BLM Launches Scoping Period for Horse Gather, Research

The agency has proposed a wild horse gather in the Onaqui Herd Management Area in Utah.
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The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Utah’s Salt Lake Field Office (SLFO) is launching a 30-day public scoping period prior to beginning work on an environmental assessment for a proposed wild horse gather and removal in the Onaqui Herd Management Area (HMA).

The SLFO proposes to gather and remove excess wild horses to reach the low appropriate management level (AML). The current horse population in the Onaqui HMA is estimated at 450 animals (not including 2017 foals); the agency has set the AML at 121-210 horses. The BLM estimates that more than 325 wild horses will need be removed from the HMA to achieve a low AML. The proposed gather would take place no sooner than summer 2018.

The BLM said the proposed gather comes in response to several issues currently occurring in the HMA. This includes, but is not limited to, actions to comply with the Utah Greater Sage-Grouse Approved Resource Management Plan Amendment, emergency stabilization and restoration of lands affected by wildfires, reduction of impacts due to over-population of wild horses, and the establishment of a research study focused on wild horse, greater sage-grouse, and vegetation treatment interactions.

To comply with regulations, the BLM will conduct scoping and will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) for the proposal. Scoping activities identify reasonable alternatives to be evaluated in the environmental analysis that meet the purpose and need of the project. Through this process, environmental issues related to the proposed gather are identified, the depth of analysis for issues addressed in the environmental document determined, and potential mitigation identified

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