BLM releases Proposed Resource Management Plan Amendment, Final Environmental Impact Statement for Rock Springs area Wild Horse Management
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ROCK SPRINGS, Wyo. – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a Proposed Resource Management Plan Amendment and Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Rock Springs and Rawlins Field Offices. The amendment documents are available for public review on the BLM’s ePlanning website at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2009946/510.
This amendment was prepared, in part, in response to a 2013 U.S. District Court of Wyoming approved Consent Decree and Joint Stipulation for Dismissal (Consent Decree) in Rock Springs Grazing Association v. Salazar, No. 11-CV-00263-NDF. This Consent Decree was a result of the Rock Springs Grazing Association lawsuit against the BLM regarding wild horses on private lands within the checkerboard land pattern of ownership (alternating 1-mile sections of public and private ownership issued as part of the land grant for the transcontinental railroad).
The overall goal of the BLM's Wild Horse and Burro program is to ensure that healthy wild horses and burros thrive on healthy public rangelands. This amendment addresses the issues and concerns raised during scoping and will resolve wild horse management conflicts within the planning area while promoting balanced multiple use goals and objectives.
The planning area for this Proposed Resource Management Plan Amendment and Final Environmental Impact Statement Amendment includes portions of the Rock Springs Field Office covering the herd management areas associated with the Consent Decree and a portion of the Rawlins Field Office covering the Adobe Town Herd Management Area. The planning area encompasses approximately 2,811,401 acres. The BLM manages approximately 1,920,314 acres of surface estate in the planning area. Private land in the planning area totals approximately 814,086 acres.
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.