The Ely Times 7-16-10

BLM plans Aug. 10 horse gather 48 miles northeast of Ely

The BLM Ely District, Schell Field Office, has issued the Decision of Record for the Final Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Moriah Herd Area Wild Horse Gather.

The BLM will gather and remove about 72 excess wild horses from in and around the Moriah Herd Area (HA) beginning on or about Aug. 10.

The Moriah Herd Area is located about 48 miles northeast of Ely.

The gathered animals will be transported to the Delta Wild Horse and Burro Facility in Delta, Utah, where they will be offered for adoption to qualified individuals. Unadopted horses will be placed in long-term pastures where they will be humanely cared for and retain their "wild" status and protection under the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. The BLM does not sell or send any horses to slaughter.

The Moriah HA gather and impacts are described and analyzed in the EA, which is available online at http://www.blm.gov/nv/. Click on the Ely District map and then click on Moriah HA gather under "In the Spotlight." The BLM will also provide updates and information at the same Web address on a regular basis throughout the course of the gather.

The BLM Ely District is implementing the Ely Resource Management Plan that was signed in August 2008. Through the planning process, a decision was made to remove all wild horses and change the management classification from Herd Management Area (HMA) status to Herd Area status on 12 HMAs. This was due to insufficient habitat resources to sustain healthy wild horse populations, including forage, water, space, cover and reproductive viability. The Moriah HA was included in this decision.