Resource enforcement actions will begin on September 27, according to yesterday’s news release. The driver is overpopulation, not inadequate food or water.
Helicopters will push the animals into the traps and the operation will be open to public observation.
The capture goal is 1,220 and the removal goal is 1,050. Mares returned to the area will be treated with contraceptives. All burros will be removed.
The six HMAs in the Complex cover 396,674 acres. The stocking rate for the 496 horses allowed by plan is 1.3 animals per thousand acres.
The pre-gather population is thought to be around 1,300.
The six grazing allotments that overlap the Complex are listed in Table 3-2 and shown in Appendix G of the Final EA. The amount of forage shifted to livestock inside the HMAs is not known.
Captured animals will be taken to the off-range corrals at Litchfield, east of Susanville, CA, and potentially other holding facilities.
A link to the gather stats and daily reports was not provided, but will likely be found on this page.
Western Horse Watchers Association 