BLM to Proceed With Planned Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Gather

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Montana, Billings Field Office is preparing to move forward with a gather of 15 to 20 horses on the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range.

In June, theBLMcompleted an environmental review and decided to conduct a nonhelicopter bait- and water-trap gather that would remove 15 to 20 adoptable excess wild horses, aged 1 to 3 years, this year.

The Friends of Animals challenged the decision in U.S. District Court. On Thursday, Judge Susan P. Watters denied their motion for a preliminary injunction to halt this summer’s horse gather.

A previously scheduled public hearing will take place Friday afternoon at theBLMoffices in Billings regarding the use of motor vehicles in support of the planned horse gather.

The Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range is located in the Pryor Mountains south of Billings, along the Montana-Wyoming border and encompasses approximately 38,000 acres ofBLM, U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service land.

Additional information about the range and the upcoming bait- and water-trap gather is available athttp://blm.gov/08jd.