Emery County Public Lands Council members spent significant time discussing wild-horse and burro management, including herd counts, gather timing and potential fertility-control measures.

Council members reported recent herd counts and said current numbers exceed management objectives in some areas. A participant noted counts indicate herds were well above target levels and described the situation as unsustainable in a drought year.

The council discussed management tools used elsewhere — including gathers with fertility control and targeted removal — and asked federal and state partners for clearer, enforceable options. One council member described recent cases in other counties where animals were classified as stray or feral, permitting different removal authorities; staff said those legal distinctions can change management options outside established Herd Management Areas (HMAs).

Council members asked staff and agency partners to explore cost-neutral or partnership approaches: pilot sterilization or fertility-control programs tied to gathers, outreach to permittees near HMAs, and clarifying which animals fall under the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act or other classifications. Staff also indicated a planned national-level NEPA and management timeline for 2026 and said local gathers and management actions may be explored in the interim.

The council asked staff to convene a meeting with the state Department of Agriculture, SITLA (State Institutional Trust Lands Administration) and federal partners to develop a locally tailored plan and to identify legal or funding pathways for fertility-control pilot work.