BLM seeks public comment on an EA to address public safety, emergencies and private property issues related to wild horses and burros
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LAS VEGAS – The Bureau of Land Management Southern Nevada District today announced the availability of a draft Environmental Assessment (EA) to address potential environmental consequences, emergencies and public safety issues associated with excess wild horses and burros. The BLM, Southern Nevada District preliminary 10-year Wild Horse and Burro, Emergency, Public Safety and Nuisance Gather EA will be available for public review and comment for a period of 30 days.
The action is needed in order to reduce and mitigate public safety concerns along major roadways within and outside herd management area (HMA) and herd area (HA) boundaries, nuisance animal complaints on private lands, and address management issues caused by wild horses and burros that reside outside of HMA/HA boundaries. In addition, the EA would allow the removal of excess wild horses and burros in the event of emergencies. The EA will be used to facilitate gathers, relocation, and/or removal of excess wild horses and burros in accordance with 43 CFR 4700 regulation and the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971, as amended (Public Law 92-195).
The EA would not be used as a tool for gathering excess wild horses and burros for the achievement of Appropriate Management Levels (AML); however, some horses and burros may be gathered and relocated and/or removed from within HMA/HA boundaries in order to resolve the above mentioned management issues.
A 30-day public comment period on the preliminary environmental assessment is set for November 25 through December 24, 2019. The public is encouraged to review the EA, located at https://go.usa.gov/xp95T and provide substantive comments or concerns, prior to 4:30 p.m. (PST) on December 24, 2019. All comments received will be fully considered and evaluated for preparation of the final EA. Comments and concerns may be emailed to blm_nv_sndo_whb_public_safety_gathers@blm.gov or sent in writing to the BLM Southern Nevada District Office, Attention: Tabby Romero, Wild Horse and Burro Specialist, 4701 N. Torrey Pines Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89130. Hardcopies of the EA are available upon request from the BLM, Southern Nevada District Office.
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment, including your personal identifying information, may be publicly available at any time. While you can ask that your personal identifying information be withheld from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. Anonymity is not allowed for submissions from organizations or businesses and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or businesses.
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.