Wild Horse Orgs Win Groundbreaking Precedent

THe Wild Horse and Burro Act is about more than removals. The court affirmed the intention of law is to manage and planning needs to be completed.

RENO, NEVADA, UNITED STATES, March 29, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Today the Honorable Miranda Du ruled that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has unreasonably delayed crafting Herd. Management Area Plans (HMAPs) for wild horses in the Pancake Complex in central Nevada. The Order (Case No. 3:22-cv-00034-MMD-CLB) from the court remands the Pancake Gather Environmental Assessment (EA) back to BLM for further analysis including those involving wildfire risk and orders that an HMAP be prepared for the complex within one year.


The Order from the Honorable Miranda Du reads: 


“Engaging in the decision-making of an HMAP without actually preparing an HMAP could therefore deprive interested parties of the administrative review processes to which they are entitled.” 


“BLM’s decades- long delays in developing and approving HMAPs have therefore been “nothing short of egregious” and clearly violate the rule of reason.” 


BLM defines the HMAP in the 2020 Report to Congress:


Herd Management Area Plans (HMAPs) summarize the management goals for an HMA and the anticipated actions required to achieve those goals... The process of developing and updating these plans would continue to provide the opportunity to inform and involve the public in determining the best actions to take on an HMA into the future. 

Just as with surveys and monitoring, HMAP development is a key component in the decisionmaking process for BLM’s wild horse and burro management activities on the ground. In addition, these documents often include public involvement through the NEPA process.

BLM has never completed an HMAP for the Pancake complex or the individual Herd Management Areas (HMAs) included in the complex. This failure has denied the public an opportunity to address how forage is allocated, water improvements to distribute population, specific genetic preservation, mitigation measures for mining and livestock expanding in the area and more.

“I am simply elated. The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act is about more than just removal. Today, the court affirmed the intention of that law.” stated Laura Leigh, President of Wild Horse Education (WHE). “For over twelve years I have been trying to address critical issues of on-range management planning with BLM and have been repeatedly denied. There is no replacement for the HMAP where the public has the only opportunity to address specifics of management planning and actions to achieve those goals. Finally, after 38 years, BLM will need to provide that opportunity.”


“I am both elated and exhausted after this long fight,” Leigh of WHE continued, “This ruling has finally opened the door to advocacy and actually has the opportunity to engage management practices.”


"Rewilding America Now (formerly the Cana Foundation) would like to thank the court, for its fact based verdict, Jessica Blome and her team for their hard work but most of all Laura Leigh from Wild Horse Education for her tireless work for our wild horses,” said Manda Kalimian, founder of RAN, “Environmental rewilding with wild horses is the way forward to protect our lands, horses and all wild life on the range. The Pancake verdict has set precedence for procedures in managing our wild horses and range lands.” 


“The concepts of rewinding, healing the landscape through integration of species, are important,” continued Kalimian, “With this ruling we will have an opportunity to propose the rewinding alternative for the horses of the Pancake Complex during the creation of the HMAP.” 


Plaintiff’s in the case (Laura Leigh, Wild Horse Education, Rewilding America Now, Animal Wellness Action, Center for a Humane Economy) would like to thank Greenfire Law of Berkley, California, the De Castroverde Law Group of Nevada and the court. 


Additional information:
The Pancake Complex spans approximately 1.5 million acres, about 30 miles west of Ely or 80 miles northeast of Tonopah, Nev., consists of the Sand Springs West and Pancake Herd Management Areas (HMAs), Jakes Wash Herd Area (HA) and Monte Cristo Wild Horse Territory (WHT). The BLM Battle Mountain District, Tonopah Field Office administers the Sand Springs West HMA. The BLM Ely District Office administers the Pancake HMA and Jakes Wash HA. The Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, Ely Ranger District administers the Monte Cristo WHT.

Laura Leigh
Wild Horse Education
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