019 environmental assessment covering a 10-year period. The Notice of Decision authorizing the upcoming gather, the 2019 EA, and a determination of adequacy under the National Environmental Policy Act are available online.   

The BLM is responsible under the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act for protecting and managing wild horses and burros to protect resources and ensure healthy herds. The agency periodically removes animals from the range when populations exceed levels established to allow the herds to thrive in balance with other users including wildlife and permitted livestock. More information about the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program is available online.

MORENO VALLEY, Calif. – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will host a wild horse and burro adoption on Feb. 5–7, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., at the Pomona Fairplex, 101 W. McKinley Ave., Pomona, Calif.

Approximately six to ten gentled horses and six gentled burros will be available for adoption by oral bid auction. On Fri., Feb. 5, potential bidders can preview the animals and submit applications to obtain a bidder number. On Sat., Feb. 6, animals can continue to be previewed and bid applications can be submitted prior to the oral bid auction on Saturday morning. Animals not adopted during the auction will be available for adoption to approved adopters on a first come, first served basis beginning Sunday, Feb. 7 for a fee of $125.00. Loading of all adopted animals will occur on Sunday, Feb. 7.

To qualify, adopters must be at least 18 and United States residents. They must provide corrals offering least 400 square feet per animal. Corrals must be enclosed by six-foot fences built of pipe or boards. Five-foot fences are allowed for horses under two years old. Roofed, two-sided shelters are required. The BLM recommends against releasing wild horses and burros into large pastures until they can be captured, haltered and led.

The BLM is responsible under federal law for managing and protecting wild horses on public lands across the west including California. Horses removed from public lands to protect the habitat for the herds are offered to the public for adoption.

The BLM periodically gathers horses and burros to control herd populations on ranges shared with wildlife and domestic livestock.  Herd sizes are controlled to ensure there is sufficient feed and water for all range users and to ensure that natural resources are not over-used.

For additional information on wild horse and burro adoption requirements or the upcoming event, please contact the Ridgecrest Regional Wild Horse and Burro Corral at (800) 951-8720 or visit www.wildhorseandburro.blm.gov.

NEEDLES, Calif. – The Bureau of Land Management is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to justice for the ongoing investigation of the shooting and killing of 19 wild burros. The animals were found along Interstate 15 between Baker, California and Primm, Nevada on August 13, 2019.

BLM law enforcement identified two vehicles of interest and want to speak with the owners of a gray or silver 2008 Toyota extended cab pickup with flared fenders and a brush guard, and a white 2008 Toyota extended cab pickup with a white camper shell, white rims, sunroof, and brush guard. Video surveillance captured both vehicles traveling together and last seen in Primm, Nevada, on August 13, 2019, at approximately 06:32 a.m., in the parking lot of Whiskey Pete’s Hotel and Casino. Actual images of both vehicles and the crime scene are below.

 

BLM special agents identified the weapon used to kill the wild burros as a .30-06 caliber rifle, possibly vintage based on the rifling of the projectiles recovered, that could have been manufactured by Browning, Remington, Springfield, U.S. Military Arms, or Winchester. The rifle is chambered for .30-06 Springfield ammunition.  Special agents also believe the person or persons responsible used reloaded ammunition marked with red/orange paint on the bottom of their cartridges.

 

Anyone with any knowledge of this crime is strongly encouraged to contact the 24-hour WeTip crime reporting system at 909-987-5005. BLM special agents encourage callers to leave contact information for follow up. Information leading to the successful prosecution of the person or persons responsible for this crime will receive the reward.

The animals are federally protected under the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971. The Act protects wild, free-roaming horses and burros from capture, branding, harassment, or death; and considers them an integral part of the natural system of public lands managed by BLM.

GERLACH, Nev. – On or about September 18, the Bureau of Land Management’s Applegate and Black Rock field offices will begin a wild horse gather in and around the Surprise and Calico wild horse and burro management complexes on BLM-managed public lands in northwest Nevada, using the helicopter-assisted method.

The purpose of the gather is to prevent undue or unnecessary degradation of the public lands associated with excess wild horses and burros and to restore a thriving natural ecological balance and multiple-use relationship on public lands, consistent with the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. The action is also necessary to reduce overpopulation of wild horses within and outside the area, and to prevent further degradation of public lands by balancing herd size with other land users and available resources.

The complexes include High Rock, Fox Hog, Wall Canyon, Black Rock Range, Calico Mountains, Granite Range and Warm Springs Canyon Herd Management Areas (HMAs).

Gather operations will begin with the Surprise Complex near Cedarville, Calif., and then shift to the Calico Complex near Gerlach, Nev.

“The BLM’s priority is to conduct safe, efficient, and successful wild horse and burro gather operations while ensuring humane care and treatment of all animals gathered,” said Craig Drake, manager of the BLM Applegate Field Office.

The BLM plans to gather approximately 1,200 wild horses, remove approximately 780 excess wild horses from the range, and treat up to 217 mares with GonaCon Equine, a population suppression fertility control vaccine, before releasing them back to the range to maintain herd viability. 

By balancing herd size with what the land can support, the agency aims to protect habitat for other wildlife species such as sage grouse, pronghorn antelope, and mule deer. Removing excess wild horses and burros supports significant progress toward achieving the BLM’s Standards for Rangeland Health.

The agency and its contractors are committed to using the best available science and handling practices for wild horses and burros, while meeting overall gather goals and objectives in accordance with the BLM Comprehensive Animal Welfare Program.

All animals removed from the Surprise Complex will be transported to the Litchfield Off-Range Corrals in Litchfield, Calif. All animals removed from the Calico Complex will be transported to the Palomino Valley Center, near Reno, Nev. Upon arrival at the facilities, all animals will be checked by a veterinarian and readied for placement in private ownership through the BLM’s wild horse and burro Adoption and Sales Program. 

Members of the public are welcome to view the gather operations, provided that doing so does not jeopardize the safety of the animals, staff and observers, or disrupt gather operations. The BLM will escort the public to gather observation sites located on public lands.

Those wishing to view the gather in the Surprise Complex out of Cedarville, Calif. should call 530-252-5332 to get information on viewing and to reserve space for each day.

When operations shift to the Calico Complex, interested observers must call 775-623-1567 to receive specific instructions on each day’s meeting location and time.

The staff is conducting the Surprise Complex portion on the gather under the DOI-BLM-CA-N020-2021-0009-EA Surprise Complex Wild Horse Gather Plan Environmental Assessment decision signed on July 12, 2021. The environmental assessment documents can be found at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2011428/510.

The staff is conducting the Calico Complex portion of the gather under the DOI-BLM-NV-W030-2019-0019-EA Calico Complex Wild Horse Gather Plan Environmental Assessment decision signed on July 28, 2021. The environmental assessment documents can be found at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2010516/570.

Gather reports and additional information for the Surprise Complex portion of the gather will be posted on the agency website at https://www.blm.gov/programs/wild-horse-and-burro/herd-management/gathers-and-removals/california. Technical information is available from Wild Horse and Burro Specialist Pat Farris at 530-257-0456.

Gather reports and additional information for the Calico Complex portion of the gather will be posted on the agency website at https://www.blm.gov/programs/wild-horse-and-burro/herd-management/gathers-and-removals/nevada/2023-calico-complex-wild.

For technical information contact Wild Horse and Burro Specialist Garrett Swisher at (775) 623-1500.

For information on how to adopt or purchase a wild horse or burro, visit www.blm.gov/whb.