Horse News

BLM: Humboldt Herd Area Wild Horse Trapping Suspended

By on • ( 33 Comments )

Information supplied by the Nevada office of the BLM

“the area is managed for zero wild horses”

Wild Horse Trapping Update

The Humboldt wild horse water bait trap operations have been temporarily suspended since trapped numbers have been relatively low over the last three days. Trapping operations will continue on July 7, 2014 with the anticipation that the horses will be more accustomed to the trap facilities. As of June 27, BLM has gathered a total of 37 horses out of 100.

Goal of Trapping:

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Winnemucca District, Humboldt River Field Office will use water trapping to achieve and maintain a population of zero wild horses within the Humboldt Herd Area (HA). The Humboldt HA is not managed for wild horses due to the checkerboard land pattern and therefore no AML has been set and the area is managed for zero wild horses. The water trap gather is taking place as a result of impacts to private property. This action was analyzed as part of the Humboldt Herd Area Wild Horse Gather Plan Environmental Assesment.

Details of the Trapping:

BLM plans to humanely trap approximately 100 wild horses through the use of water trapping. Details of the gather are available on this website by following the links in the right column.

Adoption:

Wild horses removed from the range will be sent to the Palomino Valley National Wild Horse and Burro Adoption Center (PVC) outside of Reno, Nevada. PVC is open to the public Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and on the first Saturday of the month, 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. For adoption details and more information about PVC, visit: http://on.doi.gov/1qeweUJ.

Latest News:

For BLM news releases and statements issued, check our Newsroom.

Background:

The Humboldt HA is located approximately 30 miles south of Winnemucca, Nevada and extends along the east side of Interstate 80 to Lovelock, Nevada. The Humboldt HA was not designated for the long term management of the wild horses in the Sonoma-Gerlach Management Framework Plan (SG-MFP) due to the checkerboard land pattern found within the HA and therefore, is not managed for wild horses and burros.

The trap area is comprised of 431,544 acres of both private and public lands. The wild horse population within the Humboldt HA is estimated to be 282 animals. The exact origin of these wild horses has not been determined. However, some animals may have been missed in the initial gather to remove wild horses from the area in 1985. Other wild horses may have migrated into the Humboldt HA from adjacent Herd Management Areas (HMAs). Removing these wild horses will help to prevent further deterioration of the range in an effort to achieve a thriving natural ecological balance and multiple-use relationship as required under the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, and Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as well as help to achieve and maintain healthy, viable wild horse populations.

For more information on the Wild Horse and Burro Program, call 1-866-468-7826 or email wildhorse@blm.gov.

Related articles

Categories: Horse News, Horse Slaughter, Wild Horses/Mustangs

Tagged as: , , , ,

33 replies »

    • R T are you still trying to make sense of the BLM? If so stop before you make yourself crazy. There is no rhyme or reason when the BLM is involved. They are cattle people who don’t know about poor care about the wild horses or burros. They have no business being involved with the horses. It’s like the Fox being locked in the chicken house…. You just can’t fix stupid…

      Like

      Reply

  3. Sat here, looking at this for a good 10 minutes…

    I got nothin’.

    This is one of those WTF situations where there is no rhyme or reason for it – other than appeasing a ‘landowner’ (who probably holds the leases out there).

    Like

    Reply

  4. I’m so tired of this ‘multiple-use relationship’ propaganda. These words never existed in the original Act. They became part of the equation only after the BLM wrote the CFR’s which adulterated the Act when the new regulations were incorporated in the FLPMA legislation years later. Obviously in those years some elected and some non-elected government officials were influenced by commercial interests who had learned how the Act was affecting them and did not like what they saw. The Act’s original intent no longer exists.

    Like

    Reply

      • Debbie:

        I hope you can put your excellent and appreciated journalist skills to work (again), to explain what Steve posted to the uneducated….very important.

        Like

  5. Where is the leadership of the DOI? Sally Jewell is invisible in this issue and she is the one who needs to be making policy or is she and letting the BLM people take the heat. Joan Guilfoyle is right about the practices of the BLM being unsustainable, but they keep right on doing the same thing. It is said that a sign of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result each time.

    Like

    Reply

    • She really is only a figurehead for the Department, putting a happy face on a Department by advocating taking children out hiking and camping, and paying visits to national parks and historic sites around the country. She hasn’t done anything about the NAS report, and the delisting of wolves across the remainder of the lower 48 and paltry recovery areas.

      It’s a department that traditionally gets little attention, and that the appointment of Secretary is political payback, and that most of the country isn’t interested in or has no idea about what they do, and this is why the ranchers (and energy developers) own them. But it’s never been more obvious than it is in the current Administration.

      Like

      Reply

    • Change must come and only will come EXTERNALLY, not internally. I believe giving the killers a cc (courtesy copy) on correspondence, but it must come from the President, Congress or the courts if change is to be made.

