**Draft Environmental Assessment for Horse and Burro Management at**

**Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge**

**Questions and Answers**

April 17th, 2007

**What is an** **Environmental Assessment?**

An Environmental Assessment includes an analysis of a Federal agency's
proposed action and alternatives as required by section 102(2) (E) of
the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). In accordance with NEPA,
the Service has prepared a draft Environmental Assessment (EA) on Horse
and Burro Management at Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge (see the Notice
of Availability of the draft EA, published in the Federal Register). The
draft EA is available for public comment for thirty days beginning April
17, 2007.

**Why are we preparing an Environmental Assessment?**

Native fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats are the focus for
management of Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge (Sheldon), as directed by
Executive Order No. 5540 and 7178 and Public Law 94-223. The
575,000-acre Sheldon protects one of the best examples of native
sagebrush-steppe ecosystem. Non-native horses and burros cause damage to
some of the most important habitats on Sheldon Refuge. Presently, an
estimated 1,600 horses and burros wander freely, year-round across
Sheldon. They consume forage and water, trample vegetation, compact
soils and otherwise directly and indirectly impact native fish, wildlife
and plants and their habitats. In Sheldon's high-elevation, semi-arid
environment, conflicts among non-native horses and burros and native
species are most severe during late summer and mid-winter, and are
prominent at Sheldon's limited water resources and adjacent meadows,
wetlands and riparian zones. Monitoring information from 2002 concluded
that 44 percent of all streams and 80 percent of the springs on the
refuge are heavily or severely degraded by non-native horses and burros.
The need for action is to meet population objectives for horses and
burros that are consistent with legally mandated efforts to maintain and
restore the Refuge's habitats for native fish and wildlife.

**What are the Alternatives?**

In this updated EA, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service)
considered a range of reasonable alternatives to address the need for,
and purpose of, managing populations of non-native horses and burros on
Sheldon. These alternatives were developed based on: in-house
discussions among Service personnel familiar with horse and burro
management on the Refuge; review of several scientific, planning and
NEPA documents developed by the Service, other agencies and
non-governmental parties; the review of public comments received prior
to, and during, this environmental analysis and on horse-related web
sites; and discussions with interested, affected and knowledgeable
parties. The four alternatives developed for this EA are summarized as
follows:

-   [Alternative A, No Agency Action on Horse and Burro
    Management.]{.underline} Under Alternative A, the Refuge would
    discontinue the ongoing program of horse and burro population
    management. Program objectives would not be met. Program elements
    such as gathering, providing interim care for and adoptions of the
    Refuge's horses and burros would no longer be conducted. Without any
    control, horse and burro populations on the Refuge could double
    approximately every four years, causing additional severe impacts to
    Refuge lands, water sources, wildlife habitats and associated fish,
    wildlife and plant populations, and posing additional safety risks
    along major public roads. Implementation of this alternative would
    not allow the Refuge to be managed to achieve the purposes for which
    it was established or be in compliance with National Wildlife Refuge
    System legislation and management policy.

-   [Alternative B: Status Quo (Proposed Action).]{.underline} Under
    Alternative B, the Service would continue to select contractors for
    gathering, transport, processing and adoption of horses and burros.
    The horses would be gathered using contracted horseback riders and
    helicopters to herd them into corrals, and burros would be baited
    into corrals (for example, with hay). Other contractors would screen
    potential adopters to ensure that good homes are selected for the
    horses and burros. Once the horses and burros are gathered, tested
    for disease, rested and transported to the contractor's facility,
    the contractor would provide care for them until all adoptions are
    completed and would coordinate transportation to their adopted
    homes. The Service believes that implementation of Alternative B
    would best accomplish objectives for horse and burro management,
    meet the mission of the refuge and be the most cost effective.

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-   [Alternative C: Adoption of Horses by Individuals]{.underline}.
    Under Alternative C, horses would be gathered using contracted
    horseback riders and helicopters to herd them into corrals, and
    burros would be baited into corrals (for example, with hay). Instead
    of the current practice of contracting with adoption agents, the
    Service would process the horses and burros; screen potential
    adopters to ensure that good homes are selected for the horses and
    burros; select adopters; provide care for horses and burros until
    all adoptions are completed; and coordinate transportation to their
    adopted homes. While this alternative would provide the same
    benefits as Alternative B, it would cost more and take more time to
    implement, reducing the benefits of the gather and diverting money
    from other refuge programs.

