Rock Springs Field Office
| Contacts: | Serena Baker, | |||
| 307-212-0197 |
Great Divide Basin
Wild Horse Gather Environmental Assessment Available
The Bureau of Land Management Rock Springs Field Office launches a 30-day public comment period on an Environmental Assessment to gather excess wild horses from the Great Divide Basin Herd Management Area (HMA).
After the current foaling season, the population estimate will be nearly 1,700 wild horses roaming the Great Divide Basin HMA. The Great Divide Basin Appropriate Management Level (AML) is between 415-600 wild horses. AML is the point at which the herd’s population is consistent with the land’s capacity to support wild horses in balance with other public rangeland uses and resources. The gather is necessary to maintain the wild horse herds within the established AMLs in compliance with the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act and the 2003 Wyoming Consent Decree. The AML for the Great Divide Basin was established through an agreement with private land owners and wild horse advocacy groups, and confirmed in the 1997 Green River Resource Management Plan. The proposed gather is anticipated to begin Fall 2011 to remove approximately 1,225 excess wild horses, may include using fertility control, as well as adjusting sex ratios. The Great Divide Basin HMA was last gathered August 2007. More information is available online at: http://www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/info/NEPA/documents/rsfo/divide_basin.html.
Public comments are most helpful if they cite specific actions or impacts, and offer supporting information. Comments are requested by June 20, and can be mailed, hand-delivered during regular business hours (7:45 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.), or emailed only to the following address:
Great Divide Basin Scoping Comments
BLM Rock Springs Field Office
280 Highway 191 North
Rock Springs, WY 82901
DivideBasin_HMA_WY@blm.gov
(Please list “Divide Basin EA Comments” in the subject line.)
Before including your address, phone number, email, or other personal identifying information in your comment, please be aware your entire comment–including your personal identifying information–may be made publicly available at any time. While you may request we withhold your personal information from public view, we cannot guarantee we will be able to do so. For more information contact Wild Horse Specialist Jay D’Ewart, 307-352-0256.
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 Hwy 191 N Rock Springs, WY 82901