BLM seeking public input on proposed Cedar Mountain wild horse gather

SALT LAKE CITY — The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is seeking input during a 30-day public comment period on a 10-year plan to remove excess wild horses and suppress population growth in the Cedar Mountain Herd Management Area.

The area, located west of Salt Lake City in Tooele County, has many wild horses, which will be assessed to “help protect rangeland conditions and the health of the wild horse herd,” according to a release from BLM.

“Gathers and fertility control measures are needed in the Cedar Mountain Herd Management Area to return the population to within its appropriate management level,” BLM Salt Lake City Field Manager Jessica Wade said. “Our gather efforts, handling standards and fertility control work are guided by our compassion for these animals and our desire to protect their well-being, as well as the health of our public lands.”

Cedar Mountain Herd Management Area covers approximately 211,593 acres of both Federal and State lands and extends to both sidees of the Cedar Mountain Range in Skull Valley, Utah. Access to the area can be found via Interstate 80 and then by state, county, and BLM-managed roads.

According to BLM, an estimated 600 of the estimated 900 horses must be removed from the Cedar Mountain area to “ensure a healthy landscape.”

The release states, “The appropriate management level of the herd management area is established at 190-390 horses.’

Information on the proposed project can be found here. Input on the project may be mailed or submitted through the ePlanning link here or by mail at:  Bureau of Land Management, attention: Cedar Mountain Gather, 491 North John Glenn Road, Salt Lake City, UT 84116.

All comments must be submitted by 4:30 p.m. on July 28, 2022, to be considered.

Before including an address, phone number, email address, or other personally identifiable information in any comments, be aware that the entire comment—including personal identifying information—may be made publicly available at any time. Requests to withhold personal identifying information from public review can be submitted, but the BLM cannot guarantee that it will be able to do so.