Bureau of Land Management to remove up to 20 wild burros residing outside of the Hickison Herd Management Area in Lander County, Nevada
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On December 18, 2018, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Battle Mountain District, began to gather and remove up to 20 excess wild burros that are damaging private property, land and crops. The excess wild burros are residing outside the Hickison HMA, located in Lander County, southeast of Austin, Nevada. The Bureau of Land Management, Mount Lewis Field Office has posted maps and gather documents as part of its National Environmental Policy Act review at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/118478/510.
The wild burros identified for removal are regularly entering private lands, causing damage to hay crops and fences, and consuming privately owned stacked hay. A formal written request was received by the Mount Lewis Field Office from a private landowner that allows the BLM to remove stray wild horses and burros from private lands in accordance with the Code of Federal Regulations (43 CFR 4720.2-1.)
The BLM’s priority is to conduct a safe, efficient, and successful wild burro gather while ensuring humane care and treatment of all animals gathered. The BLM will use temporary corrals, set up on private property, which consist of a series of corral panels. Because of the nature of the bait trap method, only essential gather operation personnel will be allowed at the trap site during operations.
All burros removed will be transported to the Palomino Valley Wild Horse and Burro Off-Range Corrals in Reno, Nevada, where they will be checked by a veterinarian and prepared for the BLM’s wild horse and burro adoption program. For information on how to adopt or purchase a wild horse or burro, visit www.blm.gov/whb.
For further technical information, please contact Shawna Richardson, Wild Horse and Burro Specialist at (775) 635-4181.
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.