MESA COUNTY, Colo. — Federal officials are rounding up some wild horses on the Western Slope beginning Wednesday.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) said helicopters will be used to gather up to 130 horses from the Little Book Cliffs Horse Management Area. The current herd is around 220 horses. The BLM said the Appropriate Management Level (AML) of horses should be in the 90-150 range.
Of the 130 horses that are planned to be caught, around 100 will be removed, another 20 or so horses will have fertility control applied, and around 30 horses will be returned back to the range, according to the BLM.
The removed horses will be sent to the Canon City Off-Range Corral. The horses will be checked by a veterinarian and will then go up for adoption.
Anyone wanting to observe the round up has to RSVP with the BLM no later than 5 p.m. the day before a scheduled round up. Reservations can be made by calling 970-579-0134. Once an observer is chosen, BLM staff will contact them with a confirmation which includes details on meeting time, location and observation rules.
All observers must be escorted by BLM staff. The agency said meet times may start as early as 4 a.m. and may end as late as 7 p.m. If an observer wants to leave early, they'll have to wait for an escort and will not be allowed reentry, the BLM said.
For people wanting to adopt the removed horses, information can be found here.
The Little Book Cliffs Horse Management Area is located about 8 miles northeast of Grand Junction.
