The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today released the final Environmental Assessment (EA) documenting its proposed action for managing non-native horses and burros at Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge (Sheldon) in Northwestern Nevada. Populations of non-native horses and burros on Sheldon’s lands exceed the refuge’s carrying capacity and are destroying habitat important for native fish and wildlife species. Sheldon’s Horse and Burro Management Program seeks to reduce destruction of important wildlife habitat by reducing horse and burro population numbers to management objective levels.  This will be accomplished by periodic roundups and a horse and burro adoption and placement program, which would move horses and burros off refuge lands in a humane manner.

The Service’s proposed action includes minor refinements to the current program including modifying the corral system to reconfigure large pens to safer small pens and improve the water delivery system, testing the use of contraception to reduce the rate of horse population growth, and exploring techniques for marking animals. The modifications are expected to increase the efficiency of holding and sorting horses, and reducing risks to animals and personnel. The Service’s proposed action would be implemented until a Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) for the refuge is completed. Development of the CCP is scheduled to begin later this year and conclude in 2010.

The Service considered a reasonable range of alternatives in the EA for managing populations of non-native horses and burros on the Sheldon Refuge. These alternatives ranged from discontinuing the current program to using private contractors or Service employees to run the program and arrange for adoptions. The alternatives were developed based on several factors, including: past experiences of Service personnel familiar with horse and burro management on the Refuge; review of many scientific, planning, and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documents developed by the Service, other agencies, and non-governmental parties; review of  public comments received during the scoping period; review of information provided on horse-management related web sites; and discussions with interested, affected, and knowledgeable parties. The final EA was adjusted to reflect input received from more than 770 public comments received during the 37-day comment period after release of the Draft EA.

The Service expects to implement the Horse and Burro Management Program beginning July 30, 2007. A copy of the final Environmental Assessment can be obtained on the Service’s website: http://www.fws.gov/sheldonhartmtn/
sheldon/horseburro.html  Questions can be e-mailed to sheldon-hart@fws.gov