Project Details

The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act (WFRHBA) of 1971 and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) of 1976 mandate that BLM manage wild horses so as to preserve and maintain a "thriving natural ecological balance" (TNEB) and multiple use relationships on public lands and also protect rangeland resources from deterioration associated with wild horse overpopulation.

The BLM's monitoring data shows that current rangeland and habitat conditions are degraded and that invasive grasses are of significant concern.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Utah State Office in Salt Lake City has received numerous written wild horse removal request letters since 2016 for the Range Creek Herd in the located within the BLM Price Field Office. These letters have come from both the private land owner and the Utah Department of Natural Resources. Mitigation efforts over the past three years have been attempted by maintenance of fences and control of water resources, but to no avail. Furthermore, the minimal snowpack of the 2017-2018 winter season and prolonged drought conditions have allowed wild horses to stay at higher elevations, adding impacts to the available forage and water resources on private lands. Also, it is estimated that the current population of the Range Creek Herd is 378 head of horses, but the Appropriate Management Level (AML) for this herd is between 75 and 125 head of horses.

There have been 10 gathers on the Onaqui Mountains in Tooele County, Utah, since the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act of 1971 was passed.  The most recent gather was in February of 2012.

The AML for the Onaqui Mountain HMA is 159 wild horses with a range of 121-210 (low-high range, respectively). With the 2018 foals, the population is now estimated to be 510. It is anticipated that by the time a gather could occur in 2019 the population would be approximately 586 wild horse.

Provide evidence about the nature of the problem and the need to address it. Identify the significance of the problem using a variety of data sources. For example, if a habitat restoration project is being proposed to benefit greater sage-grouse, describe the existing plant community characteristics that limit habitat value for greater sage-grouse and identify the changes needed for habitat improvement.

Provide an overall goal for the project and then provide clear, specific and measurable objectives (outcomes) to be accomplished by the proposed actions. If possible, tie to one or more of the public benefits UWRI is providing.

LOCATION: Justify the proposed location of this project over other areas, include publicly scrutinized planning/recovery documents that list this area as a priority, remote sensing modeling that show this area is a good candidate for restoration, wildlife migration information and other data that help justify this project's location.

TIMING: Justify why this project should be implemented at this time. For example, Is the project area at risk of crossing an ecological or other threshold wherein future restoration would become more difficult, cost prohibitive, or even impossible.

Wild Horse and Burro Act of 1971 (Public Law 92-195) Section 3(a) and (b), and Title 43 of the Code of Federal Regulations 4720.2.

The proposed action is in conformance with the Price Field Office RMP because it is specifically provided for in the following PFO RMP goals, objectives, and management decisions:
"Manage wild horses and burros at appropriate management levels (AML) to ensure a thriving natural ecological balance among wild horse populations, wildlife, livestock, vegetation resources, and other resource values" (Page 86).
"Maintain the number of wild horses and burros within established HMAs at AMLs as designated in Herd Management Plans" (Page 86).
"WHB-1: Manage populations...to maintain AMLs on established HMAs" (Page 86).
"WHB-8: Range Creek HMA; 55,000 acres; 75-125 (horses)" (Page 87).

Pony Express Resource Management Plan (RMP) (January 1990) (BLM 1990)as amended, and is consistent with the following objectives, goals, and decisions of the approved plan:
* Wild Horse Decision 1 (page 34) -- manage herd size.
* Soil, Water, and Air Decision 1 (page 30) -- evaluate on a case-by-case basis.
* Cultural Resource Decision 1 (page 49) -- inventory and evaluate.

The State of Utah Resource Management Plan (Emery and Johnson 2018) identifies considerations, objectives, policies and guidelines regarding the management of multiple resources and land uses within Utah, including wild horse herds. The State of Utah supports phasing out long-term holding and the application of funding towards on-range management/adoption; removing excess animals from the range to achieve AML; maintaining AML numbers by using fertility control to slow population growth at levels where removals equal the adoption demand; and adjusting AML numbers where appropriate.

The Tooele County General Plan (Tooele County 2016, as revised 2017) identifies the HMA in a multiple use zone (MU-40). Chapter 19 of the Tooele County Resource Management Plan (Tooele County 2017) identifies the County's resource management plan with existing conditions, desired future conditions, and monitoring. The wild horse gather and maintenance activities as proposed is consistent with the County desired conditions and policy statements for recreation management. Specific objectives are currently not identified for wild horses. Chapter 29.2 indicates that Tooele County desires wild horse populations to be actively managed to avoid resource damage and impacts to private property. Chapter 29.3.3 describes the County's wish to participate in public land management processes with regard to wild horse management, including active participation in herd management activities, and coordination with the BLM during planning activities. Wild horse population control is consistent with the County's desired future state, management objectives, and role as a cooperating agency.

