United States Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Burns District Office 28910 Highway 20 West Hines, Oregon 97738 541-589-4400 Phone 541-573-4411 Fax Spay Feasibility and On-Range Behavioral Outcomes Assessment and Warm Springs HMA Population Management Plan Environmental Assessment DOI-BLM-ORWA-B050-2018-0016-EA June 29, 2018 This Page is Intentionally Left Blank Spay Feasibility and On-Range Behavioral Outcomes Assessment and Warm Springs HMA Population Management Plan Environmental Assessment DOI-BLM-ORWA-B050-2018-0016-EA Table of Contents I. INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................1 A. Background................................................................................................................ 1 B. Purpose and Need for Proposed Action..................................................................... 4 C. Decision to be Made .................................................................................................. 5 D. Conformance with BLM Resource Management Plan(s) .......................................... 6 E. Consistency with Laws, Regulations and Policies..................................................... 7 F. Scoping and Identification of Issues ........................................................................ 12 1. Issues for Analysis .......................................................................................... 13 2. Issues Considered but Eliminated from Detailed Analysis ............................. 15 II. DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED ACTION AND ALTERNATIVES .......................17 A. Alternative A – No Action....................................................................................... 17 B. Alternative B – Proposed Action ............................................................................. 18 1. Spay Feasibility and On-Range Behavioral Outcomes Assessment ............... 18 2. 10-Year Population Management Plan ........................................................... 31 C. Alternatives Considered but Eliminated from Further Analysis .............................. 38 1. Closure of HMA to Livestock Use ................................................................. 38 2. Complete Removal of Wild Horse and Burros from the HMA ...................... 39 3. Spaying via Flank Laparoscopy...................................................................... 39 4. Sterilization via Tubal Ligation or Laser Ablation of the Oviduct Papilla ..... 40 5. Intensive Fertility Control Using PZP Vaccine via Remote Darting .............. 41 6. Bait and Water Trapping Only ........................................................................ 42 7. Manage the Warm Springs HMA Wild Horse and Burro Population by Natural Predation ............................................................................................ 42 III. AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS ....................43 A. Introduction.............................................................................................................. 43 B. Identified Resource with Issue................................................................................. 44 1. Wild Horses and Burros .................................................................................. 44 2. Cultural Resources.......................................................................................... 81 i 3. Riparian Zones, Wetlands, and Water Quality ............................................... 83 4. Livestock Grazing Management.................................. ................................... 86 5. Wildlife and Wildlife Habitat, Including Special Status Species ................... 92 6. Noxious Weeds ............................................................................................. 103 7. Economic Values .......................................................................................... 106 8. Soils and Biological Crusts ........................................................................... 113 9. Upland Vegetation ........................................................................................ 118 10. Lands with Wilderness Characteristics ......................................................... 123 IV. CONSULTATION AND COORDINATION ...........................................................128 A. Tribes, Individuals, Organizations, or Agencies Consulted .................................. 128 B. Summary of Public Participation ........................................................................... 129 C. List of Preparers ..................................................................................................... 129 V. REFERENCES ..........................................................................................................130 Appendices Appendix A Warm Springs HMA Vicinity Map Appendix B BLM Statement of Research Objectives, 2018 Appendix C USGS Research Proposal, 2018 Appendix D IACUC Approved Protocols #18-7887A and #18-8013A Appendix E Rocky Mountains Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit Cooperative and Joint Venture Agreement between U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Defense, and the University of Montana – Missoula (HOST), 2014 and Ecology of Wild Horses and Burros in the Rocky Mountain Region and Western USA, Grant and Cooperative Agreement G14AC00138. Appendix F Colorado State University Laboratory Animal Resources Employee Handbook, 2014. Appendix G Colorado State University, Veterinary Teaching Hospital Photography and Audio Visual Recording Policy (Policy ID# VTHADM16-2014) Appendix H IM 2015-151, Comprehensive Animal Welfare Program for Wild Horse and Burro Gathers Appendix I Public Observation Protocol – Spay Feasibility and On-Range Behavioral Outcomes Assessment Project. Appendix J IM ORB-000-2018-004, Oregon Wild Horse and Burro Corral Facility Access for Visitors Appendix K IM 2009-090, Population-Level Fertility Control Field Trials: Herd Management Area (HMA) Selection, Vaccine Application, Monitoring and Reporting Requirements Appendix L IM 2015-070, Animal Health, Maintenance, Evaluation and Response Appendix M Statistical analysis for 2016 horse survey of horse populations in Warm Springs HMA and Stinkingwater HMA, Oregon, Lubow 2016. ii Appendix N 2016 Warm Springs HMA Inventory Map Appendix O Inventory, Gather and Release History since 1972 Appendix P Warm Springs HMA WinEquus Simulations Appendix Q Porcine Zona Pellucida (PZP) Literature Review Appendix R Allotments and Water Developments Map Appendix S State Transition Model and Sage-grouse Habitat Map List of Tables Table II-1. Composite Equine Pain Scale, derived from Gleerup and Lindegaard (2016). Each behavior category would be given a score, and the total would be recorded........................................................................................................................25 Table II-2: Proposed Action Methods for Capturing Horses and Burros for Removal, Relocation, and/or Application of Fertility Treatment. ...............................................33 Table III-1: Warm Springs HMA 2001 and 2010 Genetic Variability Measures Comparison. .................................................................................................................49 Table III-2: WinEquus Population Modelling Comparison Table ................................................54 Table III-3: Authorized Livestock Use Within the Warm Springs HMA. ...................................87 Table III-4: Actual Use within Warm Springs HMA by Allotment ..............................................87 Table III-5: Total Combined Actual Use within Warm Springs HMA by Year ...........................88 Table III-6. HMA STMs Sage-Grouse Habitat States Invasive Annual Grass Threat Model ...........................................................................................................................95 Table III-7 CEAA STMs Sage-Grouse Habitat States Invasive Annual Grass Threat Model ...........................................................................................................................96 Table III-8: Special Status Species – Sage-grouse & Locally Important Wildlife Past and RFFAs within the CEAA on BLM Managed Lands....................................................97 Table III-9: Noxious Weeds ........................................................................................................104 Table III-10: Warm Springs HMA Ecological Site Descriptions ................................................119 Table IV.1 Tribes, Individuals, Organizations, or Agencies Consulted ......................................128 List of Figures Figure II-1: (A) The site for the vaginal incision ...........................................................................23 Figure III-1: Examples of conformation and variety of color found in Warm Springs HMA. ...........................................................................................................................47 iii Spay Feasibility and On-Range Behavioral Outcomes Assessment and Warm Springs HMA Population Management Plan Environmental Assessment DOI-BLM-ORWA-B050-2018-0016-EA I. INTRODUCTION This environmental assessment (EA) has been prepared to disclose and analyze the environmental consequences of the Spay Feasibility and On-Range Behavioral Outcomes Assessment and Warm Springs Herd Management Area (HMA) Population Management Plan. The