11. Comment The Free Roaming Wild Horse and Burro Act states clearly that the rangelands must be “devoted principally” to the wild equines when referring to multi-use of the land.
Response : In Section 1333 of the Act, under Powers and Duties of the Secretary, is the only place used by Congress that the term “range” as defined in the Act is used. The Second sentence reads in part: “The Secretary is authorized and directed to protect and manage wild-free roaming horses and burros as components of the public lands, and he may designate and maintain specific ranges on public lands as sanctuaries for their protection and preservation...” The Act further directs the Secretary to consult with the State Wildlife Agency and the Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board when “any such range” is proposed. The Cibola-Trigo has never been deemed a sanctuary and therefore it will be managed for multiple use.
THIS IS NOT AN ANSWER: The question was not implying sole use, it was regarding the law which says "principal use"
Coupled with this "response" to comment:
16. Comment: The BLM concedes that livestock use is authorized on BLM administered lands under the jurisdiction of the BLM’s Yuma Field Office but fails to disclose the number of livestock AUMs permitted in the HMA.
Response: See section 3.2.7 Domestic Livestock .
Section 3.2.7
Approximately 889,700 acres of BLM-administered lands within the YFO are managed as part of grazing allotments ranging in size from 523 to 234,645 acres. All authorized use in the planning area is specific to cattle. Resource management within an allotment is based on Animal Unit Months (AUMs) where one AUM is equal to the forage required to sustain one cow-calf pair for a month (approximately 800 pounds dry forage). Annual and seasonably available species are considered when determining the AUMs available and the season of use authorized. Grazing does occur in a 26,719 acre allotment north of the proposed gather sites. This perennial allotment (Bishop Lease) is unfenced and restricted to 516 AUMs for cattle yearly. Forage for livestock is supplemented from private land during the hot or dry season or supplemental feed stuffs. Livestock control primarily consists of water or bait trapping.
For those not familiar with the lands managed by the Yuma Field Office, this IS NOT AN ADEQUATE RESPONSE AS IT ONLY ANSWERS AMU FOR ONE SMALL PORTION of THE HMA. Are there no other livestock on that range? If not, then their response is unclear. If there are, their response is disingenous.
And this "response" to comment is laughable.
9. Comment : The EA fails to detail costs for proposed action.
Response: Exact costs of the gather contract are dependent on the number of days of the gather, the number of traps and gather sites, and the number of burros captured.
So, the BLM has NO idea how much it will cost? How much the contractor will charge and how much they will pay per "head". This was plainly a "nun ya' bidness" response meant to annoy.
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