The Juab County Resource Management Plan (Juab County 2017) identifies specific objectives for wild horse populations in chapter 2 and chapter 4. Chapter 2.6.1.2 states that wild horse and wild burro populations shall be maintained at or below objectives adopted on January 1, 2015. Chapter 4.4.1 indicates that Juab County regards the land that comprises the grazing districts and allotments in the non-WSA lands with wilderness character as more valuable for grazing than for conversion to wild horse HMA. Chapter 1.5.3 describes that Juab County desires to provide meaningful involvement early and often through their role as a cooperating agency in the NEPA process. Wild horse population control is consistent with the County's policies, management goals and objectives, and role as a cooperating agency.

List management plans where this project will address an objective or strategy in the plan. Describe how the project area overlaps the objective or strategy in the plan and the relevance of the project to the successful implementation of those plans. It is best to provide this information in a list format with the description immediately following the plan objective or strategy.

If applicable, detail how the proposed project will significantly reduce the risk of fuel loading and/or continuity of hazardous fuels including the use of fire-wise species in re-seeding operations. Describe the value of any features being protected by reducing the risk of fire. Values may include; communities at risk, permanent infrastructure, municipal watersheds, campgrounds, critical wildlife habitat, etc. Include the size of the area where fuels are being reduced and the distance from the feature(s) at risk.

Describe how the project has the potential to improve water quality and/or increase water quantity, both over the short and long term. Address run-off, erosion, soil infiltration, and flooding, if applicable.

Description of efforts, both completed and planned, to bring the proposed action into compliance with any and all cultural resource, NEPA, ESA, etc. requirements. If compliance is not required enter "not applicable" and explain why not it is not required.

The Removal would occur utilizing a bait and/or water trap during fall/winter months to reduce stress on animals. Some incidental roping in order to maintain mare/foal pairs may be needed. Horses removed will be transported to the Axtell Off-Range Contract Facility, Axtell, UT for Range Creek gather and the Delta Wild Horse & Burro Facility, Delta, UT for the Onaqui Mountain gather.

1. Water Trapping
This method involves setting up a trap constructed of temporary panel around a well-used water source and manually closing the gate(s) using a pull rope once the wild horses enter the trap. This requires personal to be at the trap site to man and close the gate.
Bait may also be placed in the corrals to influence the horses to stay in the corrals longer than if they were only watering. Gates would be wired open until the capture day. This would allow wildlife and livestock access to the water, while the wild horses become comfortable entering the corrals to drink. When gates are manned wildlife and livestock would be permitted to enter and leave the trap without capture.

2. Portable Corral Traps/Exclosures
Capture traps would be constructed in a fashion to minimize the potential for injury to wild horses and BLM or BLM authorized personnel. Gates would be wired open at all unmanned trap sites, and would be left closed only when needed to hold horses inside. Trapped horses would not be held inside the traps for a period exceeding 10 hours, unless provided with feed and water.

Describe the actions, activities, tasks to be implemented as part of the proposed project; how these activities will be carried out, equipment to be used, when, and by whom.

Describe plans to monitor for project success and achievement of stated objectives. Include details on type of monitoring (vegetation, wildlife, etc.), schedule, assignments and how the results of these monitoring efforts will be reported and/or uploaded to this project page. If needed, upload detailed plans in the "attachments" section.

List any and all partners (agencies, organizations, NGO's, private landowners) that support the proposal and/or have been contacted and included in the planning and design of the proposed project. Describe efforts to gather input and include these agencies, landowners, permitees, sportsman groups, researchers, etc. that may be interested/affected by the proposed project. Partners do not have to provide funding or in-kind services to a project to be listed.

Detail future methods or techniques (including administrative actions) that will be implemented to help in accomplishing the stated objectives and to insure the long term success/stability of the proposed project. This may include: post-treatment grazing rest and/or management plans/changes, wildlife herd/species management plan changes, ranch plans, conservation easements or other permanent protection plans, resource management plans, forest plans, etc.

Potential for the proposed action to improve quality or quantity of sustainable uses such as grazing, timber harvest, biomass utilization, recreation, etc. Grazing improvements may include actions to improve forage availability and/or distribution of livestock.