A preliminary environmental assessment was copied to the project folder yesterday, with comments due by August 5 according to the news release.
A scoping report was included for reference.
Alternative B, the Proposed Action, calls for
- Adoption of a new HMAP
- Forcible removal to low AML
- Application of fertility control pesticides
- Maintenance of a normal sex ratio
- Introduction of horses from other areas to boost genetic diversity
The HMAP is discussed in Appendix C.
The HMA overlaps ten allotments, with percentages given in Table 3-2 of the EA.
Map 3 shows the arrangement.
The allotment master report at RAS provides acreage, management status and active AUMs (Price FO | Richfield FO).
Approximately 64% of the public acres are in the Improve category.
Livestock receive an estimated 9,031 AUMs per year inside the HMA, compared to 1,500 AUMs per year for the horses.
The HMA supports livestock equivalent to 753 wild horses, accounting for 1.3% of the animals in off-range holding.
The current population is thought to be 255, well within the estimated carrying capacity of 125 + 753 = 878.
If all horses were removed the HMA would still be at 6X AML.
Your faithful public servants claim that rangeland health will suffer if the population exceeds 1X AML.
Reducing livestock was one of the options eliminated from detailed analysis in the EA.
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