From: Susie_Stokke@blm.gov
Sent: Wednesday, March 25, 2009 8:33 AM
To: Cathy Barcomb
Subject: Re: HMA's

Importance: High

Not yet.  But here is some information which can help a little bit in the interim.

Q – BLM previously reported 102 HMAs on nearly 16 million acres of public land in Nevada; today BLM is reporting only 84 HMAs on 14.7 million acres.
What accounts for the difference?


A – In September 2008, the Ely District Resource Management Plan (RMP) was approved.  This decision returned about 1.6 million acres to Herd Area status due to inadequate habitat (lack of suitable forage or water).  This change reduced the number of HMAs Nevada now manages to 84 and also reduced the state-wide appropriate management level (AML) to 12,618 wild horses and burros (a reduction of 480 wild horses).  Details follow.


      Returned to HA Status (AML = 0).
      The following areas were returned to Herd Area status due to the lack
      of suitable forage or water.  They lie within a Mojave Desert
      transition zone where trees and brush comprise the primary
      vegetation; relatively few grasses or forbs are present and water is
      limited.  Because of the lack of grasses/forbs and limited water,
      wild horses within the area are typically a condition class 3 – thin,
      or very thin (Henneke body condition) and over the years, a number of
      emergency gathers have been needed to prevent their death from
      starvation or thirst.

·     Applewhite
·     Blue Nose Peak
·     Cherry Creek (eastern portion)
·     Clover Creek
·     Clover Mountains
·     Delamar
·     Highland Peak (southern 2/3)
·     Jakes Wash
·     Little Mountain
·     Meadow Valley Mountains
·     Miller Flat
·     Moriah
·     Rattlesnake (southern half)
·     Seaman
·     White River

      Herd Management Areas
      Several HMAs were combined into single-HMAs to facilitate future
      management.   Following approval of the 2008 Ely RMP, the BLM Ely
      District will focus its management of wild horses and burros on the
      following HMAs:

·     Antelope
·     Triple B (includes the former Buck and Bald, Butte and western 1/3 of
the Cherry Creek HMAs)
·     Eagle (includes the former Wilson Creek and Deer Lodge Canyon HMAs)
·     Pancake (includes the former Monte Cristo and Sand Springs East HMAs)
·     Silver King (includes the former Dry Lake HMA and portions of the
Rattlesnake and Highland Peak HMAs)
·     Diamond Hills South



                                                                           
             Cathy Barcomb                                                 
             <mustangs@wildhor                                             
             se.nv.gov>                                                 To 
                                       "'Susie_Stokke@blm.gov'"            
             03/24/2009 01:32          <Susie_Stokke@blm.gov>              
             PM                                                         cc 
                                                                           
                                                                   Subject 
                                       HMA's                               
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           




Susie
Not sure who to ask in the interim, but with Nevada changing from 102 HMA’s to the reported 84 or so at the Advisory Board meeting, its very confusing.

Previously we had a list of the HMA’s and associated allotments in those HMA’s.  Has a current list been developed with the new structure of HMA’s in Nevada and associated allotments in those HMA’s.  Also would be helpful with new HMA names that the old HMA’s that are in the new ones be included.

Yes/no?

Cathy