BLM to Begin Antelope and Antelope Valley Herd Management Areas Wild Horse Gather

From a BLM press release:

Ely, Nev. – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Elko District, Wells Field Office and Ely District, Schell Field Office are scheduled to begin on or about Monday, Oct. 1, 2012, to gather and remove 200 excess wild horses from the Antelope and Antelope Valley Herd Management Areas (HMAs), located about 60 miles south of Wells and 50 miles north of Ely, Nevada.  The helicopter gather is necessary to prevent a further decline in animal condition caused by minimal forage growth and reduced water availability due to severe drought conditions.

Appropriate Management Level (AML) for the Antelope HMA is 150-324 wild horses.  The current population is 468 wild horses.  AML for the Antelope Valley HMA is 115-259 wild horses.  The current population is 641 wild horses.  BLM has been monitoring the condition of the wild horses due to the on-going drought conditions. Wild horses in in the Antelope and Antelope Valley HMAs are in moderately thin to very thin body condition with further declines beyond the point of recovery anticipated if actions are not taken.  The affected parts of the HMAs are within the Boone Springs, Valley Mtn., Antelope Valley, West White Horse, White Horse, Sugarloaf, Ferber Flat, Utah Nevada South, Badlands, Goshute Mtn., Deep Creek and Chin Creek Allotments.

Wild horses removed from the range will be shipped either to Palomino Valley near Reno, Nevada, or the Gunnison Correctional Facility in Gunnison, Utah, to be prepared for the BLM wild horse adoption program or for long-term pastures.

The potential impacts of the actions that will be taken during the gather operations have been analyzed in the Antelope Complex Capture Plan and Environmental Assessment signed in December 2010.

The public is welcome to attend the gather and is encouraged to check the gather hotline nightly (775-289-1880) for departure times and other pertinent information.  For additional gather information, including what you need to know before attending the gather and visitation protocols and ground rules, go to http://on.doi.gov/TeQ5Gj.

For more information, contact Chris Hanefeld, BLM Ely District public affairs specialist, at (775) 289-1842 or chanefel@blm.gov

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.

 

–BLM–