Scoping Period (July 9, 2021 to July 19, 2021)
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Burns District has prepared this scoping document for the Palomino Buttes Herd Management Area (HMA) Emergency Wild Horse Gather and Removal. The BLM is in the process of developing a Determination of NEPA Adequacy (DNA) (DOI-BLM-ORWA-B050-2021-0006-DNA) to confirm that this action is adequately analyzed in existing NEPA documentation and is in conformance with the land use plan.
Scoping is the term used for engaging the public in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) decision-making process and allows for public participation in the early stages of the NEPA process. The purpose of this scoping document is to reach out to interested and affected parties to solicit substantive comments that would assist the BLM with development of the proposed action and associated DNA. Substantive comments helpful to the analysis process are those that identify new scientific or technical information, determine the scope of issues to be addressed, and express site-specific concerns related to the actions being proposed. Substantive comments can help the BLM in project planning, identification of mitigation measures, and in determining the degree of effects on the potentially affected environment as a result of the proposed action(s). The Burns BLM will address any substantive comment that is relevant to management of the identified areas.
The Palomino Buttes HMA is located approximately 12 miles west of the town of Hines, Oregon, on the south side of Hwy 20, in Harney County. The HMA lies within the Three Rivers Field Office of the Burns District. The 1992 Three Rivers Resource Management Plan (RMP) / Record of Decision (ROD), as amended by the 2015 Oregon Greater Sage-Grouse Approved Resource Management Plan Amendment (GRSG ARMPA)/ROD are the land use plans that provide objectives, rationale, allocation and management actions for this HMA.
The 1992 Three Rivers RMP/ROD (p. 2-43) allocated 768 AUMs to wild horses in the Palomino Buttes HMA. Appropriate management level (AML) within the HMA is 32 to 64 horses (64 horses is equivalent to 768 AUMs). A June 22, 2021 aerial survey of the HMA estimates a current wild horse population of approximately 427 total animals. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor the HMA lies in the portion of Harney County (89.09%) designated as experiencing Severe Drought1 (National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) 2021). According to NIDIS (2021), Harney County is experiencing its 36th driest year in 127 years. Authorized livestock use within the HMA is being voluntarily terminated approximately two-months early due to a lack of available water and forage. BLM has initiated hauling water to the HMA to sustain approximately 250 wild horses within a portion of the HMA.
Based on ongoing monitoring of the HMA and results of the June 22, 2021, aerial survey, BLM has determined approximately 395 excess wild horses are present within the HMA. The BLM Burns District is proposing to conduct an emergency drive-trap gather and permanent removal of up to 220 excess animals by mid-August 2021 to remove a portion of the imperiled animals. Although this action does not return the population to within AML, it is anticipated the animals remaining in the HMA following this gather would have enough water and forage to sustain animal health for the remainder of the year.
The Palomino Buttes HMA lies approximately 2.5 miles north of the Warm Springs HMA, has similar ecological conditions, and is experiencing similar issues related to limited resources for the existing wild horse population. BLM is considering in this DNA whether the Spay Feasibility and On-Range Behavioral Outcomes Assessment and Warm Springs HMA Population Management Plan EA (DOI-BLM-ORWA-B050-2018-0016-EA) adequately analyzed and fully covers the current proposed action and constitutes BLM’s compliance with the requirements of NEPA.
The Burns District invites you to submit written comments on any issues or concerns you may have regarding the proposed action. Please submit comments by email to [email protected] or postmarked by July 19, 2021, at 4:30 p.m. addressed to Bureau of Land Management, Attn: Wild Horse and Burro Specialist, Burns District Office, 28910 Highway 20 West, Hines, Oregon 97738. Comments, including names and street addresses of respondents, will be available for public review at the address listed below during regular business hours (8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) Monday through Friday except holidays, and may be published as part of the DNA document or other related documents. Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment—including your personal identifying information—may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
1 “Pastures are brown, hay yields are down, and prices are up; producers are selling cattle. Fire risk increases. Marshes are drying up, little water is available for waterfowl and wildlife…” https://www.drought.gov/states/Oregon/county/Harney
