Baby burro born in captivity

Today BLM approved a district wide removal plan for wild horses and burros in Southern NV.

“This is not an HMA/HA analysis, this is a district wide plan that will allow removals throughout the district with a simple signature. In essence, this creates a complaint/removal system with little opportunity for oversight.” Laura Leigh, Wild Horse Education founder, “Yet, it also opens the door for district wide legal challenges; if BLM can be this lazy and shirk site by site analysis? then we should be able to address ongoing issues regarding wild horses and burros on a district wide scale, in every district and every court. Instead? our challenges are held to a site-by-site mechanism. This is wrong, but it may open a door.”

Will district wide removal plans become the new normal?

Please note that BLM now uses the term “relocate” to simply mean “take to a holding facility.” BLM often changes terminology to imply they have changed a protocol, not just the name of the process. Relocate may sound like they are taken elsewhere to “be free.” It does not.

WHE will challenge this decision as inadequate under current NEPA standards.

BLM press release:

BLM issues Record of Decision on EA to address public safety, emergencies and private property issues related to wild horses and burros

 LAS VEGAS – On April 1, 2020, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Southern Nevada District issued a Decision Record (DR) and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) based on analysis provided in the Southern Nevada District Emergency, Public Safety, and Highway Nuisance Gathers Environmental Assessment (EA).

The action is needed in order to reduce and mitigate public safety concerns along 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 will 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 will 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.

The EA and DR/FONSI are available online at  https://go.usa.gov/xp95T. 

For technical information, contact Tabby Romero, Southern Nevada District Wild Horse and Burro Specialist, at (702) 515-5171

To read more about our initial comments to this EA  go HERE.

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