BLM Fish Springs wild horse roundup stopped
GARDNERVILLE, Nev. — The Pine Nut Wild Horse Advocates, a grassroots organization dedicated to protecting local wild horses, was informed Friday by the Interior Department that the Bureau of Land Management will not move forward with the planned massive roundup of wild horses living in and around the Fish Springs area.
The announcement puts on hold the removal of horses in Fish Springs and allows the BLM to work with the PNWHA to identify a way to work together moving forward.
“After coordination with Department of the Interior leadership and the BLM we have been notified that the previously planned roundup will not occur,” said Sheila Schwadel, board member of PNWHA. “As a community we are pleased with the progress of the Administration and are optimistic for the future of our horses.”
“We are looking forward to working with Secretary Zinke and the BLM to find solutions that put the herd and our community first,” said Mary Cioffi, Social Media Director of PNWHA.“The Administration has listened to us, understood us, and acted.”
"The BLM has recognized that our efforts go well-beyond admiring these horses," said Deniz Bolbol, board member of PNWHA. "We are actively engaged in their care and management and will continue to do so collaboratively with the BLM. This is how good neighbors work together.
PNWHA has proposed to the BLM to continue the partnership to protect and manage the Fish Springs wild horses which includes protecting the range with reseeding efforts, fencing off sensitive areas, introducing water sources to better distribute the horses, continuing the humane fertility control program and incrementally removing small numbers of horses as per adoption demand. With Friday's announcement PNWHA and the Gardnerville community looks forward to working with the BLM on this community-government partnership.
Originally, the BLM planned to remove the majority of wild horses in Fish Springs leaving behind just 26 adult horses.
In 2013 the BLM announced plans to remove the wild horses in the Fish Springs area due to public safety issues and resident complaints. Due to strong community support for local wild horses including the Fish Springs area, over the past five years the BLM has worked with the PNWHA to establish a program to manage the Fish Springs horses through humane fertility control.
Through this public-private partnership, the vast majority of adult female horses have been inoculated with the fertility control thereby virtually guaranteeing the number of horses will continue to decline through natural attrition thus limiting removals in the future.
The Pine Nut Wild Horse Advocates’ mission is to develop programs to keep wild horses wild and to educate local communities near the Pine Nut Mountain Range, Carson Valley Nevada about living in harmony with wild horses.
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