This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

A February roundup of up to 700 wild horses from the mountains and deserts of western Utah will reduce the current herd size — and help control future growth, the Bureau of Land Management says.

Matt Preston, BLM Salt Lake Field Office manager, said Friday the agency had signed off on plans to remove excess wild horses from its Cedar Mountain Herd Management Area, located about 50 miles west of Tooele.

About 200-300 of the animals will be removed from the region and either placed in the BLM's Wild Horse and Burro Adoption Program, or transferred to undisclosed off-range, long-term pasture sites.

About 200 mares will be treated with a fertility control vaccine and then rejoin the remaining 200 studs on the 197,252-acre Cedar Mountain area.

The roundup and associated equine birth control efforts are needed to reduce the herd to 190 to 390 horses, which is the herd size recommended under the agency's Appropriate Management Level standards, Preston said.

For more details on the BLM's roundup decision, visit the agency's website at: https://eplanning.blm.gov/epl-front-office/eplanning/nepa/nepa_register.do.

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