As part of its mission to manage public lands for multiple uses, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has released an environmental assessment (EA) for public review that analyzes removing wild horses from areas outside the Piceance-East Douglas Herd Management Area (HMA), in northwestern Colorado.

“The BLM is committed to maintaining a healthy wild horse population on healthy rangelands in the Piceance-East Douglas Herd Management Area,” said BLM Acting White River Field Manager Lauren Brown. “Wild horses that stray from the established herd management area need to be removed to reduce conflicts with other resources and private land under the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act.”

The EA is a baseline document for potential future wild horse removals outside the HMA over the next several years that could include using helicopters and/or bait- and water-trapping. It specifically includes a proposed helicopter gather this fall to remove 72 wild horses outside the HMA.

The BLM currently estimates there are 210 wild horses outside the HMA within the analysis area, which includes about 773,000 acres in the White River Field Office east of Colorado Highway 139, south of Colorado Highway 64, and west of Colorado Highway 13. The analysis area and EA do not include the West Douglas Herd Area, which is west of Colorado Highway 139