In September, the U.S. Forest Service rounded up 290 wild horses from private and tribal land near Devil’s Garden Horse Territory in northeastern California. File photo by Steve Paige for RTF.

As published by Herald and News

Alturas, CA – A public meeting to discuss implementation of the Devil’s Garden Plateau Wild Horse Territory Management Plan is set for early January, according to a Modoc National Forest news release.

The purpose of the meeting is to describe the plan actions that have occurred to date. The forest and county would also like to solicit ideas regarding potential barriers to implementation of the plan and ideas to overcome those barriers.

This meeting will be from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 12 at the Federated Community Church, 307 E First St., Alturas. Modoc County will provide a free lunch for those who RSVP in advance on Eventbrite . The RSVP is for lunch and not required to attend the meeting.

The Devil’s Garden Plateau Wild Horse Territory Management Plan was approved in August 2013. The plan guides management of the Devil’s Garden Plateau Wild Horse Territory for the next 15 or more years. The Plan is consistent with the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act which provides for the protection and management of wild horses on public lands.

The plan set an Appropriate Management Level (AML) of 206 to 402 total adult horses and describes several methods to reach the AML. However, since the plan was approved, the population of wild horses has grown. As of February 2016, the wild horse population is estimated to be 2,246 adult horses. A recent gather from private and tribal land was completed at the request of landowners. The Forest Service is seeking additional opportunities and resources to manage the herd to within the AML.

A copy of the plan is available by clicking here. For more information, contact Ken Sandusky at 530-233-5811, TTY: 530-233-8708 (dial 711 from a TTY for relay service) or email Forest Service by Jan. 3.