Pine Nut HMA Facts
Where is the Pine Nut herd and what is special about these animals?
The Pine Nut Wild Horse Herd covers about 90,000 acres of public and private land acres in the Pine Nut Herd Management Area (HMA), located near Carson City and Dayton, Nevada.
The BLM has determined the appropriate management level (AML) to be between 119-179 horses in the Pine Nut HMA. Current horse population estimates are approximately 148 horses within the HMA, and 67 residing outside the HMA.
The 67 horses residing outside of the HMA create problems for private land owners and are a safety hazard on public roads in the area.
The area is also utilized by livestock (under terms and conditions outlined in grazing permits) and a variety of wildlife, including pronghorn antelope and mule deer.
The Pine Nut wild horses are most likely descendants of local ranch horses that were found in 1971 in what is now the HMA.
What needs to be done to maintain this herd?
To maintain a healthy Pine Nut herd and to restore or maintain the rangelands in a healthy condition, the BLM plans to gather approximately 118 horses within the HMA; 45 mares from this group will be treated with Porcine Zona Pellucida (PZP), a two year fertility control vaccine, and then the entire 118 horses will be released back into the HMA to achieve ecological balance.
Post-gather, every effort will be made to return the released horses to the same general area from which they were gathered. The BLM intends to return to these HMAs in 2-3 years, if necessary, to gather and retreat the mares to maintain the proposed population control measures.
Approximately 67 excess horses residing outside the HMA will be gathered and removed. These excess horses will be offered for adoption through the BLM’s wild horse and burro adoption program, or placed in long-term holding pastures.
Why is the gather necessary?
The current estimated Pine Nut wild horse population of approximately 148 animals residing within the HMA is in the target range of 119-179 horses set for the AML. Reducing population size and treating mares with PZP would ensure that the remaining wild horses are healthy and vigorous and in balance with other range resources.
Treating 45 mares will slow reproduction, helping to maintain a healthy Pine Nut herd and to restore or maintain the rangelands in a healthy condition, maintaining the Appropriate Management Level (AML), and reduce the number of excess wild horses that would need to be removed in the future.
Maintaining wild horse populations within AML sustains a healthy horse population, ensures a thriving natural ecological balance, and prevents degradation to rangeland conditions by deterring negative impacts to rangeland resources that can result from wild horse over population. This has been demonstrated by the evaluation of key areas and ecological sites under rangeland health assessments protocol. Damage results from over utilization of resources when populations exceed the carrying capacity of the rangeland.
Reducing wild horse populations to within established AMLs will make significant progress in attaining the management objectives indentified in the Carson City Consolidated Resource Management Plan (CRMP) and the Standards for Rangeland Health & Guidelines for Grazing Management (S&Gs) in the Sierra Front Northwestern Great Basin Area.
The 67 excess horses residing outside of the HMA have been a problem for some private land owners, as well as posing a public safety hazard on public roads. If the 67 wild horses were captured and released back into the HMA they will simply return to their home range off the HMA. The AMLs were established upon completion of an in-depth analysis of habitat suitability, resource monitoring and population inventory data.
The upper limit of the AML range is the maximum number of wild horses that can be maintained within an HMA while maintaining a thriving natural ecological balance and multiple use relationship on the public lands.
Establishing the AMLs within a population range allows for the periodic removal of excess animals (to the low end) and subsequent population growth (to the maximum level) between removals.
Development of the Herd Management Area Plans (HMAP) for Pilot Mountain included public involvement.
How does BLM determine the Appropriate Management Level (AML) for horses?
The AMLs were established upon completion of an in-depth analysis of habitat suitability, resource monitoring and population inventory data.
The upper limit of the AML range is the maximum number of wild horses that can be maintained within an HMA while maintaining a thriving natural ecological balance and multiple use relationship on the public lands. Establishing the AMLs within a population range allows for the periodic removal of excess animals (to the low end) and subsequent population growth (to the maximum level) between removals.
Development of the Herd Management Area Plans (HMAP) for Pilot Mountain included public involvement.
Which livestock grazing allotments overlay with this wild horse HMA?
Portions of the Pine Nut HMA are within the Clifton, Eldorado, Hackett Canyon, Mill Canyon, Rawe Peak, Buckeye, Churchill Canyon, and Sunrise Livestock Grazing Allotments.
Forage is allocated by Animal Unit Months (AUMs). An AUM is the amount of forage consumed in a month by an adult horse, a mare and foal, two burros, an adult cow or cow and calf, or five sheep.
BLM actively manages authorized livestock use to mitigate the impacts, while wild horses and burros roam freely, year-round as the law allows.
