BLM seeks comment on proposed Bible Springs Complex wild horse gather
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CEDAR CITY, Utah — The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Cedar City Field Office is seeking input during a 30-day public comment period on an environmental assessment to help protect rangeland conditions and the health of the wild horse herd. The assessment will analyze a proposed gather plan spanning approximately 10 years to remove excess wild horses and use population growth suppression in the Blawn Wash Herd Management Area and Bible Springs Complex Area west of Cedar City in southwestern Utah.
The Bible Springs Complex encompasses the Four Mile, Bible Springs and Tilly Creek Herd Management Areas, with the Blawn Wash Herd Management Area adjacent to the Complex. The Cedar City Field Office proposes to reduce the wild horse herd to the low Appropriate Management Level, which is the number of wild horses that the landscape can support.
“We are seeing extremely dry conditions on the range right now, after several years of drought, which is compounded by a large number of excess wild horses,” said BLM Cedar City Field Manager Paul Briggs. “The BLM is committed to healthy horses on healthy rangelands, so we need to look at alternatives to reduce the wild horse herd in this Complex through gathers and fertility control to restore balance to the ecosystem.”
The current population of wild horses on the Blawn Wash Herd Management Area and Bible Springs Complex combined is estimated at 831 animals, including foals to be born in 2022, with the Appropriate Management Level set at 80 to 170 horses. The BLM estimates that more than 750 wild horses need be removed from State, private and BLM-managed public lands to ensure a healthy landscape.
Interested members of the public, local governments, Tribal members, organizations and other stakeholders are encouraged to provide written comments during this draft review comment period to help identify alternatives, refine the gather plan and clarify issues. All comments must be submitted by 4:30 p.m. on June 17, 2022, to be considered. Written comments will be accepted through the ePlanning website at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2018159/510. Please refer to Project Number: DOI-BLM-UT-C010-2022-0012-EA.
Before including an address, phone number, email address, or other personally identifiable information in any comments, be aware that the entire comment—including personal identifying information—may be made publicly available at any time. Requests to withhold personal identifying information from public review can be submitted, but the BLM cannot guarantee that it will be able to do so.
BLM Utah manages 19 wild horse and burro herd management areas on nearly 2.5 million acres. To learn more, visit https://go.usa.gov/xuABb. For additional information, please contact the Cedar City Field Office at 435-865-3000.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.