Modoc Ntl Seeks Comments on Motorized Fall Gather of Excess Wild Horses

Nearly 1,000 wild horses are overpopulating the Devil’s Garden Plateau wild horse territory in Modoc County. The U.S. Forest Service will hold a virtual meeting today to share updates on the planning process for a scheduled fall gathering. The use of helicopters and other motorized vehicles will be used during this gathering operation and the forest service is opening the virtual meeting to hear your comments regarding the use of these gathering methods. Currently, after an aerial census of the wild horse population, it was estimated that there are a total of 1200 adult wild horses. The forest service supervisor Chris Christofferson says the appropriate management level for the devil’s garden plateau habitat is 200 to 400 horses. Other wildlife, grazing, and other traditional cultural practices can be reduced by reducing population impacts on aquatic resources. The meeting is set for today at 4 pm. You can join by visiting the USDA Modoc forest service website.