Final Environmental Assessment and Decision Record for Smoke Creek Wild Horse Complex Gather Plan
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WINNEMUCCA, Nev. – On April 13, the Bureau of Land Management, Winnemucca District, Black Rock Field Office issued a Decision Record (DR) and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) based on analysis provided in the Smoke Creek Complex Gather Plan Environmental Assessment (EA). The BLM developed a 10-year gather plan to manage wild horses within the Smoke Creek Complex.
The Smoke Creek Complex consists of two herd management areas; the Buffalo Hills HMA and the Fox and Lake Range HMA. The combined Appropriate Management Level (AML) is a range between 310 – 518 wild horses. The current population is estimated to be nearly 1,300 wild horses.
The purpose of the 10-year gather plan is to reduce the wild horse and burro population to achieve low AML and maintain the wild horse and burro population within the AML ranges over the long term. To prevent undue or unnecessary degradation of the public lands periodic gathers are necessary to ensure the health of rangeland resources from deterioration associated with excess population of wild horses within and outside the HMAs within the Complex; and to restore a thriving natural ecological balance and multiple use relationship on the public lands.
The EA provides alternatives for the use of fertility control such as PZP-22, GonaCon, or the most effective fertility control formulation. In addition, implementation of a partial non-breeding component is being considered as a management tool for the Smoke Creek Complex as describe in Alternative A of the EA.
The EA, DR, and FONSI can be viewed online at https://goo.gl/1URmaf. Hardcopies of these documents are also available at the BLM Winnemucca District Office at 5100 E. Winnemucca Blvd. Winnemucca, NV 89445, during regular business hours, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except federal holidays, or will be provided upon request.
If you have any questions, please contact Garrett Swisher at (775) 623-1500, or at the above address.
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.