National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board will meet in Phoenix in December
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The National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board will meet Dec. 12-14, 2023, at the Bureau of Land Management’s National Training Center located at 9828 N 31st Ave in Phoenix, Arizona. The public is invited to attend in-person or view the entire Advisory Board meeting via live stream at BLM.gov/live. The BLM will also host two educational field tours for the Board, which are open to the public, on Dec. 12 from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. MT and Dec. 14 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. MT.
More information about the Advisory Board meeting, including an agenda, can be found in the Nov. 9, 2023 Federal Register. Additional meeting materials will be posted to the BLM’s website prior to the meeting.
Members of the public interested in attending the educational tours to the Lake Pleasant Herd Management Area on Dec. 12 or to the Florence Wild Horse and Burro Off-Range Corral and Training Facility on Dec. 14 must register in advance due to limited space via email to dboothe@blm.gov no later than 5 p.m. MT on Nov. 29. Attendees must provide their own high clearance transportation, and any necessary food, health and safety items needed for a full day in the field.
The public will have an opportunity to make a verbal statement to the Advisory Board in person and virtually via Zoom (audio only) on Wednesday, Dec. 13, from 10:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. MT and on Thursday, Dec. 14, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. MT. Registration is required by Dec. 8, 2023 to provide comment via Zoom; those wishing to provide comment in-person may register on-site up to one hour before the comment period commences.
The public may also submit written comments to the Advisory Board in addition to, or in lieu of, providing verbal comment. Written comments should be submitted to the Advisory Board at blm_wo_advisory_board_comments@blm.gov. Comments emailed three days prior to the meeting will be provided to the Advisory Board for consideration during the meeting.
The National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board is comprised of nine individuals representing a diverse range of stakeholders and interests. The Board provides advice and recommendations to the BLM and USFS as the agencies work to carry out their responsibilities under the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. The Act mandates the protection and management of free-roaming horses and burros in a manner that promotes a thriving natural ecological balance on public lands. The BLM and USFS recently announced it is seeking to fill three upcoming vacancies on the Board. Nominations must be received by November 16, 2023.
As of March 1, 2023, the BLM estimated public rangelands managed by the agency were home to approximately 82,833 wild horses and burros—more than three times the number the habitat can sustainably support in balance with other authorized land uses.
Find more information about the National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board.
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.