Battle Mountain Field Office
| Contacts: | Shawna Richardson | , 775-635-4181 | , s1richar@blm.gov |
BLM to Hold Wild Burro Adoption in Beatty on March 7
Battle Mountain, Nev. – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Battle Mountain District, Tonopah Field Office will gather wild burros from the Bullfrog Herd Management Area (HMA) on Monday and Tuesday, March 5 and 6. The HMA surrounds Beatty in Nye County, Nev. Gathered burros will be offered at a special, on-site adoption in Beatty on Wed., March 7 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., at a location to be announced on Monday.
The estimated population in and around the Bullfrog HMA is 195 wild burros. The gather is being conducted in order to return the wild burro population to within the appropriate management level, of 58-91 animals. However, due to limited space at short-term holding facilities, the gather will be carried out in phases, with about 75 excess wild burros planned for removal in this initial gather. Approximately 120 wild burros would remain in the Bullfrog HMA after this gather. The remaining excess wild burros would be removed through one or more follow-up gathers in the future.
The gather is needed for a variety of reasons: to remove excess wild burros to help prevent deterioration of the range, achieve and maintain a thriving natural ecological balance, achieve and maintain healthy, viable wild burro populations, protect habitat for threatened desert tortoise and sensitive Amargosa toad, and decrease or eliminate public safety concerns for the citizens of Beatty and travelers along the Highway 95 corridor running through the HMA.
The wild burros will be gathered by helicopter. Those not adopted at the Beatty adoption will be transported to the BLM’s Ridgecrest Regional Wild Horse and Burro Corrals in Ridgecrest, Calif., where they will be prepared for adoption to qualified individuals. The BLM does not sell or send any wild burros to slaughter.
Though it is not a requirement, potential adopters are encouraged to submit their applications for pre-approval before the event to ensure that all requirements are met. Information about how to get approved as an adopter is posted at www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/whbprogram/adoption_program/how_to_adopt.html or by calling Shawna Richardson, wild horse and burro specialist at 775-635-9642.
The gather and impacts are described and analyzed in the Bullfrog Gather Plan Final Environmental Assessment (EA). The EA, Decision Record, associated documents, maps, and other information about the Bullfrog HMA is posted on the BLM Battle Mountain website at www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/battle_mountain_field.html.
The public is welcome to watch the gather. Anyone interested in attending are asked to contact Dorothy Harvey, public affairs officer, at 775-635-3781. The BLM also will provide updates and information on the Battle Mountain web site above, on a regular basis during the gather and adoption.
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.
Battle Mountain Field Office 50 Bastian Rd. Battle Mountain, NV 89820