Who Owns the Cows in Wild Horse Country? Pt. 1

...And Just How Many Cows Are There for Every Wild Horse?

In Nevada, ask:

Pete Goicoechea Permit Holder for Private Grazing for the Newark and Railroad Pass Allotment (2704520/2704555) Term Grazing Permit Renewal for the Newark (00608) and Railroad Pass (00601) Allotments



The Newark Allotment encompasses approximately 218,105 public land acres. The grazing allotment occurs entirely within White Pine County, and is situated approximately 45 miles west of Ely, Nevada. The western portion of this allotment borders the Battle Mountain BLM District. The permit area occurs within Newark Valley. The northeastern portion of the Newark Allotment is within the Triple B Wild Horse Herd Management Area and the southern portion of the allotment is within the Pancake Wild Horse Herd Management Area. This allotment is located within sage grouse nesting, brooding, and winter habitat with several leks found in the area. This allotment also provides habitat for pygmy rabbit, elk, deer, and antelope. The tui chub is also found on this allotment. No wilderness occurs within the Newark Allotment. The nearest wilderness is the Shellback Wilderness, which is approximately ten miles away.

The Railroad Pass Allotment encompasses approximately 27,025 public land acres. The grazing permit area occurs entirely within White Pine County, and is situated approximately 75 miles northwest of Ely, Nevada. The western portion of this allotment borders the Battle Mountain BLM District and the northern portion borders the Elko BLM District. The majority of the Railroad Pass Allotment is within the Diamond Hills South Wild Horse Herd Management Area. This allotment is located within sage grouse nesting and brooding habitat. Pygmy rabbit habitat is found in the area. Deer, elk, and antelope habitat also occur on this allotment. No wilderness occurs within or adjacent to the permitted area.

The purpose and need for the action is to fully process and renew the grazing term permit for Pete Goicoechea for the Newark and Railroad Pass Allotments. Currently this is two separate grazing permits with separate authorizations that will be combined into one. The current term permit on the Newark Allotment is issued for the period 03/01/2005 to 02/28/2015. This is a cattle and sheep allotment with a total grazing preference of 9,709 animal unit months (AUMs). Of these, 7,101 AUMs are active and 2,608 AUMs are suspended nonuse. The following table outlines what the current term permit authorizes.

Use Area Number & Kind of Livestock Use Period AUMS
Eighteen Mile 116 Cattle 11/01 to 04/02 583
Eighteen Mile 367 Sheep 11/01 to 04/02 369
Newark Winter 490 Cattle 11/01 to 04/02 2,465
Newark Winter 1,542 Sheep 11/01 to 04/02 1,551
South Newark 85 Cattle 11/01 to 04/02 428
North Diamond 459 Cattle 04/01 to 05/15 679
North Diamond 303 Sheep 04/01 to 10/31 426
South Diamond 27 Cattle 04/01 to 10/31 190
South Diamond 142 Sheep 04/01 to 10/31 200
North 29 Cattle 09/10 to 10/31 50
Middle 28 Cattle 07/05 to 09/09 62
South 29 Cattle 04/16 to 07/04 76


The current term permit on the Railroad Pass Allotment is issued for the period 03/01/2006 to 02/28/2011. This is a cattle permit with a total grazing preference of 511 animal unit months (AUMs). Of these, 511 AUMs are active and 0 AUMs are suspended nonuse. The current term permit authorizes approximately 75 head of cattle with a season of use from 06/01 to 09/30.

The issuance of the new term grazing permit could be for a period up to ten years. An evaluation of the range monitoring data and rangeland health will be conducted for the Newark and Railroad Pass Allotments. This data will be summarized in a Standards Determination Document that will be provided for public review at a later date.

Term permit renewals are issued in accordance with Title 43 CFR 4130.2(a), “Grazing permits or leases shall be issued to qualified applicants to authorize use on the public lands and other lands under the administration of the Bureau of Land Management that are designated as available for livestock grazing through land use plans.”

Contact: Amanda Anderson
Phone: (775) 289-1855
Project status for this project is public scoping.


From the BLMs own website. Click on title above to go there;
http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/ely_field_office/blm_programs/grazing/grazing_permit_renewals/grazing_permit_summaries0/pete_goicoechea_term.html