Elko District Office
| Contacts: | Lesli Ellis | , 775-753-0386 | , lellis@blm.gov |
BLM releases EA for proposed Water Trap of three HMAs in Northeastern Nevada
ELKO, Nev. – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Wells Field Office, in cooperation with the Egan Field Office, is releasing the Environmental Assessment (EA) of a proposed non-helicopter gather and removal of wild horses within three Herd Management Areas (HMAs) in northeastern Nevada for a 30-day public review.
The water/bait trapping project area is located approximately 60 miles south of Wells, Nev., within Elko and White Pine Counties and includes the Triple B HMA managed by the Ely District, Egan Field Office and the Maverick-Medicine and Antelope Valley HMAs which are managed by the Elko District, Wells Field Office.
The Wells and Egan Field Offices are proposing to gather wild horses from various riparian and upland areas within the project area as resource concerns are identified. Water availability concerns at Cherry and Sabala Springs, as well as other springs within the project area, were identified as part of the Final EA on the gathering of excess wild horses within the Triple B Complex in May 2011. However, due to not achieving the Appropriate Management Level (AML) during the previous gather and current monitoring information, the BLM has determined that water resource concerns still exist.
The BLM hauled more than 60,000 gallons of water in 2011 to the Triple B and Maverick-Medicine HMAs and began hauling water to these areas in May of this year. The project area is experiencing severe drought conditions and water/bait trapping would be used to relieve pressure on the springs or until a follow-up helicopter gather can take place.
The public is encouraged to review the EA and provide comments or concerns about this proposed gather and removal of wild horses in writing, prior to 5 p.m. (PST) on Oct. 4, to the BLM Wells Field Office, Attention: Wells Field Office Manager, 3900 E. Idaho St., Elko, NV 89801, faxed to (775) 753-0255, or emailed to: TripleB_MaverickMedicine@blm.gov.
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment, including your personal identifying information, may be publicly available at any time. While you can ask that your personal identifying information be withheld from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
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.
Elko District Office 3900 E. Idaho St. Elko, NV 89801