riverspringsmustangs

Mustangs in River Springs range. (Photo by Sierrawave reader)

As  federal agencies planned to set up a meeting regarding the Montgomery Pass wild mustang herd in the new year, informed sources claimed to Sierra Wave that the local Department of Fish and Game might consider elimination, by paid hunters, of 30 to 40 wild mustangs in the area.

Bruce Kinney, who heads up the Fish and Game office in Bishop, refused to return our phone call on this matter.  We contacted Andrew Hughan, of Fish and Game Communications in Sacramento.  He said that he spoke with a Fish and Game supervisor who confirmed that former Fish and Game warden Pat Woods was working currently as a consultant for the department, possibly on a special project. Sources said Woods was hired to assess the wild mustangs. Hughan said those he contacted did not confirm any plan regarding the wild horse herds.

The Bureau of Land Management and Inyo National Forest also deal with wild mustang management to some degree.  Head of BLM here, Bernadette Lovato, said that her agency has very little involvement with wild horse activity.  She did say there is a small overlap of the River Springs herd near Montgomery Pass.  She did not know anything about an elimination plan.

Nancy Upham of the Forest Service said that all she knew about this issue was that there has been talk about setting up a meeting between the “interested and involved parties regarding the Montgomery Pass herd.”  Upham said those she spoke to in the Forest Service had no knowledge of any discussion about shooting any of the horses.  She did say that Forest Service and BlM employees will probably meet regarding the wild horse herd early in the new year.

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