[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 27 (Monday, February 10, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6769-6770]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-3169]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

[NV-012 4700]


Notice of Intent To Prepare a Wild Horse Management Amendment to 
the Elko Resource Management Plan and Associated Environmental 
Assessment

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a Wild Horse Management Amendment 
to the Elko Resource Management Plan (RMP) and associated environmental 
assessment (EA).

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SUMMARY: This document provides notice that the Bureau of Land 
Management (BLM), Elko Field Office intends to prepare a Wild Horse 
Management Amendment to the Elko Resource Management Plan (1987) and

[[Page 6770]]

an associated Environmental Assessment to address current issues for 
four wild horse herd areas (HAs) (Diamond Hills, Little Humboldt, 
Owyhee, and Rock Creek) in the Elko RMP planning area. The RMP planning 
area is comprised of approximately 6 million acres of land in 
northeastern Nevada, of which the BLM administers over 3 million acres. 
The four HAs are all located in Elko County, NV. They comprise 
approximately 657,000 acres, of which about 92 percent are public 
lands. Decisions to be made by the RMP Amendment include designation of 
``herd management areas'' on public lands within these HAs where wild 
horses can be managed in the long term. The BLM will work 
collaboratively with interested parties to make decisions best suited 
to local, regional, state and national needs and concerns for the 
management of wild horses.

DATES: This notice initiates the public scoping process. Comments on 
issues and planning criteria can be submitted in writing to the address 
listed below and will be accepted within 30 days following publication 
of this notice in the Federal Register. The public is also invited to 
participate in any of three public meetings to discuss the scope of the 
proposed amendment and environmental assessment. All public meetings 
will be announced through local news media, newsletters, and the BLM 
Web site at least 15 days prior to the event. Meetings will be held in 
Elko, NV; Eureka, NV; and Reno, NV.

ADDRESSES: Written comments for this planning effort may be submitted 
to BLM at any of the scoping meetings; in addition, comments can be 
submitted in person to the BLM's Elko Field Office, 3900 Idaho Street, 
Elko, Nevada, 89801. Comments may also be submitted via facsimile to 
775-753-0255. Please address your comments to the attention of Bryan 
Fuell, Wild Horse Specialist. Documents pertinent to this proposal may 
be examined at the BLM Elko Field Office (see address above). 
Preliminary scoping information will also be available at each of the 
scoping meetings, and may be obtained by visiting the Elko Field Office 
Web site at http://www.nv.blm.gov/elko. If you wish to withhold your 
name and/or address from public review or from disclosure under the 
Freedom of Information Act, you must state this prominently at the 
beginning of your comment. Such requests will be honored to the extent 
allowed by law. All submissions from an organizations or businesses, 
and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or 
officials of organizations or businesses, will be available for public 
inspection in their entirety.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: For further information and/or to have your 
name added to our mailing list, contact Bryan Fuell, Wild Horse 
Specialist, Bureau of Land Management, Elko Field Office, 3900 Idaho 
Street, Elko, Nevada 89801; telephone (775) 753-0200.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: HAs are limited to areas of public lands 
identified as habitat used by wild horses at time of the passage of the 
Wild Horse and Burro Act in 1971. The Elko RMP (1987) established four 
wild horse HAs (Diamond Hills, Little Humboldt, Rock Creek, Owyhee) 
with the objective to manage the wild horse populations and habitat in 
these areas consistent with other resource uses. Short- and long-term 
management actions prescribed by the 1987 RMP are to: (1) Manage the 
four herds at an appropriate management level; (2) monitor wild horse 
populations and habitat conditions; and (3) conduct wild horse 
gatherings as needed to maintain numbers. Since completion of the Elko 
RMP, monitoring of wild horse populations and habitat and completion of 
wild horse gatherings have occurred.
    Approximately 657,000 acres make up the four HAs, of which 53,000 
acres are privately owned lands. The Diamond Hills HA is in the 
southwest corner of the Elko RMP planning area. Due to its proximity to 
other wild horse HMAs managed by the Ely and Battle Mountain field 
offices of the BLM, this HA is often referred to as ``Diamond Hills 
North.'' The Little Humboldt, Rock Creek and Owyhee HAs are in the 
northwest portion of the planning area, and are next to HMAs that are 
administered by BLM's Winnemucca Field Office. The 1971 Wild Horse and 
Burro Act requires removal of wild horses from unfenced private land 
when requested by the private landowner. Verbal requests have been made 
to alleviate problems with wild horses on private land within the Rock 
Creek and Little Humboldt HAs.
    The proposed Amendment would designate HMAs, which are established 
only on areas within HAs which wild horses can be managed for the long 
term. BLM planning regulations (43 CFR 1610) require preparation of 
planning issues and criteria to guide amendments or revisions of RMPs. 
A planning issue is a matter of controversy over a resource management 
topic that is well defined, about which a decision can be made and is 
within the BLM's authority and jurisdiction to resolve. Planning 
criteria are the constraints or ground rules that guide and direct the 
development of the plan or amendment, and determine how the planning 
team approaches the development of alternatives and, ultimately, 
selection of a preferred alternative. They ensure that plans are 
tailored to identified issues, and that unnecessary data collection and 
analyses are avoided. Wild horse monitoring and other information 
collected to support land health assessments since the 1987 Elko RMP 
was approved is available for use in completing analyses for this 
Amendment. Preliminary planning issues and criteria, developed 
internally, will be available for review and comment by the public 
during the 30-day scoping period established by this notice. The Elko 
Field Manager will approve the planning criteria following public 
scoping.

    Dated: December 23, 2002.
Helen Hankins,
Field Manager, Elko Field Office.
[FR Doc. 03-3169 Filed 2-7-03; 8:45 am]
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