      Like

      Reply

  6. I can’t post a BLM Geocommunicator Rangelands Map screen capture of Humboldt and the surrounding area, but there’s a tremendous number of acres designated HAs: Trinity NV 0232, the majority of Antelope NV 0211, all of Sonoma NV 0223, East NV 0225, and possibly portions of Tobin NV 0231 and North Stillwater NV0229. Almost all of those HAs have a direct relationship to water sources, and/or extraction and energy projects. It’s the same across all the West.

    Like

    Reply

  8. This entire press release is BS. The capture has nothing to do with the degradation of the horses or a thriving range.

    This HMA was designated by law as the horses were found there. A nice plot of land. But, whoever – most likely ranchers, miners – came along and put together the Sonoma-Gerlach Land Use policy which zeroed out wild horses, notwithstanding The Actt and BLM, hat in hand, signed off. The horses were “zeroed out.”. No captures have occurred for quite some time. Its been a while since the EA came out so I can’t remember the exact dates, but you get the ghist of it.

    There are two HUUUUUUGE mines on this HMA. One to the south, accessed by a remote one land dirt road which winds through the foothills and up ito the canyon (well, the scarred and gouged hole that will never resemble a canyon). The road t this mine is where the horses have been kille, one 10 years ago, the other a few years ago. Yeah. I commented that BLM should be more concerned with the yahoos out there speeding on dirt roads and killing animals, then worryng about a horse struck while crossing a bare patch of earth at the same time soe joker is running his big old tandem trailer or dump truck through our public land! Where is the outrage? When did the killing become okay!

    Then there is the other mine. To the north. That mine is IN the HMA and is hundreds if not a thousand acres in size, multiple terraced holes, access roads, slag piles, slurry ponds, etc etc. That mine is an abomination on our public land – but that holy mess is OKAY with BLM. And the ranchers. They are not very concerned with degradation.

    The hoofprints of the horses are nothing compared to the Godless gouging and violent churning being done to the beautiful expanses of the land in Humboldt HMA. Use Google satelitte view. Don’t eat before you look.
    So whoever these people are, and I know of one, with BLM – your act needs some work.

    Like

    Reply

    • And the mine to the north has just been granted permt for expansion. There will be no thriving ecological balance or multiple use on those very damaged acres – for generations.

      Like

      Reply

  9. i told you all a month and half ago that our public lands have been going to the highest bidders ever since the bundy thing and dirty harry’s big stupid mistake and nobody has been listening ! i will direct any body who wants to see these websites : one is eagle rising, the d. c. clothesline, news before its news ,freedom fighters , you will need to sift throught the b.s. but anybody with halve a brain can see what is happening right before our eyes .
    it is the oklahoma congressman that is holding up the safe act . he’s going to stall that bill as long as he can,and he has been doing that really good . i hate that sob. and i wish that they could do something about them doing that but as long as this bozo we call prez is flooding congress with this immagration bull shit ,we will not get anybody to start pressuring anyone about the safe act.

    Like

    Reply

  11. remember there are so many wild horses overwhelming the area according to the welfare cattle ranchers ..why they can hardly turn around without having a cow bump into one right ? But they can’t find enough to “water trap” which I doubt is “humane” – is it not blocking off other accesses to water until they head toward their water trap ? Even in ancient times to deprive someone of water in order to invoke surrender in a siege was considered a war crime. The BLM is every day committing war crimes against wild horses ! They drive them into traps by depriving them of water then they deprive them of water and shade once trapped !

    Like

    Reply

  12. Isn’t this putting the Horse before the Cart, or….
    Removing the Federally Protected Wild Horses BEFORE the Environmental Assessment?

    BLM Publishes Notice of Intent for the Initiation of the Coeur Rochester Mine Plan of Operations Amendment 10 Environmental Impact Statement
    http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/info/newsroom/2014/june/winnemucca__notice.html

    Winnemucca, Nev. – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) published a Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Coeur Rochester Plan of Operations Amendment 10 Project, Pershing County, Nev. in the Federal Register on June 27, 2014, and will seek input from the public and stakeholders about the potential scope of the document.

    Coeur Rochester, Inc., has requested an expansion of their operations at the existing Coeur Rochester Mine, which is located approximately 18 miles northeast of Lovelock, Nevada, in the Humboldt Range, Pershing County. The mine is currently authorized disturbance of 1,930 acres (approximately 189 acres of private land and 1,741 acres of public land). Proposed changes to their operations presented under this Plan of Operations modification would encompass 531 acres, of which 157 acres are already disturbed. A total of 348 acres of new disturbance is proposed on public land, as well as 26 acres on private land. All proposed disturbance would be within the existing approved Plan boundary.

    The BLM will hold two public open-houses on the proposal, in Lovelock, Nev. on July 9 from 5-7 p.m., at the Lovelock Community Center in the Seven Troughs/Rochester Room, 820 6th Street Winnemucca, Nev. on July 10 5-7 p.m., and at the Winnemucca Convention Center in the West Hall, 50 W Winnemucca Blvd. Public comments will be accepted at both meetings.

    Written comments are encouraged and may be submitted through July 27, 2014 to Kathleen Rehberg, Project Lead, Attn: Coeur Rochester Mine EIS, BLM Winnemucca District Office, 5100 E. Winnemucca Blvd., Winnemucca NV 89445-2921.

