Jackies Butte and Three Fingers Herd Management Area Wild Horse Gather
The Jackies Butte HMA is located approximately 12 miles southest of the community of Rome and the Three Fingers HMA is approximately 25 miles north of the community of Jordan Valley. The Jackies Butte HMA is located in the Owyhee uplands with the Owyhee River approximately 5 miles away on the north and east sides of the HMA. The HMA is made up of the Dry Creek Native Pasture of the Jackies Butte Allotment. The Three Fingers HMA is bordered on the east by the Owyhee Reservoir, on the south by the Leslie Gulch Road, and on the north by the Owyhee Dam. The HMA is made up of the Wildhorse Basin Pasture/Board Corral Allotment and Riverside Pasture/Three Fingers Allotment. The respective herd sizes for the Jackies Butte HMA is 75 horses and for the Three Fingers HMA is 75 horses. PZP fertility contraceptives will not be applied to mares released back to the HMAs since summer is not a highly successful window for application.
For more up to date information and to find photos and/or video of the gather please check our Social Media sites. Click on the Facebook or Twitter icon below. Note: you do not need an account to view content.
Details of Gather
Our overall goal is for the range to achieve or maintain a thriving natural ecological balance.
| Jackies Butte | |
|---|---|
*GATHER COMPLETED 08/04/2011 |
| Three Fingers | |
|---|---|
*GATHER COMPLETED 08/08/2011 |
|
| CUMULATIVE STATS SINCE 8/2/2011 Jackies Butte |
|
|---|---|
| Animals Gathered | Animal Deaths |
193 |
|
| CUMULATIVE STATS SINCE 8/6/2011 Three Fingers |
|
|---|---|
| Animals Gathered | Animal Deaths |
190 |
|
PROPOSED ACTION - Jackies Butte
The Proposed Action is to gather approximately 210 wild horses within and immediately outside the HMA and remove approximately 135 excess wild horses. Approximately 75 wild horses would be returned to the HMA at the completion of the gather, leaving a post gather population of approximately 75 wild horses (45 males and 35 females).
It is anticipated one capture site (trap) will be used to capture wild horses from the HMA. Trap site corrals will be approximately 800 square feet with secondary disturbance areas such as trap wings, total surface disturbance will be approximately 2,400 square feet (0.05-acre) per trap site. Trap wing configuration will vary, depending on terrain and materials. Trap sites will be selected during the gather operations. Traps are built as close to the horses' location as possible.
All capture and handling activities including capture site selections will be conducted in accordance with standard Operating Procedures described in Appendix A of the EA.
PROPOSED ACTION - Three Fingers
The Proposed Action is to gather approximately 250 wild horses within and immediately outside the HMA and remove approximately 175 excess wild horses. Approximately 75 wild horses would be returned to the HMA at the completion of the gather, leaving a post gather population of approximately 75 wild horses (45 males and 35 females).
It is anticipated one capture site (trap) will be used to capture wild horses from the HMA. Trap site corrals will be approximately 800 square feet with secondary disturbance areas such as trap wings, total surface disturbance will be approximately 2,400 square feet (0.05-acre) per trap site. Trap wing configuration will vary, depending on terrain and materials. Trap sites will be selected during the gather operations. Traps are built as close to the horses' location as possible.
All capture and handling activities including capture site selections will be conducted in accordance with standard Operating Procedures described in Appendix A of the EA.
Public/Media Gather Viewing Opportunities
Gather dates are tentatively scheduled for the Jackies Butte gather August 2-8, 2011. The dates for the Three Fingers gather are tentatively scheduled for August 9-15, 2011. The dates are subject to change depending upon weather and gather operations. The best place to check for Oregon/Washington gather information is by calling 1-541-473-6333 or by following us on Facebook and/or Twitter. We will make every effort to post observation date, meeting location and meeting time for observers 12 hours in advance but we recommend that you check the phone or social media for updated messages. Some days of the gather may not provide a viewing opportunity at the capture site, due to variable circumstances such as moving the trap location (not gathering), no safe area to view activities (safe distance from the helicopter working overhead) or being able to disguise vehicles. Notice on the days where no viewing opportunity exists will likely be given on short notice - perhaps the morning of the gather operations.
Observers will be led to and from the gather site by BLM employees. Personal, high clearance, 4-wheel drive vehicles are highly recommended. Access to and the distance from the capture site location are determined jointly by the gather Contractor and the agency's Contracting Officer's Representative prior to operations; taking into account the safety of the horses, the gather operations crew, and the public, this is always our top priority.
For more information and to find out the progress of the gather check out our Social Media sites. Click on the Facebook or Twitter icon below you do not need an account on these sites to view the content. You can also call 1-541-473-6333 to see whether or not a viewing opportunity exists for that day.
Oregon's Wild Horse Corral Facility is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m., for viewing and animal observation.
Adoption
Horses removed from the Jackies Butte and Three Fingers Herd Management Areas will be available for adoption from Oregon's Wild Horse Corral Facility in Hines at a competitive bid adoption later this fall 2011.
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