2022 CALIFORNIA CHEMEHUEVI AND COLOARDO RIVER INDIAN RESERVATIONS AND METROPOLITAN WATER DISTRICT NUISANCE WILD BURRO REMOVAL
Purpose of Gather:
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) received requests from the Chemehuevi Indian Tribe Chair, the Colorado River Tribes Chair, and the Metropolitan Water District, Unit Manager- Environmental Planning Section, regarding nuisance burros within their lands, which have created a public safety issue to vehicle traffic, damaging infrastructure and have become a general nuisance in the housing areas.
Under 4720.2-1 Removal of strayed animals from private lands and upon written request from the private landowner to the BLM, the authorized officer shall remove stray wild horses and burros from private lands as soon as practicable.
Current Appropriate Management Level for the Chemehuevi HMA is 108 burros. The estimated population for this HMA as of March 2022 is 764 burros based on various population count data and reports. Due to this over population, wild burros are drifting into populated areas. The need for this gather is a result of complaints of property damage, public health and safety, and the hazardous conditions burros pose to the public traveling on roads in the area.
The gather area would be located within Tribal lands on the Chemehuevi and Colorado River Indian Reservations and the Metropolitan Water District private lands. A series of bait traps would be used to catch nuisance wild burros. The gathered animals would then be transported to the Ridgecrest Wild Horse and Burro facility, where they would enter the Wild Horse and Burro adoption and sale program.
Details of Gather:
The office of jurisdiction is the Lake Havasu, Arizona BLM Field Office. The objectives, methods and procedures for the wild burro removals are described in DOI-BLM-AZ-C030-2022-0034-CX (Outside Chemehuevi HMA: Chemehuevi Nuisance Wild Burro Gather). The CX and decision are posted to the ePlanning project webpage at: https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2020742/510
The Lake Havasu Field Office in cooperation with the Needles Field Office proposes to utilize wildlife friendly bait trapping techniques to capture and remove approximately 275 nuisance burros outside the Chemehuevi Herd Area (HA) and Herd Management Area (HMA), Colorado River Indian Tribe (CRIT) Lands and private property in California.
The gather will start on 8/11/2022 and continue until objectives are met. The removal operations will be conducted by the Ridgecrest BLM Wild Horse and Burro gather crew. The operation will utilize bait trap capture method of capturing the burros.
All captured burros will be transported to the Ridgecrest BLM Regional Wild Horse and Burro Holding and Adoption Facility.
Public Observation:
Public observation at the trap sites will not be allowed due to the nature of the method of trapping the burros and to reduce disturbance to the animals and due to public health and safety issues given the extreme temperatures.
For more information, contact the BLM Information Center at wildhorse@blm.gov or 866-468-7826.
Adoption Information:
Burros removed from the Chemehuevi and Colorado River Indian Reservations and MWD private lands, will be made available for adoption or sale at the Ridgecrest BLM Regional Wild Horse and Burro Holding and Adoption Facility through the Wild Horse and Burro Adoption / Sales Program.
More information on the availability of these burros can be obtained through a request at the following e-mail address: BLM_CA_RidgecrestCorrals@blm.gov
For information on how to adopt a burro, visit http://www.blm.gov/whb.
Background:
The Chemehuevi Herd Area (HA) / Herd Management Area (HMA) is in southeastern California along the Colorado River, south of Needles, California within San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, California. The BLM California Desert Conservation Area (CDCA) Plan of 1980, as amended through the Northern and Eastern Colorado Desert Coordinated Management Plan (NECO, 2002) and adopted by the Lake Havasu Field Office Resource Management Plan, identified the southern portion of the HA as an HMA with an appropriate management level of 108 burros. Current estimated burro population is 764 burros.
- Daily Gather Reports
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Wednesday, December 9
Summary:
Burros Gathered: 4
Burros Shipped: 4
Burros Released: 0
Deaths: 0
- Sudden / Acute: 0
- Pre-existing / Chronic: 0
Wednesday, December 7
Summary:
Burros Gathered: 9
Burros Shipped: 9
Burros Released: 0
Deaths: 0
- Sudden / Acute: 0
- Pre-existing / Chronic: 0
Wednesday, September 21
Summary: Mostly overcast, slight wind from southwest, 84 F. Today was the last day of gather operations.
