The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has completed and released the Northeast Nevada Wild Horse Ecosanctuary resource management plan (RMP) amendment and environmental impact statement (EIS) scoping summary report. The scoping report summarizes all of the issues raised and comments received during the initial public scoping period for the proposed Northeast Nevada Wild Horse Ecosanctuary.

Three scoping open houses were held during the scoping period which ended Sept. 19, 2012. The comments received will be used to develop a range of alternatives for analysis in the EIS. The Scoping Report is available for review on the Elko District’s website.

This scoping was the first opportunity for public involvement in the resource management plan amendment/EIS process. The BLM will use the information collected to formulate alternatives and prepare the draft RMP amendment/EIS, which will be published in 2013. Release of the draft RMP amendment/EIS will be announced in a notice of availability in the Federal Register and in the local media, and additional public meetings will be held to solicit public comment on the draft document.

The Northeast Nevada Wild Horse Ecosanctuary proposal involves creating a wild horse ecosanctuary of a non-reproductive herd on most of the existing Spruce Grazing Allotment, which includes about 14,000 acres of private land and 508,000 acres of public land located approximately 25 miles southeast of Wells, Nev. The wild horse ecosanctuary would be operated by Saving America’s Mustangs, a nonprofit group which purchased the Spruce Ranch and acquired the associated grazing permit in the Spruce Allotment. The proponent also seeks to develop an ecoourism operation in conjunction with the wild horse ecosanctuary