BLM announced today that a Decision Record had been signed, allowing the wild burro management process to move ahead. Alternative A, the proposed action, was approved.
A roundup will occur next month, but a start date was not given. The news release did not indicate how the operation will be carried out, if will be open to public observation, and where the captured burros would be taken.
Those details should be provided before anything happens in the field. The decision is subject to appeal over the next 30 days. The Final EA is posted here.
The current population is thought to exceed 2,200 animals, whose forage demand likely exceeds the total AUMs authorized on the HMA (burros + livestock). This does not mean the burros can access all of them.
The old mining town of Oatman, noted for its friendly burros, is in the HMA.
RELATED: Comments Invited on EA for Black Mountain Gather Plan.
Western Horse Watchers Association 