Oppose BLM's Final Push to Sacrifice Eagle Complex Wild Horses for Livestock
NOW OPEN - Public Comments Due: July 27, 2026
Why does BLM allow livestock grazing equivalent to approximately 800 year-round cattle while proposing to leave as few as 145 protected wild horses in Nevada’s Eagle Complex?
Submit your comments by July 27, 2026.
Just two months after public scoping closed, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released an Environmental Assessment (EA) advancing substantially the same plan to remove approximately 1,948 wild horses from the 743,000-acre Eagle Complex spanning Nevada and Utah.
If approved, the agency would reduce the population to just 145–265 wild horses across more than 1,161 square miles of public land.
Despite extensive public opposition during scoping, the proposal remains largely unchanged.
The Numbers Tell the Story
While BLM proposes limiting the Eagle Complex to just 145–265 wild horses, it continues to authorize livestock grazing equivalent to more than 2,600 year-round cattle within these same Herd Management Areas. Even actual livestock use over the past decade averaged the equivalent of approximately 800 year-round cattle.
BLM's own numbers reveal a striking imbalance in how these public lands are allocated.
Additional Concerns with the Proposed Action
Beyond the massive removals, the EA would also:
Rely on repeated GonaCon treatments, despite scientific evidence that repeated applications may permanently sterilize mares.
Artificially skew herd sex ratios to approximately 60% stallions and 40% mares, increasing aggression, disrupting natural herd dynamics, and creating inhumane conditions for mares, stallions, and foals.
Dismiss reasonable alternatives, including reducing livestock grazing to provide wild horses with a fair allocation of available forage, claiming those alternatives are "outside the scope" rather than fully analyzing them under NEPA.
Why This Matters
America's wild horses are legally protected as "living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West." Decisions affecting their future deserve careful environmental review and thoughtful consideration of reasonable alternatives.
Instead, this EA continues to prioritize livestock grazing while proposing repeated removals and increasingly intensive population suppression measures.
Public comments matter.
Thousands of Americans have already spoken up for the Eagle Complex during scoping. Now is our opportunity to do so again before BLM issues its final decision.
Take Action
BLM hopes the public will lose hope and stop speaking out.
We won't.
Please click the TAKE ACTION button below to submit your comments before July 27, 2026. Then, encourage your friends and family to do the same.