The following is a press release from the Wyoming BLM:
The Bureau of Land Management will gather the Divide Basin Herd Management Area (HMA). Rock Springs Field Office released the environmental assessment (EA), finding of no significant impact (FONSI), and decision record (DR) to remove excess wild horses to the low appropriate management level as the proposed action.
The decision authorizes gathering approximately 80-90 percent (or between 1,312-1,476 wild horses), removing roughly 1,225, leaving 415 mustangs in the Divide Basin HMA. All mares released would be treated with the Porcine Zona Pellucida (PZP) vaccine. Sex ratios would also be adjusted favoring stallions to mares. The gather would reduce the current population of nearly 1,640 wild horses to the appropriate management level (AML) which is between 415-600 wild horses. The HMA was last gathered in August 2007.
The gather is scheduled to start in mid-October 2011 and expected to conclude in mid-November. BLM will be offering as many public viewing opportunities as possible during the gather. If interested in watching, please contact Serena Baker, sbaker@blm.gov, 307-212-0192, to be added to the anticipated visitors’ log.
Initial public scoping on the proposed gather was conducted in December 2010-January 2011. The EA was made available for public comment in May-June 2011, 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/rsfo/divide_basin.html.
All gathered mustangs will be examined by a veterinarian, dewormed, Coggins tested and given booster shots. The wild horses will then be available for adoption to qualified applicants. For more information on how to adopt, visit: www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/programs/Wild_Horses/adopt.html.
The BLM manages more land – over 245 million acres – than any other Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The Bureau, with a budget of about $1 billion, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. 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.
Source: Wyoming BLM
Posted by Haylie Shipp
