BLM Issues Decision for Conger Complex Wild Horse Gather

Fillmore, Utah—The Bureau of Land Management’s Fillmore Field Office today issued a decision to remove excess wild horses from the Conger Complex Herd Management Area (HMA) near Garrison, Utah, to protect range conditions and wild horses. The Conger Complex HMA consists of the Conger and Confusion Mountain HMAs.

“The current population of wild horses in the Conger Complex is far above the number the range can handle,” said Field Office Manager Mike Gates. “Our horses are healthy and we want them to remain healthy. We must manage the population at appropriate levels to maintain an ecological balance on the range.”

Beginning in Sept. 2010, the BLM plans to gather and remove an estimated 480 wild horses for placement in the adoption program or long-term pastures. An estimated 50 studs of the captured wild horses from the Confusion Mountain HMA will be returned to the range to adjust the sex ratio and slow population growth. Up to 30 of the Conger Mountain HMA wild horses will be released (about 20 studs of the captured wild horses will be returned to the range to adjust the sex ratio and slow population growth and about 10 mares will be treated with fertility control and returned to the range). This will bring the population of horses to appropriate management levels established through the Warm Springs and House Range Resource Management Plans.

The Confusion Mountain HMA is located in Juab and Millard Counties 30 miles north of Garrison, Utah, and encompasses approximately 293,000 acres, with a current population estimated at 368 wild horses (based on a Feb. 2010 population inventory). The Appropriate Management Level (AML) for the Confusion Mountain HMA has been established at 70-115 wild horses. This means that 250 horses will need to be removed during the gather to achieve AML.

The Conger HMA is located in Millard County 20 miles northeast of Garrison, Utah, and encompasses approximately 170,000 acres, with a current population estimated at 291 wild horses (based on a Feb. 2010 population inventory). The AML for the Conger HMA has been established at 40-80 wild horses. This means that 230 horses will need to be removed during the gather to achieve AML.

AML is determined through land-use planning efforts that involve public participation, vegetation inventories and allocation of forage in terms of animal unit months; the BLM determines the appropriate number of wild horses and burros that each Herd Management Area can support in balance with other uses of and resources on public land. Planning efforts include an inventory and the monitoring of all uses of the public rangelands. “Animals removed from the HMA will be available for adoption through the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Adoption Program,” Gates said.

Those that are not adopted will be cared for in long-term pastures, where they retain their “wild” status and protection under the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. The BLM does not send any horses to slaughter.

More details on the gather and opportunities for public visitation will be available soon from the BLM. The gather and impacts are described and analyzed in the Conger Mountain Complex Wild Horse Gather Plan Final Environmental Assessment (EA). The EA and the Decision Record are posted on the BLM website at www.blm.gov/ut . The BLM also will provide updates and information at the same web address on a regular basis throughout the course of the gather.

To learn more about the program or to obtain an adoption application, visit the BLM National Wild Horse and Burro website at http://www.wildhorseandburro.blm.gov/ .

BLM to Host Public Hearing for 2010-2011 Utah Wild Horse Gathers

Photo Courtesy BLM

Salt Lake City, Utah The BLM Utah will host a public hearing at the West Desert District Office to discuss the use of helicopters and motorized vehicles in the management of wild horses and burros on Utah’s public lands. The hearing will be held on, June 9 at 6:30 p.m., at 2370 South 2300 West, Salt Lake City, Utah. An annual public hearing for comments on this issue is required by federal regulation. The Salt Lake City hearing will be the only one held this year in Utah.

“Using helicopters and other advanced equipment is crucial in our efficiency and maintaining safety in wild horse management,” said Jared Redington, Salt Lake Wild Horse and Burro Facility Manager. “We have found the use of helicopters is the most humane method in gathering horses from the open range and remote mountain areas where they live.”

Utah’s current wild horse population is about 2,700. Drought conditions and increased wild horse numbers cause limited forage and water availability, which reduces the number of animals that can be supported on the land. BLM Utah gathers an average of 300-400 horses annually from public lands to help control horse populations. Horse populations can increase 15 to 25 percent every year.

BLM and its contractors plan to start gathering excess wild horses from various herd areas across the state in August. Gather locations may change due to available funding, water and forage conditions or wildfires. Herd areas scheduled for wild horse population reduction include: Winter Ridge (Unitah County), Confusion and Conger (Millard and Juab Counties), Sulphur (Iron and Millard Counties), North Hills (Iron and Washington Counties), and Chokecherry and Mt.Elinor (Beaver and Iron Counties).

