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On January 17, 2020, the Bureau of Land Management Battle Mountain District, Tonopah Field Office issued a Decision Record (DR) and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) based on analysis provided in the Reveille Herd Management Area (HMA) Wild Horse Gather Plan Environmental Assessment (EA). The BLM developed the 10-year gather plan to manage wild horses within the Reveille HMA. The EA and DR/FONSI are available online at https://go.usa.gov/xpm24.

Based on the decision, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Tonopah Field Office will begin a wild horse and burro gather on or about February 3, 2020 on the Reveille HMA located about 50 miles east of Tonopah in Nye County, Nevada.

The purpose of the gather is to reduce impacts to rangeland health and wildlife habitat within and outside the HMA. In addition, the BLM must comply with court decisions from 1987, 2001, and 2002 which require that when the AML of 138 horses is exceeded, enough excess horses must be removed to allow three years to elapse before another gather is necessary. Removing excess animals would also enable significant progress toward achieving the Standards for Rangeland Health identified by the Mojave-Southern Great Basin Resource Advisory Council.

The BLM plans to gather approximately 200 wild horses, remove up to 150 wild horses from within and outside of the Reveille HMA and treat and release up to 25 mares back into the HMA. Once the gather is completed, approximately 72 wild horses will remain in the Reveille HMA. The gather is expected to last 7-10 days and the BLM will conduct gather operations using the helicopter-assisted method.

The Reveille HMA encompasses over 105,000 acres of public and private lands The appropriate management level (AML) for the Reveille HMA was established through the Final Multiple Use Decision for the Reveille Allotment that was issued on June 13, 2001. This Decision adjusted the AML to 138 wild horses and requires the BLM to conduct a gather within 120 days of establishing that the HMA is over AML. A helicopter survey of the Reveille HMA conducted on April 13, 2019 documented 222 wild horses within and directly outside of the HMA.

The BLM’s priority is to conduct safe, efficient, and successful wild horse and burro gather operations while ensuring humane care and treatment of all animals gathered. The BLM and its contractors will use the best available science and handling practices for wild horses and burros while meeting overall gather goals and objectives in accordance with the Comprehensive Animal Welfare Policy.

All horses and burros identified for removal will be transported to the Indian Lakes Off-Range Wild Horse and Burro Corrals, located in Fallon, Nev., where they will be checked by a veterinarian and readied for the BLM’s wild horse and burro Adoption and Sale Program. For information on how to adopt or purchase a wild horse or burro, visit www.blm.gov/whb.

Members of the public are welcome to view the gather operations, provided that doing so does not jeopardize the safety of the animals, staff and observers, or disrupt gather operations. The BLM will escort the public to gather observation sites located on public lands. Once gather operations have begun, those wanting to view gather operations must call the gather hotline nightly at (775) 861-6700 to receive specific instructions on each days’ meeting location and time.

Once the gather begins, gather reports and additional information for the “2020 Reveille Wild Horse Gather” will be posted on the BLM website at https://go.usa.gov/xdr8p. For technical information, contact Shawna Richardson, Wild Horse and Burro Specialist at (775) 635-4181 or s1richar@blm.gov.