-   [Alternative D: Conduct Horse Gathers by Bait and Horseback
    Techniques Only]{.underline}. Under Alternative D, the Service would
    select a contractor to gather horses using horseback riders only,
    and use bait to draw burros into corrals. Another contractor would
    screen potential adopters to ensure that good homes are selected for
    the horses and burros, provide care until all adoptions are
    completed, and coordinate transportation to the adopted homes. This
    alternative would not include the use of aircraft in the gathering
    of horses and burros, resulting in higher costs and more time to
    reach management objectives. The delay would reduce the benefits of
    removal and the higher costs would divert money from other refuge
    programs.

**Why are horses and burros not priority species on Sheldon?**

National wildlife refuges are established for the protection of native
wildlife and habitat, and any use of refuge lands and waters, by law,
must be consistent with this purpose. Sheldon, located in the
northwestern corner of Nevada, manages over 575,000 acres of high desert
habitat for native plants and wildlife. This refuge was set aside in
1931 by Executive Order, primarily for the conservation of pronghorn
antelope and other native wildlife species. The purpose was defined "as
a refuge and breeding ground for wild animals and birds." The Refuge
Improvement Act places an even higher threshold, which reinforces the
focus on the refuge purpose and management for biological integrity,
diversity and environmental health. Horses and burros are not native to
Sheldon and cause a disproportionate impact on Sheldon Refuge's natural
resources. They must be managed consistent with the refuge's purpose,
which gives priority to native animals and plants.

**What is the history of horses in northwestern Nevada?**

Prior to these lands becoming a national wildlife refuge, ranchers
raised European horse breeds as working stock and as remounts for the
U.S. Cavalry. When the need for saddle horses diminished at the turn of
the 20^th^ Century, these horse herds were released on lands that are
now the Sheldon refuge and other public lands where they became
free-roaming animals.

**Why should horses be removed from Sheldon?**

Service policy requires that we manage non-native animals to prevent
damage to native wildlife habitat and other resources. These horses and
burros have no natural predators and their populations increase at a
very high rate when compared to populations of deer, antelope and other
native species for which the refuge was established.

During the past ten years, the non-native horse populations have
increased to an unacceptable level, causing damage to upland areas and
water sources on the refuge. The herd's growth rate is very strong,
averaging about 17 percent to 23 percent net increase per year. With an
estimated current population of about 1,600 animals, about 240 to 280
animals must be removed each year just to keep the current population
stable.

The horse population level on Sheldon is causing negative impacts to
native wildlife and their habitats. Conflicts over scarce water in this
desert environment include trampling of vegetation along stream banks
and at springheads, physical exclusion of other species by dominant stud
horses and burros, and contamination from feces and urine. Horses also
cause habitat degradation by trampling and destroying vegetation in the
upland areas. These areas provide important habitat for native species
such as pronghorn, mule deer, bighorn sheep, sage grouse, waterfowl,
many species of native songbirds and resident mammals. This habitat is
most valuable to wildlife when it is not grazed by livestock and has
healthy native vegetation. Removal of this natural cover allows native
predators to more easily locate and kill the species that depend upon
that cover to hide, especially during the fawning and brooding seasons.

Cattle grazing was permanently removed from Sheldon in the early 1990s
because of these same conflicts with wildlife. At that time, the
population of non-native horses was much smaller (200-300 animals) and
the impact was not as severe. However, the population has increased
significantly in the past 15 years and habitat damage is now occurring
at an unacceptable level.

During horse removal efforts, careful consideration is given to the
horses to ensure their well-being, including onsite support by a
veterinarian and horse experts. Horse gathers are conducted after the
peak of foaling. Death and injury rates for horses during the roundup
have been less than 1 percent.

**How long has horse management occurred on Sheldon?**

The Service has managed these herds for more than 70 years, and the
current program to control horse and burro populations is a continuation
of that effort. Service and NEPA policies have been followed in
implementing horse management. Horse removal has been addressed in
earlier management plans (the 1977 Sheldon Horse Management Plan,
Environmental Impact Assessment; the 1980 Sheldon Renewable Natural
Resources Management Plan, Final Environmental Impact Statement; and the
2000 Environmental Action Memorandum to update previous documents),
which are being updated through this environmental assessment. These
documents are available for review in the Lakeview office of the
Sheldon-Hart Mountain National Wildlife Refuge Complex. Sheldon's
Comprehensive Conservation Plan, which is in early stages of
development, will also include horse and burro management.

