U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

ANSWER: As part of the annual maintenance and repair efforts at the Palomino Valley Wild Horse and Burro Adoption Center (PVC), the BLM has upgraded two existing and installed four new shade structures in pens housing wild horses and burros.  In addition, the BLM plans to purchase and install new structures to provide shade and shelter from the wind in four perimeter pens capable of holding up to 500 horses.  Beyond these installations, the BLM is committed to working with its partners to pursue further renovations at the PVC.

ANSWER: The U.S. Forest Service and the BLM continue to work on a collaborative herd management area plan (HMAP) for the Spring Mountain Complex outside of Las Vegas. The development of the plan has taken longer than expected. Both the BLM and USFS have collaborated with the Spring Mountain Alliance in the development of the proposed HMAP and will continue to do so. The draft proposed plan has several alternatives, which include working with volunteer groups to administer the fertility-control vaccine PZP to reduce population growth and carrying out small bait-trap removals and adoptions to maintain the appropriate management level for the project area.

ANSWER: Yes, the BLM, after careful consideration, has issued three new helicopter contracts for wild horse and burro gathers. The contracts have gone to Cattoor Livestock Roundup, Inc., Nephi, Utah; Sampson Livestock, Meadow, Utah; and Sun J Livestock, Inc., Vernal, Utah.  For the first time, Comprehensive Animal Welfare Program (CAWP) standards are incorporated into the agency's helicopter gather contracts.  The CAWP standards, among other things, specify capture techniques; design standards for trap and corral facilities; requirements for vehicles used to transport animals; handling techniques; stipulations for the care of young, weak, or debilitated animals; and requirements for feeding and watering.  The advantages of three contractors (rather than two, as has been the practice) are: increased bidding competition (and thus lower costs) for each gather job; greater capability for removals and population-growth suppression work; and meeting contingencies that may arise.

ANSWER: Yes, the BLM, which is dealing with limits on its off-range holding capacity for wild horses and burros, is exploring the feasibility of a wild burro-related partnership with the Defense Security Cooperation Agency and Heifer International.  Heifer International is a highly regarded, not-for-profit organization that provides education, tools, and livestock to poor communities and small-scale farmers.  The prospective partnership would provide gentled, sale-eligible wild burros under BLM management to assist communities and farmers in Guatemala, where burros are prized working animals and expensive for families in poverty to buy.  If the partnership were to move forward, the gentled burros would help carry water, crops, and other supplies.  Heifer International would provide animal care training, regular animal welfare checks, and program evaluation to make sure the burros are kept safe and healthy.  When determining where to place animals, Heifer makes an assessment to ensure that the recipients have adequate resources to care for the animal. 

Answer: Yes, BLM moves animals from long-term pastures to other facilities if the long-term pasture can no longer accommodate the animals.

Examples of when this would occur include:  

1. If a contractor sells the ranch and the new owner does not want to manage for wild    horses.
2. If a contractor has lands recovering from drought and wants to remove grazing animals or decrease their numbers to aid in drought recovery.
3. If market conditions change in the livestock sector such that the contractor identifies a more lucrative use for the land.

Depending on the capacity of the facility needing to relocate animals, the number of animals being relocated can range from a few hundred to a few thousand head.

The majority of animals that have not been adopted are held on long-term pastures. Long-term pastures provide a free-roaming environment for the animals and it costs less for the taxpayer to house animals on long-term pastures than at short-term holding facilities. With long-term and short-term facilities nearly filled to capacity, the BLM is currently seeking new short-term and long-term holding facilities.

ANSWER: Wild horses at the Rock Springs holding facility are provided with man-made and natural wind breaks.  In contrast, in Wyoming's on-range Herd Management Areas, there are not many natural wind breaks because of the desert terrain.  On-range wild horses huddle together in groups to protect one another from the elements, just as they do in corralled environments.

ANSWER: Animals held in the Rock Springs wild horse holding facility are healthy and hardy. They are provided humane treatment that includes veterinary care and daily feed with access to fresh water sources.  Hay provided at the facility is very high in nutritive value, and the wild horses there typically gain weight and their body condition improves.  A wild horse will eat 20 pounds of hay every day.  Because of limited water on the range, wild horses must eat snow and ice to stay hydrated in extreme weather conditions.  The Rock Springs wild horse holding facility provides plenty of fresh, clean water, which enables the wild horses to be fully hydrated. 

ANSWER: The BLM staff and the attending veterinarian closely monitor the health of the wild horses and burros under their care and take this responsibility very seriously. Budget sequestration has not affected the level of care provided to the animals at PVC or staff resources available to care for the animals. The health issues noted by the public—strangles, ringworm and warts—are caused by a bacteria, fungus and virus, respectively, that are very common in large groups of young or immunologically naive horses that are exposed to these infectious problems for the first time.  These are not signs of abuse or neglect. 
  
