BLM issues decision for wild horse gather at Four Mile Herd Management Area
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Boise, Idaho - The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Four Rivers Field Office signed a Decision Record for an upcoming wild horse helicopter and bait/water trap gather in the Four Mile Herd Management Area (HMA).
This decision authorizes the removal of excess wild horses from the HMA to reach the Appropriate Management Level (AML), the number of wild horses and burros that the HMA can support in balance with other uses and resources on public land. The decision also authorizes the application of fertility control to mares to help reduce the population increase in the HMA. The objective of these actions is to protect the range and wild horses by slowing the herd’s population growth.
The Four Mile HMA is in Gem County, approximately 15 miles north of Emmett. The HMA consists of approximately 18,800 acres of federal, state and private land, with a current population of approximately 184 wild horses. The BLM estimates the herd population will reach 221 wild horses by the end of the 2020 foaling season. The AML has been established at 37-60 wild horses.
The BLM sets the AML through land use planning efforts that involve public participation, vegetation inventories, and allocation of forage in terms of animal unit months. Planning efforts include an inventory and the monitoring of all uses of the public rangelands.
The impacts of the gather are described and analyzed in the Four Mile HMA Wild Horse Gather Environmental Assessment (EA). The EA and Decision Record are posted on the BLM website at: https://go.usa.gov/xyx3A (case sensitive).
Horses removed from the range will be prepared for the BLM adoption and sale program. For more information on how to adopt or purchase a wild horse or burro, visit the BLM National Wild Horse and Burro website at www.blm.gov/whb or call (866) 468-7826.
For additional gather-specific information, please contact Boise District Wild Horse Specialist Raul Trevino at 208-896-5603. Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339. The FRS is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Replies are provided during normal business hours.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.