Source: SweetwaterNOW.com

“Public input is valuable early in the process…”

Photo by Carol Walker of Wild Horse Freedom Federation and Wild Hoof Beats

RAWLINS — The Bureau of Land Management’s Rawlins Field Office proposes to gather and remove wild horses from the Adobe Town Herd Management Area (HMA). In conjunction with the University of Wyoming, BLM may have the opportunity to conduct a research project by placing radio collars on approximately 15-40 mares returned to the HMA.

The radio collar research would allow BLM to learn about habitat selection, seasonal use and movement between habitats, and migration patterns with and outside of the HMA. Before collaring any wild horses, an animal care and use protocol for collaring would be submitted to the University of Wyoming Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee for review by a panel of veterinarians and animal welfare officials.

The removal of wild horses from the Adobe Town portions of the HMAs will be conducted under Section 3 of the Wild and Free Roaming Wild Horse and Burros Act of 1971 (WHA), 16 U.S.C. §1333 and by regulation, 43 CFR 4720.1, and the consent decree entered by the U.S. District Court on April 3, 2013, in Rock Springs Grazing Association v. Salazar, Civ. No. 11-263-NDF (D. Wyo.) (2013 Consent Decree).

Consistent with the 2013 Consent Decree, the BLM conducted population surveys in April 2015. The census data from this survey estimated that there are approximately 858 wild horses within the Adobe Town HMA, which exceeds the appropriate management level (AML) of 610-800 wild horses.

The wild horse population is expected to increase by approximately 20 percent each year. Census flights to estimate current wild horse populations will be conducted in April of 2016. Population estimates from these flights will be adjusted upward by 20 percent to account for the 2016 foaling season.

Public input is valuable early in the process and will enable the BLM to develop a well-informed environmental assessment. Written comments should be received by May 6, 2016, and should be emailed only to blm_wy_adobetown_hma@blm.gov (Please include “Adobe Town Scoping Statement Comments” in the subject line), mailed or hand-delivered during regular business hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) to: Wild Horse and Burro Specialist, BLM Rawlins Field Office, 1300 North 3^rd Street, Rawlins, WY 82301. Fax: 307-324-4224.

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 made publicly available at any time.  While you may ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

For more information, please contact the BLM Wild Horse Specialist, at 307-324-4200.

A copy of the project map and additional details can be found online. 

https://eplanning.blm.gov/epl-front-office/projects/nepa/59671/71927/78926/Signed_Scoping_Letter.pdf