BLM to Conduct Drought-Related Wild Horse Gathers in Nevada

The BLM intends to relocate 180 wild horses threatened by severe drought to off-range facilities.
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The Nevada Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Battle Mountain District, Tonopah Field Office, is scheduled to begin a drought related helicopter gather within the Fish Lake Valley and Gold Mountain Herd Management Areas (HMAs) beginning on or about Aug. 19. The BLM intends to relocate 180 wild horses threatened by severe drought from areas within and near the HMAs to off-range facilities.

Drought conditions have persisted throughout Nevada since 2012, leading to pending emergency conditions in these two HMAs in Esmeralda County, that seriously threaten the health and well-being of these wild horses. The BLM has been closely monitoring drought conditions within the HMAs and associated grazing allotments since 2012. Although some rainfall has occurred, the moisture has been insufficient to break the drought and has left extremely limited amounts of water and forage in the area. Henneke Body Condition Scores of horses residing within the Fish Lake Valley and Gold Mountain HMAs range from poor (1.5 out of 9) to moderately thin (4 out of 9), the BLM says, and wild horses with a Henneke Body Condition Score of 2 or less are at risk of death if they remain on the range, given the current drought conditions and lack of resources.

Gold Mountain HMA is located in southwestern Nevada, and encompasses approximately 100,000 acres of primarily BLM land. Appropriate Management Level for Gold Mountain HMA is currently 0 wild horses and 78 burros. The estimated wild horse population within Gold Mountain HMA is 33 horses and 1 mule. Monitoring shows that the only known perennial water source within the Gold Mountain HMA is currently nearly dry and has completely dried in previous years, resulting in horse deaths. Additionally, because horses are reliant on a single water source, they are unable to venture far from that water. Horses removed from Gold Mountain HMA will be transported to the Central Utah Correctional Facility in Gunnison, Utah.

Fish Lake Valley HMA is located in western Nevada and encompasses approximately 70,000 acres of primarily BLM land. The AML for Fish Lake Valley HMA is currently 54 wild horses. The estimated wild horse population within Fish Lake Valley HMA is 229 wild horses. Monitoring shows that vegetation growth is extremely limited within the HMA. Additionally, areas lower in elevation have been denuded of nearly all vegetation. Lack of vegetation is not only a problem for the wild horses, but there is occupied Bi-State Sage-grouse (BLM Sensitive Species, and Endangered Species Act Candidate Species) habitat within Fish Lake Valley HMA, with two known active leks. Additionally, public safety issues exist as wild horses often trail across highways to access limited water sources and foraging areas. Wild horses removed from Fish Lake Valley HMA will be transported to the Ridgecrest Regional Wild Horse and Burro Corrals in Ridgecrest, Calif

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