National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board to meet virtually
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GRAND JUNCTION, Colorado — The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board will meet virtually September 23-24, 2020. The Board will discuss the management of wild horses and burros on public lands, including the challenges of safely reducing wide-spread overpopulation and measures for increasing the placement of wild horses and burros into good homes through adoptions and sales.
As of March 1, 2020, the BLM estimated more than 95,000 wild horses and burros roamed public lands in 10 Western states – the largest population estimate since the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act was signed into law, and more than three times the number the habitat can support in the long-term. At the same time, the Bureau has made significant progress to improve wild horse and burro management, including achieving a 15-year record for adoptions and sales into private care in Fiscal Year 2019. Since 1971, BLM has placed more than 255,000 wild horses and burros into private care.
The Board meeting will be held virtually using Zoom video conferencing technology and live-streamed at BLM.gov/live. The agenda of the meeting was published in the August 17, 2020 Federal Register. A more detailed agenda, meeting materials and information to register to provide verbal comment to the Board will be posted to BLM.gov/whb/advisoryboard at least 15 days prior to the meeting. Speakers must be registered to deliver public comment by September 17. The time available for public comment during the meeting is limited each day; registration will be on a first-come, first-served basis. The audio of all public comments will be recorded.
Speakers and those who cannot attend the virtual meeting can also submit a written copy of their comments to whbadvisoryboard@blm.gov at least two weeks prior to the meeting. Please include “Advisory Board Comment” in the subject line of the e-mail.
For more information about the meeting, please contact Dorothea Boothe, Wild Horse and Burro Program Coordinator, at (602) 906-5543 or at dboothe@blm.gov. Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may reach Ms. Boothe during normal business hours by calling the Federal Information Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339.
The Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board provides advice and recommendations to the BLM as the agency carries out its responsibilities under the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. The law mandates the protection and management of free-roaming horses and burros as integral parts of America’s public lands. The individuals who serve on the Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board represent a diverse range of stakeholders and interests related to the management of wild horses and burros on public lands.
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The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.