Although Federal law requires the Service to control these non-native
animals, the agency is making every possible effort to gather and
transport them in a humane manner. As previously stated, during horse
removal efforts, careful consideration is given to the horses to ensure
their well being, including onsite support by a veterinarian and horse
experts. Horse gathers are conducted after the peak of foaling. Death
and injury rates for horses during the roundup have been less than one
percent.

**How will the horse removal program affect visitors?**

Some refuge visitors enjoy seeing horses, but a much larger percentage
of our visitors travel to Sheldon from diverse domestic and
international locations to view native pronghorn, sage grouse, mule
deer, bighorn sheep and the other native wildlife species in their
natural habitats. Many visitors express concern about the impacts that
horses and burros are having on native plants and animals.

There are more than 30 Bureau of Land Management (BLM) herd management
areas within a 200-mile radius of the refuge where people can view
horses and burros on BLM and United States Forest Service (USFS) lands
managed for this purpose. In fact, to reach the Refuge, visitors travel
through miles of lands managed by the BLM for horses and burros.

**How does the Sheldon adoption program work?**

Horses on Sheldon are recognized for having good temperament,
conformation and coloring, and a very successful program exists for
finding desirable homes for these beautiful animals. These horses are
distinguished by being preferable for adoption. In addition, we realize
the difficulty in finding adoptive homes for older horses, so we are
assessing the viability of using contraceptive techniques that will
allow unadoptable animals to live out their lives on the refuge while
lowering the reproductive rate of the herd.

The Refuge staff seeks to ensure that all horses receive good homes by
working with organizations and individuals and private contractors who
serve as adoption agents for the Service. Before any horses are
released, a rigid screening process and a thorough background
investigation are completed on the adoption agents. They are then
responsible for screening potential adopters to ensure the horses will
be taken to good homes. A cooperative agreement or contract is
negotiated and signed by both parties to ensure that it is clearly
understood that these animals must be adopted to qualified homes and
that they will not end up in the slaughter market. We are seeking to
improve the adoption process through our own programmatic review and
public comments received during the public process for the draft EA. Our
areas of focus include screening and verifying successful adoptions, and
interceding when they are not.

Persons interested in adopting these beautiful animals can contact the
certified adoption agent below:

Carr's Wild Horse and Burro Center, 4844 Couts-Carr Rd, Cross Plains,
Tennessee 37049. E-mail: <carrsholding@aol.com>.

People interested in becoming adoption agents are invited to send an
inquiry to the attention of Paul Steblein, Project Leader, at
<sheldon-hart@fws.gov>

**There have been allegations that the adoption agents for Sheldon are
shipping horses to the slaughterhouse. Is this allowed?**

Sheldon and its adoption agents take careful precautions to prevent
Sheldon horses from ever going to slaughter. Adoption agents are
screened to make sure their purpose is to find good homes for the
horses. The adoption agents screen candidate homes to make sure they
know how to care for horses, have the facilities and will not sell them
for slaughter. The contract and cooperative agreements specifically
require the agents to prevent horses from going to slaughter. The
Service reviews contractor performance and conducts investigations,
cooperating with other law enforcement authorities as necessary, to
follow up on allegations of impropriety. The welfare of our adopted
horses is important and we make every effort to ensure that good homes
are found.

**Some individuals have alleged that the 2006 Sheldon horse gather
resulted in many dead foals and adult horses. What were the results of
the gather?**

Sheldon completed a gather in late June after the peak of foaling (the
vast majority of foals were a month or older). The staff, contractors
and cooperators worked carefully to prevent injury to the horses but
there is an inherent risk whenever activities are undertaken with this
many livestock. A total of six horses died: two would have died
independent of the gather (birth defect and breeched birth); the
remaining four deaths represent a mortality rate of about 1 percent,
which is considered low for a horse gather of this size.

**How can I comment on the draft EA?**

People seeking more detailed information can obtain a copy of the draft
EA at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's website:

[http://www.Service.gov/Sheldonhartmtn/Sheldon/horseburro.html](http://www.fws.gov/sheldonhartmtn/sheldon/horseburro.html)

A bound paper copy of the EA is available for viewing in the Lake County
Library, Lakeview, Oregon. Questions should be e-mailed to
Sheldon-hart@fws.gov. Comments from the public must be received within
30 days of this announcement, by May 17th, 2007. Written comments can be
e-mailed to Sheldon-hart@fws.gov or mailed to U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, P.O. Box 111, Lakeview, OR 97630.