The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) was sued by wild horse advocates regarding a plan to remove wild horses from land in rural Nevada. The plaintiffs include Western Watersheds Project, American Wild Horse Campaign, The Cloud Foundation and land owner Laura Cunningham.
The plaintiffs claim the planned removal violates a 40-year-old federal law. Approved in March, the plan will remove 1,700 horses from 700,000 acres called the Caliente Herd Area Complex.
The plaintiffs believe that the agency did not follow requirements to disclose or consider environmental impacts or information regarding the removal of the horses. They also allege that the BLM didn't analyze the effects of wild horse use and livestock grazing on that environment, nor did the BLM take into consideration alternatives such as reducing the number of livestock allowed on public lands.
The complaint states that this is in violation of The Wild Free-Roaming Horses And Burros Act Of 1971, which was designed to protect and support wild horse populations.
The groups are seeking a judicial order to block the BLM from removing horses from the area.
Read more at Courthouse News Service.
Read the lawsuit here.
