The BLM says the gather is necessary to sustain a healthy viable wild horse population and reduce grazing pressure on forage plants. | Photo: iStock

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Colorado will remove up to 60 wild horses from the Little Book Cliffs Wild Horse Range, near Grand Junction. They say the gather is necessary to sustain a healthy viable wild horse population and reduce grazing pressure on forage plants.

The BLM plans to use bait and water trapping to gather wild horses beginning in late August, with an option of using a helicopter if the bait/water trapping does not achieve removal goals.

“We are seeing an increase in the wild horse population above the appropriate management level,” said Katie Stevens, BLM Grand Junction field manager. “The population levels have reached a point where a gather is necessary to ensure the horses and wildlife have enough forage to survive