Rangeland and Grazing
As of 2018, 852,200 acres were available for livestock grazing on the Inyo National Forest. Of these, 12 allotments (275,740 acres) were either vacant or in nonuse for resource protection. The remaining acres (576,460 acres) were being grazed by cattle or sheep.
Determinations of the status of livestock grazing allotments, changes in livestock class, season of use, timing of use, and established utilization standards, are all determined during project-level environmental analysis.
Wild Horse and Burro Management
The Montgomery Pass Wild Horse Territory is administered by the Mono Lake Ranger District, Inyo National Forest. This is a jointly managed area that also includes lands under the jurisdiction of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest and the Bureau of Land Management.
Wild horses are protected from harassment under the 1971 Wild Free Roaming Horses and Burros Act. For more information, see the Forest Service’s national Wild Horse and burro website.
Location and Herd History
The Montgomery Pass Wild Horse Territory comprises an area of roughly 200,000 acres in California and Nevada, including 65,942 acres on the Inyo National Forest. The remaining territory acres occur on the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, and Stillwater and Bishop Field Offices of the Bureau of Land Management. It is located east of Mono Lake, in the southern portion of the Excelsior Mountains, approximately 40 miles north of Bishop, California along the Nevada-California state line.
The origin of the Montgomery Pass Herd is unknown, but it is speculated that the herd originated in connection to mustang drives between the Owens Valley and Nevada. In 1972, the population of the territory was documented as 50 horses. There are no wild burros in this wild horse joint management area, and no genetic work has been done on this herd. The herd consists of horses of many colors.
The Montgomery Pass Wild Horse Territory is managed for a wild horse herd size of 138 to 230 animals.
A 2024 census counted approximately 699 horses in the herd, which is 3 to 4 times the appropriate management level (AML) established in 1988, with the majority of them outside the territory. Wild Horses are documented approximately 20 miles outside the establish territory, causing sensitive resource damage and visitor impacts at Mono Lake and other properties.
Resource and Visitor Impacts
Wild horses, when found in areas that are outside their designated territories, can cause conflicts with user groups, safety concerns and negative impacts on natural resources. Wild horse presence in high-use recreation areas such as Navy Beach and South Tufa contribute to negative visitor impacts and unsafe interactions between humans and wild animals. Rangeland, hydrologic and wildlife habitat conditions are deteriorating on Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, State and private lands outside of the established MPWHT due to horse presence; including trampling and manure damage to international migratory bird nesting areas, tufa formations at Mono Lake, natural springs, wetlands and Bi-state sage grouse habitat.
Public safety concerns include potential collisions of horses with motorists along Highways 6, 120 East, and 395. Vehicle-horse and bicycle-horse collisions have occurred in recent years resulting in injuries to the humans and animals.
Wild horses can be unpredictable and dangerous and should not be confused with a domestic horse or pet. Do not approach a wild horse, attempt to lure it toward you, or feed/bait the animal. Keep pets on leash near wild horses.
PROJECT PAGE: Removal of Wild Horses Outside the Montgomery Pass Wild Horse Territory (MPWHT)
For general questions about the Inyo National Forest's role in wild horse management, contact: SM.FS.InyoWH_B@usda.gov
Location/Habitat
The White Mountain WHT is located on the California/Nevada border approximately 7 miles east of Benton, CA. The territory consists of 149,690 acres of Forest Service land and 60,000 acres of BLM land and lies on the east side and crest of the White Mountains. The territory is bounded by Highway 6 on the north, Fish Lake Valley on the east, Cottonwood Creek on the south, and the crest of the mountains on the west.
The White Mountain range is a triangular fault block that was elevated and tilted eastward in recent geological time. Elevations range from 5,000 feet on the floor of Fish Lake Valley to 14,246 feet on White Mountain Peak, the third highest point in California. The topography is a combination of very gentle, open country and very steep-sided canyons and rugged ridges. The Sierra Nevada blocks much of the prevailing air flow and moisture from the west, resulting in precipitation of four to six inches annually in the lowest reaches and twenty inches or more on the crest. Major storms arrive usually between December and March and drop most of their moisture above 7,000 feet in the form of snow.
Four major vegetation zones occur within the territory: 1) desert scrub, 2) pinyon woodland, 3) subalpine forest and upland, 4) alpine tundra. The desert scrub zone is found on the valley floor and is dominated by shrubby species such as shadscale, four wing saltbush, Nevada ephedra, and rubber rabbitbrush. Pinyon woodland is distinguished by the presence of single leaf pinyon. The presence of bristlecone pine or limber pine characterize the subalpine forest, and subalpine uplands include sagebrush, leadleaf mountain mahogany, snowberry, lupine, and various grasses. Alpine tundra is considered to be the zone above treeline, and grasses, sedges, and rushes constitute a larger percentage of this flora than in the other zones.
Wildlife present on the territory include mule deer, desert bighorn sheep, sage grouse, and mountain lion.
Livestock grazing is permitted within the territory.
History
The origin of the White Mountain herd is unknown, but it is thought to date back to the establishment of the first ranches in the adjoining Fish Lake Valley area of Nevada. Members of the early ranch families of Chiatovich and Patterson claimed that wild horses were present at least as far back as the 1870s and were probably escaped or free-roaming ranch horses. There have also been numerous instances reported of both common ranch horses and blooded stock escaping or being turned out into the White Mountains.
On e of the more interesting stories of genetic infusions into the White Mountain herd was related by Helen McGee, niece of the Paiute Indian known as “Gray-haired Johnny.” According to Ms. McGee, Johnny was an excellent horse doctor, skilled in the use of herbal medicines. During the early 1900’s, whenever he went down to the Southern California racetracks, he was in great demand by race horse owners because he used special herbs for quickly healing newly gelded or injured race horses. In return for his services, he was given thoroughbred stallions which he would take to the Whites to replace some of the resident stallions.
Prior to the passage of the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act of 1971, wild horses from the Whites were captured for use as saddle horses and pet food. In the mid-1970’s some of the ranchers in Fish Lake Valley claimed to still possess wild horses captured prior to 1971 that became good cow ponies of much better quality, they claimed, than those found in other areas of the state of Nevada.
Herd Description
The White Mountain herd is managed for a population of 75 horses. The herd has a majority of bays and chestnuts with most other colors being uncommon.
For More Information
Contact the White Mountain Ranger District at 760-873-2500.