Wyoming State Office
| Contacts: | Serena Baker 307-212-0197 | |||
| Sarah Beckwith 307-347-5207 |
Public Comment Opens on Proposed Wild Horse Gather for Red Desert Complex
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Rawlins and Lander field offices are accepting public comments prior to preparing an Environmental Assessment (EA) on a proposed wild horse gather in the Red Desert Herd Management Area (HMA) Complex and surrounding area to be placed on the national schedule.
The Red Desert Complex includes the following HMAs and corresponding Appropriate Management Level (AML) ranges: Lost Creek HMA 60-82, Stewart Creek HMA 125-175, Antelope Hills HMA 60-82, Crooks Mountain HMA 65-85, and Green Mountain HMA 170-300. The proposed operation would include gathering wild horses, treating all mares to be released with PZP-22 (Porcine Zona Pellucida) fertility control vaccine, and removing horses which have moved outside the HMAs. Mares will be treated with the fertility control to slow reproduction rates, maintain population size within the AML, and to extend the time period between gather operations. Population surveys conducted in August 2010 reveal a number of wild horses have moved outside the HMAs. Those horses, as well as the foals, would be gathered and removed from the range.
Written substantive comments will be most useful if received by March 28 via fax, mail, email: RedDesertComplex_HMA_WY@blm.gov (please include “Red Desert Complex Scoping Comments” in the subject line), or hand delivery during regular business hours (7:45 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.) to:
| Melanie Mirati, Wild Horse and Burro Specialist BLM Rawlins Field Office P.O. Box 2407 Rawlins, Wyoming 82301 Fax: (307) 328-4224 | Scott Fluer, Wild Horse and Burro Specialist |
For more information, visit: http://www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/info/NEPA/documents/rfo/red-desert.html. For questions, contact Melanie Mirati, 307-328-4200 or Scott Fluer, 307-332-8400.
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.
Wyoming State Office 5353 Yellowstone Cheyenne, WY 82009