BLM seeks input on draft amendment for wild horse management in southern Wyoming
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ROCK SPRINGS, Wyo. – The Bureau of Land Management is seeking public comments on a draft resource management plan amendment and associated draft environmental impact statement for wild horse management on southern Wyoming’s checkerboard lands. The draft amendment and associated documents are available for public review and comment on the BLM’s ePlanning website at https://go.usa.gov/xdDV3. Interested parties may comment on the draft analysis until April 30, 2020.
The BLM is analyzing this amendment to fulfill its obligations under a 2013 consent decree with the Rock Springs Grazing Association. The BLM and RSGA negotiated the consent decree after the RSGA filed a lawsuit against the BLM contending the BLM violated the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 by failing to remove strayed wild horses from its private land in the checkerboard pattern of public and private land within herd management areas in southern Wyoming. Under the terms of the consent decree, the BLM must analyze potential RMP amendments to resolve the conflicts surrounding wild horse management and private land in the area.
“Resolving land use conflicts in an area with closely mingled public and private lands can be difficult, especially when managing wild animals accustomed to freely roaming between them. We’re working to comply with the consent decree and resolve the conflict over wild horses’ use of private resources in the most effective way,” said BLM High Desert District Manager Tim Wakefield.
The overall goal of the BLM's wild horse and burro program is to ensure healthy wild horses and burros thrive on healthy public rangelands in balance with other resources. The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act requires the protection of wild horses on public lands, but it also requires the BLM to remove wild horses that stray onto private land upon the landowner’s request. In areas where public and private lands mingle, such as the checkerboard, achieving this dual mandate can be challenging.
This draft analysis considers wild horse management strategies for the four herd management areas that intersect the checkerboard, which together encompass about 2,811,401 acres, to achieve a better balance between the varied resource uses and objectives in the area.
BLM Wyoming will host public meetings in Rock Springs and Rawlins, Wyoming, to discuss the draft analysis. The meetings’ specific dates, times and locations will be announced once those details are confirmed. If you have questions about this project, contact the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Information Call Center at 866-468-7826 or wildhorse@blm.gov. Please note that official comments must be submitted online at the website listed above.
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.