FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE        November 8, 2006
Contact:  Kirsten Cannon        (702) 515-5057

Meetings Slated for Spring Mountains Wild Horse and Burro Gather Proposal

 Las Vegas - The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Las Vegas Field Office is proposing to gather and remove 240 wild horses and 540 burros from the Spring Mountains Herd Management Area Complex.  The proposal is outlined in the Spring Mountains Herd Management Complex Preliminary Population Management Plan and Environmental Assessment which was released November 7, 2006.  Public comment will be accepted on the preliminary environmental assessment through December 7, 2006. 

Public meetings will be held on Tuesday, November 14 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. in Pahrump at the Senior Center, 1370 West Basin, and Thursday, November 16 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Cold Creek Fire Station.  From 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., the meetings will feature an open house format where attendees can visit stations on topics such as range health and wild horse and burro management, including the adoption program.  At 6:30 p.m., a brief presentation will be given on the environmental assessment and the Spring Mountains Herd Management Area Complex.  The presentation will be followed by a question and answer session.  Public comments will then be taken and recorded.   

The Spring Mountains Herd Management Area Complex consists of three U.S. Forest Service Wild Horse Territories -- Red Rock, Johnnie and Spring Mountains -- and three BLM Herd Management Areas -- Red Rock, Johnnie and Wheeler Pass.  These Wild Horse Territories and Herd Management Areas represent the Spring Mountains Herd Management Area Complex.

Wild horses and burros in the Spring Mountains Complex are jointly managed by BLM and the U.S. Forest Service.  Because of a cooperative interagency agreement, BLM is taking the lead on the Population Management Plan and environmental assessment.

The proposed alternative allows for the January 2007 gather to the mid to high level of the Appropriate Management Level (AML) and would leave about 105 horses and 120 burros on the range.  Fertility control would be administered on the mares and four mares would be moved from the Cold Creek area to Red Rock to ensure genetic viability.

Other alternatives that were analyzed in the preliminary environmental assessment include gathering to the low point of AML, gathering to the mid level of AML while managing 20 percent of the adult population as geldings and no action. 
Alternatives considered but eliminated from detailed analysis include:  gathering to the high point of AML and applying fertility control; installing temporary fencing; providing supplemental feed; total removal of wild horses; removing burros and replacing burro use with wild horse use; using bait trapping; and managing wild horse and burro Herd Management Areas in the Spring Mountains as a complex.

BLM is asking anyone who is interested in adopting a Spring Mountains Complex wild horse or burro and who meets BLM’s adoption and facilities requirements to mail a completed adoption application to the BLM Las Vegas Field Office, Attn: Jerrie Bertola. 

Comments will be accepted at the meetings.  Written comments may be mailed on or before December 7, 2006 to the BLM Las Vegas Field Office, Attn:  Karla Norris, 4701 N. Torrey Pines, Las Vegas, NV  89130. 

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