The Washington Post is reporting that the government plans to sterilize wild horse herds and relocate some to sanctuaries, according to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.

"We have a huge problem -- out-of-control populations of wild horses and burros on our public lands," Salazar told the Post. "The problem has been growing and simmering over time, and it's time for us to do something about it that protects the horses, the public lands and the taxpayers."

Two large preserves would be created to support the horses, at a cost of $96 million. The preserves would contain about 3,600 horses each and would be open to the public.

Wild horse advocates gathered in early October in Washington for “Mustangs on the Hill” day. They met with various representatives to discuss the fate of the horses, particularly poignant after the roundup of the Pryor Mountain horses in Nevada in September. The advocates disagree with Salazar’s birth control program.

Madeleine Pickens, wife of billionaire T. Boone Pickens, told the Post she was unsure how Salazar’s plan would impact her own efforts to create a preserve for 30,000 horses in northeast Nevada. 

Congress will vote on Salazar’s plan in the coming months. The Humane Society voiced its support, but the American Horse Defense Fund called the plan a “stop-gap” measure.