    Like

    Reply

  13. There are Mining Expansions and new Gas Leases, even Fracking Leases (the first in NV) happening in the Humboldt/Lovelock area. We need to get ahead of this and file letters of Protest and Appeals in opposition. We have to work ahead of the 8 ball and not always be crying after the fact.

    Like

    Reply

    • The Cuero Rochester Mine is at the south end of the HMA, follow Coal Canyon Road east and look around. The horses reported being killed were out on those roads The bigger mine is due north between Star Peak and Hwy 80. The great green circles? Alfalfa. Those students of the feed for horses know that alfalfa demands water down 7 feet. Thse circles can be calculated by using the mileage indicators. Notice the number of crop circles on public land. I’ve often wondered why, if hay is being grown on public land, using public water – why the public is enslaved to the profiteering hay broker and not given access to this “public hay.”

      Like

      Reply

  15. I had to read this 3 times, then pull out my calculator. That is 1 horse for every 1530 +/- acres, You must be kidding. This is public land! How many cattle and sheep are on this land, what is the % of private livestock on these acres? Guess what animal is destroying the land? Not 1 horse per ONE THOUSAND and THIRTY ACRES and they want to round them up and pen or sell them at auctions to kill buys? This is totally insane. Whoever is in charge of this round up needs a new job. The roundup needs to be for the cattle and sheep on this land definitely not the horse or burro. How many cattle and sheep are starving on this land? I bet not one as they don’t want to reduce herd size something has to go. Make sure it is privately owned livestock that gets moved off public land and leave the horse alone.

    Like

    Reply

  16. OIG found that wastewater wells on DOI lands could threaten nearby drinking water supplies.

    http://www.doi.gov/oig/news/us-department-of-the-interiors-underground-injection-control-activities.cfm
    U.S. Department of the Interior’s Underground Injection Control Activities
    04/02/2014

    The U.S. Geological Survey estimated in 2013 that “more than 100 million people in the United States, about 35 percent of the population . . . received their drinking water from public groundwater systems.” The U.S. Department of the Interior is tasked with managing and protecting resources on Federal and Indian lands, including underground sources of drinking water. We found several issues dealing with improper drainage of Class V injection wells, which are, generally, disposal systems that depend on gravity to drain fluids into the ground and are one of six categories defined in EPA’s regulations that could potentially threaten sources of underground drinking water.

    First, the Department has no overarching guidance or policy to assist bureaus in complying with EPA’s regulations concerning Class V injection wells. This has led to a patchwork of inconsistent or nonexistent policies at the bureau level. Second, bureaus have not effectively tracked and managed their Class V wells. As a result, bureaus are not complying with EPA’s regulations to self-report these wells. Third, we found several instances where well types banned from operation in 2005 were still operational on departmental lands. We offered seven recommendations to several of the Department’s bureaus to address each of those issues.

    Read complete report here

    Click to access CR-EV-MOA-0006-2012Public.pdf

    Like

    Reply

  17. OIG audited BLM’s mineral materials program and found that BLM has little assurance that it obtains market value for mineral materials, recovers the processing cost for mineral contracts, verifies sales production, or resolves issues of unauthorized use.

    http://www.doi.gov/oig/news/bureau-of-land-managements-mineral-materials-program.cfm
    Bureau of Land Management’s Mineral Materials Program
    04/03/2014

    We audited the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) mineral materials sales program to determine whether the U.S. Department of the Interior obtained market value for materials removed from Federal lands. BLM sells mineral materials— which consist of common types of sand and gravel, stone, pumice, or other materials used mainly in construction and landscaping—under the authority of the Materials Act of 1947, as amended. The United States uses about 2 billion tons of mineral materials annually, and in fiscal year 2011, BLM issued about 2,800 contracts and permits to sell mineral materials, including 2,616 sales valued at approximately $17 million, as well as instances of free use for public purposes such as State and local roadway projects.

    We found that BLM’s management of the program is hindered by outdated regulations and policies; does not always recover the processing costs for mineral materials contracts, resulting in $846,117 of lost revenue to the Government; or verify production volumes reported for sales. In addition, we noted concerns that BLM may not be collecting fees for minerals used on lands that have been sold under the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act of 1998 because we found an instance where a private developer used tons of mineral materials without paying for them.

    We made 15 recommendations to BLM that focus on updating program guidance and collaborating with the Department’s Office of Valuation Services to ensure that the mineral materials program operates more efficiently and obtains adequate compensation for mineral materials sold from Federal land.

    Read full report here

    Click to access C-IN-BLM-0002-2012Public.pdf

    Like

    Reply

    • Louie C! You have the best radar!! Public comments are due on the southern mine on this HMA, I think you published the notice above. This and the earlier audit should be submitted for comment. It is obvious looking at the huge mines that little concern for the environment is imposed. The horses are the least of our concern there. I am going to subit boith these reports, or portions. Please present your comments. I’d like to hear the remediation efforts to protect Lovelock from these mines.

      Like

      Reply

Care to make a comment?

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.