Rawlins Field Office
| Contacts: | Shelley Gregory, | |||
| 307-315-0612 |
BLM Rawlins Issues Decision on Deerwood Ranch Wild Horse Ecosanctuary
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Rawlins Field Office (RFO) released today the environmental assessment (EA), finding of no significant impact (FONSI), and decision record (DR) authorizing a wild horse ecosanctuary on the Deerwood Ranch, approximately 30 miles west of Laramie, Wyo.
Located in the Centennial Valley, the 4,000-acre, family-owned Deerwood Ranch applied to provide long-term, humane care for up to 300 excess, non-reproducing wild horses gathered from Western public rangelands. Public lands are not included in this proposal.
Under the proposal the BLM will sponsor the ecosanctuary at a funding level comparable to what the Bureau pays for the care of excess wild horses on long-term pastures in the Midwest. The partnership agreement contains an ecotourism component which will defray costs for operating the sanctuary and save taxpayer dollars through fundraising.
Initial public scoping for the wild horse ecosanctuary was conducted in April and May. The EA was made available for public comment in July and August, and all comments concerning potential impacts were addressed in the EA. The DR is subject to administrative review through the appeal process, which is outlined in the Decision Record. A copy of the EA, FONSI, and DR are available at: www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/info/NEPA/documents/rfo/ecosanctuary.html.
For more information, contact Marcell Astle, 307-328-4313.
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.
Rawlins Field Office 1300 North Third Rawlins, WY 82301