The Bureau of Land Management has awarded more than $1 million in grants to six entities in Colorado, Oregon and Utah to encourage community-level action to support the protection and management of wild horses and burros on public lands.
It is hoped that the funding will promote partnerships and collaborative initiatives toward the sustainable management of wild horses and burros, and their habitat.
As of March 1, there were more than 82,000 wild horses and burros on BLM-managed lands. This is more than three times the level that is healthy for the animals and their habitat.
The following projects will receive grant funding for 2023. Future funding opportunities will be dependent on annual Congressional appropriates and budget availability. All of these projects must adhere to the BLM's policies and regulations regarding the handling of wild horses and burros.
Colorado:
Fort Collins, CO: Colorado State University
Creation of a K-12 curriculum for local schools that will also be available nationally. Curriculum to include virtual field trips and educational videos related to biology, behavior, management, ecology and history of managing wild horses and burros as part of the American Western Landscape. Educational content will be paired with a teacher training program and public engagement in Colorado.
Meeker, CO: Piceance Mustangs
Support of ongoing efforts to manage herd growth through a fertility control darting program. Project also includes improvements to range resources, including running pipe and construction of two new water tanks, as well as refurbishment of a pond used by wild horses in the area.
Oregon:
Vale, OR: High Desert Strategies Fertility Control, High Desert Strategies
This project will include in-depth monitoring, data collection, planning, and application of fertility control vaccines via remote dart delivery in wild horse herds in southeast Oregon.
Utah:
Logan, UT: Utah State University Cooperative Extension
The Healthy Lands and Healthy Horses program is a one- to two-day camp model that provides hands-on, cross-disciplinary experiences about wild horses and burros, wildlife, and range management.
Salt Lake City, UT: American Wild Horse Campaign
Funding will support activities first initiated under a volunteer agreement to document, dart horses with a fertility control vaccine and monitor horses and habitat health in the Cedar Mountain Herd Management Area.
Western Desert, UT: Wild Horses of America Foundation
This project will focus on treating wild horses of the Onaqui Mountain herd with fertility control.
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