The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is proposing to potentially land helicopters in the Goshute Canyon and Becky Peak Wildernesses in Nevada to remove wild horses as part of its Antelope-Triple B Gather project. Wilderness Watch appreciates that the agency is seeking to remedy degradation caused by wild horses, but it must respect the Wilderness with whatever actions it takes, and should consider less traumatic/more humane ways to deal with the wild horse population.
The Goshute Canyon and Becky Peak Wildernesses are located near each other, though not contiguous. Goshute Canyon Wilderness, with its limestone cliffs and rugged canyons, is within the Cherry Creek Mountains, while Becky Peak Wilderness, with its 9,859-foot namesake peak, among other high peaks, lies within the Schell Creek Range.
In our comments on the environmental assessment (EA), we noted that the Goshute Canyon and Becky Peak Wildernesses occupy a very small fraction of the project area. The EA fails to make the case that the proposed action is needed inside the Wildernesses, largely because the analysis is not site-specific. The EA also fails to provide information on how many horses live in the Wildernesses, either permanently or those that only pass through, making it difficult to make an informed decision.
Other problems with the analysis in the plan include: it downplays and is missing details on the impacts to Wilderness, it’s based on a misreading of the law, it lacks a minimum requirements analysis and a map of areas potentially impacted by helicopter overflights, it allows for helicopter landings in “case of emergency,” and it will likely go on in perpetuity in the Wilderness.
We’re awaiting a decision.
Photo: Goshute Canyon Wilderness by Brian Beffort via Flickr
