BLM Releases 2015 Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Gather Decision

Billings, Mont. (June 17, 2015) – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Billings Field Office has released the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range Bait/Water Trapping Gather Finding of No Significant Impact/Decision Record and Environmental Assessment.

The field office received hundreds of comments during the public comment period and selected Alternative A, an alternative developed from public comment recommendations, information provided through public scoping, and elements of the Proposed Action as the selected alternative.

“We’re very lucky to have a diverse set of partners and a public with special knowledge of the horses and resources that are able to provide constructive input into the process and are committed to the well-being of the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range,” said Billings Field Manager Jim Sparks.

The selected alternative consists of a non-helicopter bait and water trap gather that would remove 15-20 adoptable excess wild horses between the ages of 1-3 this year. In following years, as fertility control treatments are applied, smaller gathers would occur as birth and death rates equalize and the number of wild horses becomes more stable.

The Decision may be appealed to the Interior Board of Land Appeals (IBLA), Office of Hearings and Appeals, U.S. Department of the Interior, 801 North Quincy Street, Suite 300, Arlington, Virginia, 22203. The appeal must also be filed with the Authorized Officer, BLM Billings Field Office, 5001 Southgate Drive, Billings, MT 59101. If you wish to file a petition for stay of the EA during the pendency of your appeal before the IBLA, the petition for stay must accompany your notice of appeal. If a petition for stay is submitted with the notice of appeal, a copy of the notice of appeal and petition for stay must be served on the IBLA at the same time it is filed with the State Director.

The environmental assessment can be found online at http://on.doi.gov/1aK9loZ.

The Pryor Mountains Wild Horse Range is located in the Pryor Mountains south of Billings, along the Montana-Wyoming border and encompasses approximately 38,000 acres of BLM, U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service managed land.

For the latest BLM news and updates visit us on the web at www.blm.gov/mt, on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/BLMMontana, or follow us on Twitter @BLM_MTDKs.

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM's mission is to manage and conserve the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations under our mandate of multiple-use and sustained yield. In Fiscal Year 2014, the BLM generated $5.2 billion in receipts from public lands.

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