Challis Field Office
| Contacts: | Heather Tiel-Nelson | , 208-736-2352 |
Challis Wild Horse Gather 2012
CHALLIS, ID – After extensive public input, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Challis Field Office has issued a finding of no significant impact (FONSI) with the final environmental assessment and decision record for the Challis Wild Horse Gather. The BLM has released the final environmental assessment for the Challis wild horse gather slated to begin the end of October. The final documents can be viewed at http://www.blm.gov/id/st/en.html.
The Challis Field Office prepared the environmental assessment in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to analyze the gathering and removal of excess horses to maintain healthy horses on healthy rangelands. The BLM is mandated by Congress through the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 to achieve and maintain an appropriate management level of wild horses to establish a thriving natural ecological balance on public land.
“We estimate there are about 322 wild horses roaming the Challis Herd Management Area (HMA) right now, which is 137 animals over our set appropriate management level of 185,” said Kevin Lloyd, Challis wild horse and burro specialist. “When the horse numbers reach these levels, we begin to see a decline in the health of the rangeland, so it becomes important to gather these horses so we can maintain the diversity of the vegetation, the health of the horse herd and multiple use.”
The Challis Field office has released an informative video regarding the upcoming 2012 Challis Wild Horse gather. It may be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGMcFH8ywvc&feature=plcp.
The Challis HMA includes Jerry Peak and Corral-Horse Basin Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs) and six livestock grazing allotments. About 47 percent of the HMA is in the WSAs. Comments received during the public review period were analyzed and considered as part of the Field Office’s decision-making process.
Public observation during the gather will be available every day of the operation; details regarding this opportunity will be released prior to the beginning of the gather. For more information, please contact Kevin Lloyd, Challis wild horse and burro specialist, at 208-879-6200 or email at klloyd@blm.gov.
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.