Respiratory problems, including strangles, are evaluated by the veterinarian as they arise. Depending on the severity of the infection, individual animals may be treated, but much like the common cold, many of these conditions have no prescribed drug treatment and need to run their course. Similarly, ringworm and warts on horses are largely self-limiting problems that resolve over time as animals’ immune systems recognize and respond to the causative agents. Typically, individual animals will show signs of these conditions for 3 to 6 weeks, and in a large facility like PVC it may take four to six months for these conditions to run their course through the overall population. Treating individual wild animals housed in a group setting can increase stress levels and the risk of injury for all of the animals involved. Unless a specific treatment is warranted, it is often not in the animals’ best interest to isolate and treat every affected animal. These situations are assessed on an ongoing basis by BLM staff with the valuable input of the attending veterinarian to identify the best course of action for each circumstance.

To deal with the recent health issues, a complete quarantine of PVC has not been needed. If animals are showing clinical signs of infectious respiratory disease, PVC routinely restricts the movement of animals out of the facility. Such restrictions were in place this spring while the facility managed the strangles cases at the facility. Based on the assessment and recommendation of the attending veterinarian, ringworm and warts are handled in a similar manner. Horses with these conditions may be shipped to another BLM facility if, in the opinion of the attending veterinarian, they meet the requirements for transportation.  If present, these conditions are brought to the attention of adopters during the adoption process. It is not BLM policy to trim animals only prior to adoption and the allegation that this is done at PVC is incorrect. The attending veterinarian monitors the condition of the animals, including their need for hoof care, on an ongoing basis.  One effect of government sequestration was a reduction in weekend public visitation days at PVC.  PVC continues to be open on the first Saturday of every month from 8 AM to 12 PM.

ANSWER: The BLM cares deeply about the well-being of wild horses and burros, both on and off the range, and takes seriously all accusations of the slaughter of wild horses or burros.  These accusations were thoroughly investigated and the case was presented to the U. S. Department of Justice who issued a letter of declination. The case has been closed.

ANSWER: The gather solicitation in question required the contract bidder to provide the degree of overall experience of the organization and proposed key personnel in similar projects during the period of calendar year 2007 to the present. In addition, the bidder had to provide documentation of overall experience resulting in the capture of a minimum of 3,000 wild horses and/or burros.

Sun J interpreted the solicitation to mean their primary pilot had to have helicopter experience in gathering 3,000 wild horses and submitted a waiver.  However, Sun J only had to show that their organization, not a single pilot, had gathered 3,000 wild horses. In addition, the primary and secondary pilots each had to have a minimum of 1,500 hours of flying experience in similar projects, which they did. 

ANSWER: The BLM condemns any sale of wild horses for slaughter.  We care deeply about the well-being of wild horses, both on and off the range, and it has been (and remains) the policy of the BLM not to sell or send wild horses or burros to slaughter.  We take seriously all accusations of the slaughter of wild horses or burros.  The Office of the Inspector General at the Department of the Interior has initiated an investigation into the situation and will work in conjunction with the State of Colorado throughout its investigation.  We look forward to the results of that inquiry.  Anybody that is found to have violated the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act should be held accountable.

ANSWER: The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) has established regulations concerning the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, which Federal agencies such as the BLM are required to follow.  CEQ also provides guidance for interpreting NEPA regulations.  One such memorandum, “Forty Most Asked Questions Concerning CEQ's National Environmental Policy Act Regulations,” can be accessed at http://ceq.hss.doe.gov/ceq_regulations/guidance.html, where question 29a addresses the subject of comment responses:
 
If a number of comments are identical or very similar, agencies may group the comments and prepare a single answer for each group.  Comments may be summarized if they are especially voluminous…
 
All substantive comments are an important part of the BLM’s NEPA process.
 
Substantive comments do one or more of the following:

• question, with reasonable basis, the accuracy of information in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) or Environmental Assessment (EA);
• question, with reasonable basis, the adequacy of, methodology for, or assumptions used for the environmental analysis;
•  present new information relevant to the analysis;
• present reasonable alternatives other than those analyzed in the EIS or EA; and
• cause changes or revisions in one or more of the alternatives.

It should be noted that the BLM, which welcomes public input, is not required to respond to non-substantive comments, such as those merely expressing approval or disapproval of a proposal without reason, as the opportunity to comment is not a voting exercise.

ANSWER:  To learn how to read the freeze mark, click here. If you still cannot read the freeze mark, please contact the BLM’s National WH&B Information Center at 866-468-7826 or e-mail your question to wildhorse@blm.gov.  If you can submit a photo of the freeze mark, that will assist us in providing you with accurate information.

ANSWER:  Please contact the BLM’s National WH&B Information Center at 866-468-7826 or e-mail your question to wildhorse@blm.gov.  We will need the freeze mark information to confirm the title status and history of the animal.

ANSWER:  The BLM cannot reissue the title to a new owner; however, the BLM can send you an official letter providing the title date and history of the animal.  Please contact the BLM’s National WH&B Information Center at 866-468-7826 or e-mail your question to wildhorse@blm.gov.  The Center can connect you with the BLM office of jurisdiction that will send you the official letter.