| Contacts: | David Boyd, Public Affairs Specialist, (970) 876-9008 |
Environmental Assessment on West Douglas wild horse gather released (06-18-10)
MEEKER, Colo. – The Bureau of Land Management today released for public review an environmental assessment addressing the gather plan for removing a specific herd of about 100 wild horses south of Rangely.
Under the proposed plan, BLM would begin removing the wild horses in the West Douglas Herd Area in October. Gathering methods could include helicopter drive-trapping, helicopter-assisted roping, and water- and bait-trapping.
The majority of the wild horses gathered will be available for adoption through BLM’s wild horse and burro program. The wild horses not adopted will be placed in long-term pastures.
The wild horses in the West Douglas herd are isolated from the larger Piceance-East Douglas Herd Management Area immediately to the east, which is an area specifically managed to maintain a healthy wild horse herd of 135 to 235 horses.
“The West Douglas Herd Area is simply not as suitable for wild horses as the area to the east,” said Field Manager Kent Walter. “Wild horses are an integral part of the multiple use management of the 1.5-million acre White River Field Office. We will continue to manage for wild horses in the better-suited, 190,000-acre Piceance-East Douglas Herd Management Area.”
BLM made the decision to remove the wild horses from West Douglas through various public planning efforts since 1975, including the current 1997 White River Resource Management Plan and a 2005 RMP amendment. This current Environmental Assessment addresses the specific plan for the gather, not the decision to remove wild horses from West Douglas.
Copies of the Environmental Assessment are available at http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/wrfo/wrfo_wild_horse_and.html, or by contacting the White River Field Office, (970) 878-3800. BLM will accept public comment on the Environmental Assessment until July 19, 2010.
Under the authority of the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, BLM manages, protects, and controls wild horses and burros as part of its overall multiple-use mission. The Bureau works to ensure that population levels are in balance with rangeland resources and other uses of the public lands. Wild horses have virtually no predators and can double in population about every four years if not managed.
BLM conducts gathers to remove excess wild horses and burros from public lands to help keep the wild horse populations and rangeland healthy. In addition to the gather to remove wild horses from West Douglas, BLM is planning a gather to check the growth of the Piceance-East Douglas herd in August. This type of gather is conducted about every four years. Gathers were last conducted in these areas in 2006.
BLM manages four Herd Management Areas in western Colorado for wild horse herds: The Piceance-East Douglas west of Meeker, the Little Bookcliffs Herd northeast of Grand Junction, the Sand Wash Herd west of Craig, and the Spring Creek Herd southwest of Montrose.
BLM encourages those who are interested in providing good homes to wild horses or burros to visit http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/wild_horse_and_burro.html for information about adoptions or sales.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.
220 E. Market Meeker, CO 81641