Please take easy action below to urge the BLM to cancel its burro roundup and removal plans and to restore zeroed-out acreage as burro habitat in the Piute Mountain and Chocolate-Mule Mountains HAs.
The Interested Party Letter regarding these proposed actions is available here.
The Piute Mountain HA Decision Record and additional information is available here.
BLM California "Zeroed-Out" Areas: Of the original 4.38-million acres designated for wild horse and burro use in California only 2.53-million areas remain available for their use.
.jpg)
The map to the right shows the Piute HA (in pink) and Lazy Daisy allotment which is marked by the green lines.
56 Burros Die From Dehydration in 2010: The BLM has failed to conduct minimal range maintenance, such as preserving water sources, for burros in the Piute Mountain HA. This failure was tragically evident in the August 2010 disaster when 56 burros in the HA died from dehydration because the only water source in the HA, Fenner Spring, became clogged. The burros were found piled upon one another after desperately trying-- to no avail -- to drink from the spring, which had become non-functional. Instead of taking action to protect the springhead and maintain this vital water source for burros and other wildlife in the area, the BLM is using the limited water supply as justification for removing the last remaining burros from this historic burro territory.
Conclusion: The BLM could easily accommodate the current burro population living in the HA by properly maintaining the range and making reductions in commercial livestock grazing, pursuant to 43 C.F.R. 4710.5(a). This regulation allows the BLM to temporarily or permanently close a public land area to livestock grazing "If necessary to provide habitat for wild horses or burros, to implement herd management actions, or to protect wild horses or burros, or to protect wild horses or burros from disease, harassment or injury, the authorized officer may close appropriate areas of the public lands to grazing use by all or a particular kind of livestock."
Original Acreage: Nearly 400,000 acres of the original 600,000 acres designated for the Chocolate-Mule Mountains HA have been zeroed-out. The HA is located south of Blythe, California near the town of Palo Verde. Only 203,539 acres remain as authorized burro habitat, which is designated as the Chocolate-Mule Herd Management Area (HMA). The HMA is located on the Arizona border -- just west of the Cibola-Trigo HMA in Arizona. The BLM allows a maximum of 133 burros to reside within the Chocolate-Mule Mountains HMA.
.
BLM Claims "Nuisance Burros" In and Around Chocolate-Mule Mountains HA: The BLM estimates that there are approximately 40 burros residing in the northern portion of the Chocolate-Mule Mountains HA south of Blythe, California near the town of Palo Verde. The BLM states that the owners of the Robinson Farms and Jack Seiler Farms claimed that burros are drinking water and eating crops on the farms and requested that burros be removed from their private property. If burros are found on the private ranches, the BLM will conduct a helicopter roundup in May 2012. AWHPC was recently informed that these "agricultural fields" were likely once a part of the original Chocolate-Mule Mountains HA but were sold by the BLM to private ranchers in the 1980's.
In addition, the BLM contends that the burros are crossing roads and highway 78 and has classified these burros as "nuisance burros creating a public safety hazard and causing economic injury to agriculture crops."