Rock Springs Field Office
| Contacts: | Lorraine Keith, 307-352-0399 |
BLM Requests Public Input on Plans to Gather Excess Wild Horses
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Rock Springs Field Office is requesting public input on a proposal to gather excess wild horses from the White Mountain and Little Colorado Herd Management Areas (HMA). Gathering would start on or about Oct. 1, 2010 or after the next foaling season, July 1, 2011.
Recent population surveys revealed that approximately 301 wild horses were residing within the White Mountain HMA and 142 wild horses in the Little Colorado HMA. Census data for these HMAs was collected in May 2009, and wild horse populations are exceeding the appropriate management level (AML) established for each HMA. The AML range for the White Mountain HMA is 205-300 and the AML range for the Little Colorado HMA is 69-100 wild horses.
The BLM manages wild horses and burros on public rangelands in a manner consistent with its overall multiple-use mission, taking into account all natural resources and users of the public lands. As mandated by the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971, the BLM protects, manages and controls wild horses and burros to ensure that healthy herds thrive on healthy rangelands. Through land-use planning efforts that involve public participation, the BLM determines the appropriate number of wild horses that each HMA can support.
Breeding age mares selected for release back to the range may be treated with the Porcine Zona Pellucida (PZP) vaccine. It is hoped that PZP, if used will slow the growth rate of the herds in these HMAs and reduce gather frequency in the future.
Comments must be received by May 7, 2010. Comments may be mailed or hand delivered to the Rock Springs Field Office at 280 Hwy 191 North, Rock Springs, WY 82901. Emailed comments must be addressed to: WhiteMountain_LittleColorado_HMA_WY@blm.gov. Electronic comments will only be accepted from the above address. Please include “White Mountain and Little Colorado HMAs Scoping Comments” in the subject line.
The scoping notice, map and all other future documents corresponding with this action will be posted at: http://www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/info/NEPA/rsfodocs/whitemtn_littlecolo.html.
For more information, please contact Wild Horse Specialist Jay D'Ewart at 307-352-0331.
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.
Rock Springs Field Office 280 Highway 191 North Rock Springs, WY 82901