(Cheyenne, WY) – Governor Mark Gordon has expressed his support of a planned wild horse gather in Southwest Wyoming to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
Comments closed today for the BLM’s Environmental Assessment (EA) for an upcoming wild horse gather, removal and fertility control program in southern Wyoming’s checkerboard lands in Carbon, Fremont, Lincoln, Sublette, and Sweetwater counties.
In a letter to the BLM, the Governor stated that he is concerned about the impact Wyoming’s unmanaged wild horse populations have on the landscape, wildlife and multiple-use of the state’s public lands.
He voiced support for the proposed upcoming gather and underscored the importance of utilizing various tools to assist with wild horse population management, including growth suppression tools, targeted gathers and removals, horse relocation and adoptions.
“We must explore solutions that balance multiple uses, including forage for livestock and habitat for wildlife, all the while sustaining healthy wild horse herds and rangelands,” the Governor wrote. “This must also be done while conforming to the rights of private landowners throughout southwestern Wyoming’s private and public checkerboard lands.”
The Governor also encouraged the BLM to collaborate with the State of Wyoming wherever possible on managing the state’s wild horse populations. More information on the project, including the EA can be found here.