07/08/2026
The Utu Utu Gwaitu Paiute Tribe of the Benton Paiute Reservation has filed an emergency federal lawsuit seeking to stop a planned roundup that could remove up to 624 wild horses from the Montgomery Pass Wild Horse Territory beginning July 8.
According to the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management, the roundup is needed because the horse population has grown beyond what the landscape can sustain. The agencies say the horses are affecting wetlands, sensitive habitat near Mono Lake, and creating safety concerns along nearby highways.
The Tribe disputes that approach. In its lawsuit, it describes the horses as “sacred relatives” with deep cultural and spiritual ties to Paiute ancestral homelands. Tribal leaders also allege that federal agencies did not conduct meaningful government-to-government consultation, adequately evaluate cultural resources, or fully assess the potential impacts of helicopter operations before approving the roundup.
Instead of removing most of the herd, the Tribe is asking the court to consider alternatives such as tribal co-management, fertility control, and the creation of a wild horse sanctuary to help protect both the horses and the surrounding cultural landscape.
The case is now before a federal court as the scheduled roundup date approaches.
Do you think Indigenous Nations should have a greater role in managing culturally significant wildlife on their ancestral lands? 🐎🪶
Sources:
• Native News Online – Tribe files federal lawsuit to stop Montgomery Pass roundup.
• Los Angeles Times – Coverage of the planned roundup and competing viewpoints.
• Law360 – Federal lawsuit overview.
• The Wild Hunt – Tribe’s proposed alternatives and legal claims.
• U.S. Forest Service / Bureau of Land Management – Montgomery Pass Wild Horse management information.
