(BILLINGS, Mont.) – The Bureau of Land Management is seeking comments on a proposed amendment to the Billings Field Office Resource Management Plan with respect to managing genetic diversity in the Pryor Mountains Wild Horse Range. Genetic diversity is important for protecting the Pryor Mountain herd’s health and reducing the risk of inbreeding.

Comments must be received by April 29, 2022.

The proposed amendment is part of an ongoing process initiated in April 2020. The existing plan directs the BLM to manage for all genetic representations in the herd but does not define what that means. The proposed amendment would update the plan to address the risks associated with inbreeding, including the use genetic information to determine management actions.

More information, relevant documents, instructions, and a venue for submitting comments are available on the BLM e-Planning project website at https://eplanning.blm.gov. Search using the NEPA number: DOI-BLM-MT-C010-2020-004-EA.

If you have already submitted scoping comments regarding the Herd Management Area Plan during the comment period that ran April 9, 2020, through May 15, 2020, you do not need to re-submit your comments. Furthermore, there will be additional opportunities for public comment as this process advances.

Persons providing comments are advised that before including their address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information, that their entire comment – including personal identifying information – may be made publicly available at any time. While those commenting can ask in their comments to withhold identifying information from public review, the BLM cannot guarantee that they will be able to do so.