The BLM has removed more than 14,000 wild horses and 500 burros from Utah’s rangelands since government round-ups began in 1975. More than 6,700 of these wild horses and burros have been adopted locally, and the remainder was sent east for adoption. Adoptions are set for Cedar City and SpanishmFork in August. Daily adoptions are ongoing at the Delta Wild Horse andmBurro Facility and the Salt Lake Regional Wild Horse and Burro Center nearmHerriman. Monthly adoptions are held on the first Tuesday of each month June 1 through Sept. 7, at the Central Utah Correctional Facility in Gunnison.

For additional information about the upcoming public hearing contact Jared Redington at (801) 561-4632, or the BLM Utah State Office at (801) 539-4057. For information on future wild horse and burro adoptions, visit http://www.ut.blm.gov/  , or contact the Delta Wild Horse and Burro Facility 435-864-4068, 600 N. 350 W., Delta, Utah, or the Salt Lake Wild Horse and Burro Center 877-224-3956, 8605 W. 12600 S., Herriman, Utah.

Hanksville-Burpee Dinosaur Quarry Tours offered

Photo Courtesy Mark Youngren

The Bureau of Land Management and the Burpee Museum will be holding free guided public tours at the Hanksville-Burpee Dinosaur Quarry north of Hanksville from May 27 through June 9, 2010. Call the BLM Office in Hanksville at (435) 542-3461 for more information. A video about the quarry and the tours can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SI_F_z8caCo  

http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/prog/more/cultural/Paleontology/color_country_paleontology/hanksville-burpee.print.html

Post-Wildfire Rehabilitation Efforts Taking Place

Photo courtesy US Forest Service

Salt Lake City, UT- Last summer the Big Pole fire was the biggest fire of the season, making resource specialists concerned about damage to soil, watershed and vegetation. The specialists developed steps to prevent further damage on affected areas. As the snowpack starts to melt, soil scientists, botanists and wildlife biologists have started to assess the speed and extent of recovery in the burned areas. Initial observations reflect positive results.

“The damage doesn’t end when the wildfire stops,” said BLM West Desert District Manager Glenn Carpenter. “Mud and floods were an immediate threat following the extreme severity of Big Pole. Now we’re entering a season where we can measure results through monitoring efforts.”

Immediately following the wildfire, ranchers, public land managers, and regional cooperatives like the Utah Partners in Conservation and Development took swift action to minimize erosion by creating check dams in drainages, building water bars and using felled trees to slow water runoff. Throughout the winter, native seed species mixture was deposited over the burned area in an effort to out-compete non-native plants and invasive weeds. Allowing vegetation to grow and thrive will be critical for recovery, land managers will continue to monitor to ensure rehabilitation plans are encouraging desirable plant growth.

US Forest Service Burned Area Emergency Rehabilitation (BAER) team monitors regrowth of native vegetation and assesses overall soil conditions in the burned areas of the Big Pole Fire. During this first visit, several species of native seedlings were visible at monitoring locations. Last fall, once the 27,000 acre Big Pole Fire was out, the BAER team set to work in assisting the return of native habitat to limit soil erosion and to protect species and community water supplies. In November 2009, the BEAR team seeded the burned area with a native seed mix to out‐compete non‐native species. The monitoring will continue at regular intervals throughout the summer.

For more information on wildfire rehabilitation, http://www.utahfireinfo.gov/ .

Water Available at Little Sahara Campgrounds

Fillmore, Utah— The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Little Sahara Recreation Area (LSRA) would like to inform the public that the water supply at the LSRA campgrounds will be turned on Friday, April 2, 2010, just in time for those who are planning on visiting LSRA during the Easter weekend.
The Little Sahara Recreation Area Visitor Center summer hours beginning on April 1 through October 17, 2010 are as follows:

Little Sahara Visitor Center Hours of Operation
Sunday: 8:00 a.m. thru 4:00 p.m.
Monday: 8:00 a.m. thru 4:00 p.m.
Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday: Closed
Thursday: 8:00 a.m. thru 4:00 p.m.
Friday: 8:00 a.m. thru 9:00 p.m.
Saturday: 8:00 a.m. thru 9:00 p.m.

Visitor Center and Pay Booth will be open for extended hours as needed throughout the season.
For more information about LSRA, call 435.433.5960 or 435.743.3100 or visit their web page at:
http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/fillmore/recreation/special_recreation/little_sahara_recreation.html