Burros Gathered: 29
Burros Shipped: 29
Burros Released: 0
Deaths: 0
- Sudden / Acute: 0
- Pre-existing / Chronic: 0
Saturday, September 17
Summary: Clear, slight wind from southwest, 85 F
Burros Gathered: 11
Burros Shipped: 10
Burros Released: 0
Deaths: 1
- Sudden / Acute: 1
- Pre-existing / Chronic: 0
Monday, September 12
Summary: Partly cloudy, slight wind from southwest, 93 F
Burros Gathered: 9
Burros Shipped: 9
Burros Released: 0
Deaths: 0
- Sudden / Acute: 0
- Pre-existing / Chronic: 0
Friday, September 9
Summary: Cloudy, slight wind from SE - Temperature 105 F.
Burros Gathered: 3
Burros Shipped: 22
Burros Released: 0
Deaths: 0
- Sudden / Acute: 0
- Pre-existing / Chronic: 0
Wednesday, September 7
Summary:
Burros Gathered: 19
Burros Shipped: 0
Burros Released: 0
Deaths: 0
- Sudden / Acute: 0
- Pre-existing / Chronic: 0
Friday, September 2
Summary:
Burros Gathered: 0
Burros Shipped: 2
Burros Released: 0
Deaths: 0
- Sudden / Acute: 0
- Pre-existing / Chronic: 0
Wednesday, August 31
Summary: 12 PM Mostly Clear - Temperature 115 F.
Burros Gathered: 2
Burros Shipped: 0
Burros Released: 0
Deaths: 0
- Sudden / Acute: 0
- Pre-existing / Chronic: 0
Tuesday, August 30
Summary: 6 AM Mostly Clear - Temperature 90 F.
Burros Gathered: 34
Burros Shipped: 34
Burros Released: 0
Deaths: 0
- Sudden / Acute: 0
- Pre-existing / Chronic: 0
Thursday, August 18
Summary: Mostly clear with cumulus clouds building up later in the afternoon. Temperature Low 86 F - Hi: 106F
Burros Gathered: 18
Burros Shipped: 136
Burros Released: 0
Deaths: 0
- Sudden / Acute: 0
- Pre-existing / Chronic: 0
Sunday, August 14
Summary: 6 AM Cloudy - Temperature 77 F. No observers. No notable incidents.
Burros Gathered: 19
Burros Shipped: 38
Burros Released: 0
Deaths: 0
- Sudden / Acute: 0
- Pre-existing / Chronic: 0
Saturday, August 13
Summary: Scattered cumulus cloud build up. Temperature Low 88 F - Hi: 107 F. No observers. No notable incidents.
Burros Gathered: 55
Burros Shipped: 45
Burros Released: 0
Deaths: 0
- Sudden / Acute: 0
- Pre-existing / Chronic: 0
Friday, August 12
Summary: Scattered cumulus cloud build up. Temperature Low 73 F - Hi: 108 F. No observers. No notable incidents.
Burros Gathered: 35
Burros Shipped: 35
Burros Released: 0
Deaths: 0
- Sudden / Acute: 0
- Pre-existing / Chronic: 0
Thursday, August 11
Summary: Scattered cumulus cloud build up. Temperature Low 103. F - Hi: 108 F. No observers. No notable incidents.
Burros Gathered: 9
Burros Shipped: 0
Burros Released: 0
Deaths: 0
- Sudden / Acute: 0
- Pre-existing / Chronic: 0
Gather Status
Gather Concluded
Animals Gathered: 256
256 Wild Burros (119 Jacks, 94 Jennies, 43 Foals)
Animals Shipped: 255
255 Wild Burros (118 Jacks, 94 Jennies, 43 Foals)
Deaths: 1
-Sudden / Acute: 1
-Pre-existing / Chronic: 0
Scroll to the bottom of this gather page for detailed “Daily Gather Reports"