The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Wells Field Office, in cooperation with the Egan Field Office, is releasing the environmental assessment (EA) of a proposed non-helicopter gather and removal of wild horses within three herd management areas (HMAs) in northeastern Nevada for a 30-day public review.

The water/bait trapping project area is located approximately 60 miles south of Wells, Nev., within Elko and White Pine Counties and includes the Triple B HMA managed by the Ely District, Egan Field Office, in addition to the Maverick-Medicine and Antelope Valley HMAs which are managed by the Elko District, Wells Field Office.

The Wells and Egan Field Offices are proposing to gather wild horses from various riparian and upland areas within the project area as resource concerns are identified. Water availability concerns at Cherry and Sabala Springs, as well as other springs within the project area, were identified as part of the final EA on the gathering of excess wild horses within the Triple B Complex in May 2011. However due to not achieving the appropriate management level (AML) during the previous gather and current monitoring information, the BLM has determined that water resource concerns still exist.

The BLM hauled more than 60,000 gallons of water in 2011 to the Triple B and Maverick-Medicine HMAs and began hauling water to these areas in May of this year. The project area is experiencing severe drought conditions and water/bait trapping would be used to relieve pressure on the springs or until a follow-up helicopter gather can take place