Rock Springs Field Office
| Contacts: | Lorraine Keith 307-352-0399 |
BLM Rock Springs and Rawlins Offices Requesting
Public Input on Plans to Gather Excess Wild Horses
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Rawlins and Rock Springs Field Offices are requesting public input on their proposal to gather excess wild horses from the Adobe Town and Salt Wells Creek Herd Management Areas (HMA). The comment period will be open until April 2, 2010.
Population surveys conducted in July 2009 revealed approximately 1,950 horses within the two adjacent HMAs. Both HMAs are over the appropriate management levels (AMLs). The AML range for the Adobe Town HMA is 610-800 wild horses and the AML range for the Salt Wells Creek HMA is 251-365 wild horses.
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.
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.
Please submit written comments by April 2, 2010. Comments may be mailed or hand delivered to: 280 Hwy 191 North, Rock Springs, Wyo. 82901. Comments may also be emailed to AdobeTown_SaltWells_HMA_WY@blm.gov. 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/rfodocs/at-sw2010.html.
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, Wyoming 82901