This story is part of our Quick Hits series. This series will bring you breaking news and short updates from throughout the state.
Most of southwest Wyoming’s wild horses will keep roaming the desert landscape – for now.
That’s because the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has postponed its roundup for a second time, according to the American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC). The group sued the BLM over its plan to gather several thousand feral horses around Rock Springs, which would essentially eliminate two herd units in the area, all-in-all about 3,000 horses.
The BLM said it has to do this because the area is checkerboarded, meaning ownership alternates every square mile between public and private. Those private landowners no longer want wild horses roaming on their land, and containing the horses on BLM land by fencing or other means isn’t feasible.
Recently, a federal judge ruled the agency didn’t follow the right process for making its roundup plan. The judge punted the final decision on whether the roundup can move forward to a lower court, and that ruling remains to be seen.
Days prior to the ruling, the BLM delayed the scheduled roundup from mid-July to the end of August. Now, the AWHC said the BLM informed them they’re moving back the gather until at least October.
The federal agency said in an email to Wyoming Public Radio that it can’t comment because of active litigation.
This is separate from the wild horse roundup currently happening around Rawlins. So far, about 860 horses have been gathered there. The goal is to round up about 1,600 and leave between 259 and 536 on the landscape.
