BLM Seeks Public Comment on Preliminary Environmental Assessment for Blue Wing Complex Gather Plan
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Winnemucca, Nev. – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Winnemucca District, Humboldt River Field Office is seeking public review and comment on the Preliminary Environmental Assessment (PEA) for the Blue Wing Complex Gather Plan until February 10, 2017. This PEA specifically considers the methods to be used to manage wild horses and burros in order to achieve and maintain Appropriate Management Level within the Blue Wing Complex (Complex).
The Complex is located about 50 miles southwest of Winnemucca, Nevada; primarily in the western half of Pershing County. Portions of the Complex area extend into Humboldt, Churchill, and Washoe Counties. Reducing excess wild horses and burros would help prevent further deterioration of the range and water resources.
The entire gather area spans a distance of approximately 106 miles long and 55 miles wide. The Complex totals approximately 2,283,300 acres, with roughly 50 percent of the land identified as checkerboard land.
BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program protects, manages, and controls wild horses and burros under the authority of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 (WFRHBA) (Public Law (PL) 92-195), as amended by the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (PL 94-579) and the Public Rangelands Improvement Act of 1978 (PL 95-514). The WFRHBA directs the DOI’s Secretary to “maintain a current inventory of wild free-roaming horses and burros on given areas of the public lands. The purpose of such inventory shall be to: make determinations as to whether and where an overpopulation exists and whether action should be taken to remove excess animals; determine appropriate management levels of wild free-roaming horses and burros on these areas of the public lands; and determine whether appropriate management levels should be achieved by the removal or destruction of excess animals, or other options (such as sterilization, or natural controls on population levels)” (WFRHBA, 16 U.S.C. 1333(b)(1)).
The public is encouraged to review the EA, located at: http://bit.ly/2iYWG7j and provide comments or concerns about the preliminary environmental assessment in writing, prior to 4:30 p.m. (PST) on February 10, 2017, to the BLM Winnemucca District Office, Attention: Samantha Gooch, Project Coordinator, 5100 E. Winnemucca Blvd., Winnemucca, NV 89445 or faxed to (775) 623-1503 or emailed to: blm_nv_blue_wing_complex_ea@blm.gov.
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment, including your personal identifying information, may be publicly available at any time. While you can ask that your personal identifying information be withheld from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. Anonymity is not allowed for submissions from organizations or businesses and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or businesses.
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.