NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – The window is closing for the public to give input on a federal plan to remove feral cows roaming in the Gila National Forest.
Wild cows have inhabited the forest since the 1970s, and the US Forest Service began efforts to remove them in the 1990s.
Federal authorities said the roaming cows are causing damage by over-grazing and trampling stream banks.
More than 700 cattle have been removed, and Forest Service officials estimate there are still 50 to 250 roaming the Gila.
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The Forest Service used lethal methods to remove 65 cattle in an operation last February.
The Grant County Board of Commissioners unanimously supports the removal plan. The public comment on the plan ends Monday. To submit a comment, visit this website.
