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Population Control Research Wild Horse Gather for the Conger and Frisco Herd Management Areas

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Population Control Research Wild Horse Gather for the Conger and Frisco Herd Management Areas U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Final Environmental Assessment DOI-BLM-UT-W020-2015-0017-EA Population Control Research Wild Horse Gather for the Conger and Frisco Herd Management Areas May 2016 U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management West Desert District Fillmore Field Office 95 East 500 North Fillmore, Utah 84631 Table of Contents 1.0 Purpose of and Need for the Proposed Action ................................................................. 1 1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Background ................................................................................................................................... 1 1.3 Need for the Proposed Action ....................................................................................................... 5 1.4 Purpose of the Proposed Action .................................................................................................... 5 1.5 Land Use Plan Conformance ......................................................................................................... 6 1.6 Relationship to Laws, Regulations, and Other Plans ..................................................................... 6 1.7 Scoping and Identification of Issues .............................................................................................. 7 2.0 Proposed Action and Alternatives .................................................................................... 9 2.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 9 2.2 Description of Alternatives Considered in Detail ......................................................................... 9 2.2.1 Alternative 1 -Proposed Action .......................................................................................... 9 2.2.2 Alternative 2 - Conger and Frisco HMAs: Gather and Removal Only .............................. 14 2.2.3 Alternative 3 - No Action ................................................................................................. 15 2.3 Summary Comparison of Alternatives ........................................................................................ 15 2.4 Alternatives Considered but Dismissed from Detailed Analysis .................................................. 21 3.0 Affected Environment .................................................................................................... 26 3.1 General Description of the Affected Environment ...................................................................... 26 3.2 Description of Affected Resources .............................................................................................. 28 Livestock Grazing ............................................................................................................................ 28 Rangeland Health Standards ........................................................................................................... 29 Wild Horses ..................................................................................................................................... 34 Wildlife ............................................................................................................................................. 35 Health and Safety ............................................................................................................................. 37 4.0 Environmental Consequences ....................................................................................... 38 4.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 38 4.2 Potential Impacts .......................................................................................................................... 38 Livestock Grazing ............................................................................................................................ 38 Rangeland Health Standards ........................................................................................................... 39 Wild Horses ..................................................................................................................................... 43 Wildlife ............................................................................................................................................. 53 Health and Safety ............................................................................................................................. 55 4.3 Cumulative Effects for All Alternatives ......................................................................................... 55 Past and Present Actions ................................................................................................................. 56 4.4 Reasonably Foreseeable Future Actions ....................................................................................... 57 4.5 Cumulative Impacts ....................................................................................................................... 59 4.6 Monitoring and Mitigation Measures .......................................................................................... 60 5.0 Consultation and Coordination ............................................................................................ 61 6.0 List of References ................................................................................................................ 64 APPENDIX A............................................................................................................................. 70 Colorado State University Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee protocol. ................ 70 APPENDIX B .......................................................................................................................... 100 Comprehensive Animal Welfare Policy/Program (CAWP) Standards .................................... 100 Appendix C ................................................................................................................................. 13 Standard Operating Procedures for Field Castration (Gelding) of Wild Horse Stallions .......... 13 APPENDIX D............................................................................................................................. 16 Win Equus Population Modeling Results ................................................................................... 16 APPENDIX E ............................................................................................................................. 36 Interdisciplinary Team Checklist ................................................................................................ 36 APPENDIX F ............................................................................................................................. 43 Observation Protocol and Ground Rules .................................................................................... 43 APPENDIX G............................................................................................................................. 45 Public Consultation Letters ........................................................................................................ 45 APPENDIX H............................................................................................................................. 54 Procedure for Affixing Radio Collars on Wild Horse Mares and Burro Jennies ....................... 54 Population Control Research Wild Horse Gather for the Conger and Frisco Herd Management Areas DOI-BLM-UT-W020-2015-0017-EA 1.0 Purpose of and Need for the Proposed Action 1.1 Introduction This Environmental Assessment (EA) has been prepared to disclose and analyze the environmental consequences of the Population Control Research Wild Horse Gather for the Conger and Frisco Herd Management Areas (HMAs) as proposed by the Bureau of Land Management’s Fillmore and Cedar City field offices and in cooperation with United States Geological Survey (USGS) Fort Collins Science Center and Colorado State University (CSU). The EA is a site-specific analysis of potential impacts that could result in the implementation of a proposed action or alternatives to the proposed action. The EA assists the BLM in project planning and ensuring compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and in making a determination as to whether any “significant” impacts could result from the analyzed actions. “Significance” is defined by NEPA and is found in regulation 40 CFR 1508.27. An EA provides evidence for determining whether to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) or a statement of “Finding of No Significant Impact” (FONSI). If the decision maker determines that this project has “significant” impacts following the analysis in the EA, then an EIS would be prepared for the project. If not, a Decision Record may be signed for the EA approving the selected alternative, whether the proposed action or another alternative. A Decision Record (DR), including a FONSI statement, documents the reasons why implementation of the selected alternative would not result in “significant” environmental impacts (effects) beyond those already addressed in the Warm Springs Proposed Resource Management Plan and Final Environmental
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