The project would implement virtual fencing in the Board Corral Allotment on the west side of Sheldon NWR to obtain a more uniform distribution of cattle and reduce grazing pressure on seeps, springs and wet meadow resources.
According to Section 3.1.1 in the Draft EA, livestock continually congregate, trample and utilize riparian areas and springs on the allotment. Many forgeable upland areas in the South Use Area receive little to no use due to water constraints, lack of boundaries and cattle attraction to the riparian corridor.
Under the Proposed Action, the BLM would purchase the base stations and the permittee would rent or purchase the livestock collars.
The allotment, in the Improve category, offers 690 active AUMs on 15,330 public acres, or 45.0 AUMs per year per thousand public acres, equivalent to 3.8 wild horses per thousand public acres.
Despite this, land managers insist that public lands in the western U.S. can only support one wild horse per thousand public acres (27,000 animals on 27 million acres).
The allotment overlaps the north end of the Massacre Lake HA, an area identified for wild horses but managed principally for livestock.
The EA was copied to the project folder with related documents.
Comments will be accepted through January 31.
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Western Horse Watchers Association 