BLM NEWS RELEASE
CARSON CITY —  The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Carson City District, Stillwater Field Office released the Preliminary Garfield Flat and Marietta Herd Management Areas Gather Plan and Environmental Assessment (EA) for public review and comment. The proposed gather area is southwest of Hawthorne, in Mineral County, Nev. The BLM would appreciate receiving substantive comments on the EA by Oct. 24.
The EA analyzes two proposed gathers; a wild horse gather to apply fertility control to mares and remove 223 excess wild horses from the Garfield Flat Herd Management Area (HMA), and a wild burro gather to remove 66 excess wild burros from the Marietta HMA. The proposed horse gather is tentatively scheduled for February 2012, and the wild burro gather is tentatively scheduled for 2013.
The proposed gathers are needed to achieve and maintain the established appropriate management levels (AMLs) and remove excess wild horses and burros. The proposed gather also would prevent further range deterioration resulting from the current overpopulation of wild horses and wild burros within the areas.
The Garfield Flat and Marietta HMAs Gather Plan and EA analyzes the application of fertility control on mares, and the removal of approximately 223 excess wild horses from inside and outside of the Garfield Flat HMA. About 240 wild horses would be gathered, 26 – 33 mares would be vaccinated with a two-year fertility control vaccine (Porcine Zona Pellucida – PVP-22), then released back into the HMA, leaving 83 wild horses in the Garfield Flat HMA. Treating the mares will slow the rate of herd reproduction, assisting in maintaining the AML, and reducing the number of excess wild horses that would need to be removed in the future. The AML for the Garfield Flat HMA is 83 to 125 wild horses.
The proposed gather for the Marietta HMA would remove 66 excess wild burros leaving 78 wild burros within the area. The AML for the Marietta HMA is 78 to 104 burros.
The EA may be reviewed online:
http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/carson_city_field/blm_information/nepa.html
The BLM would appreciate receiving substantive comments on the EA by October 24, 2011. Comments received during the public review period will be analyzed and considered as part of the decision-making process.
Only written comments will be considered. Written comments for the Garfield Flat and Marietta Gather Plan and EA may be submitted by email to:  [email protected], by mail to: BLM Stillwater Field Manager Teresa Knutson, 5665 Morgan Mill Rd., Carson City, NV 89701, or by fax to: 775-885-6147
Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment – including your personal identifying information – may be made publicly available.
For additional information about the proposed gathers, call or email Steve Kramer, planning and environmental coordinator, 775-885-6005, [email protected].
