BLM Sets Meeting of National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board

The April 13–14 meeting will be livestreamed at www.blm.gov/live

The Bureau of Land Management’s National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board will meet on April 13-14 in Redmond, Oregon, to discuss issues relating to the management and protection of wild horses and burros on Western public rangelands. The two-day meeting will take place on Wednesday, April 13, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and Thursday, April 14, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (The meeting times are local time; Redmond is in the Pacific Time Zone.)  The meeting will be live-streamed at http://www.blm.gov/live/.

The agenda of the upcoming meeting can be found in the March 23, 2016, Federal Register (https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2016/03/23/2016-06575/notice-of-wild-horse-and-burro-advisory-board-meeting). The meeting will be held at the Deschutes Fair & Expo, 3800 SW Airport Way, Redmond, Oregon. The expo’s Website address is http://www.expo.deschutes.org/; its phone number is 541-548-2711.

The Advisory Board provides input and advice to the BLM as it carries out its responsibilities under the 1971Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. The law mandates the protection and management of these free-roaming animals in a manner that ensures healthy herds at levels consistent with the land’s capacity to support them.  According to the BLM’s latest official estimate, approximately 58,150 wild horses and burros roam on BLM-managed rangelands in 10 Western states.

The public may address the Advisory Board on Wednesday, April 13, from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., local time. Individuals who want to make a statement at Wednesday’s meeting should register in person with the BLM by 3:15 p.m. local time, on that same day at the meeting site.  Depending on the number of speakers, the Board may limit the length of presentations, set at three minutes for previous meetings.

Speakers should submit a written copy of their statement to the BLM at the addresses below or bring a copy to the meeting.  There will be a Webcam present during the entire meeting and individual comments may be recorded.  Those who would like to comment but are unable to attend may submit a written statement to: National Wild Horse and Burro Program, WO-260, Attention: Ramona DeLorme, 1340 Financial Boulevard, Reno, Nevada, 89502-7147. Comments may also be e-mailed to the BLM (at whbadvisoryboard@blm.gov); please include “Advisory Board Comment” in the subject line of the e-mail.

For additional information regarding the meeting, please contact Ms. DeLorme, Wild Horse and Burro Administrative Assistant, at 775-861-6583.  Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may reach Ms. DeLorme during normal business hours by calling the Federal Information Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339.

The Advisory Board generally meets twice a year and the BLM Director may call additional meetings when necessary.  Members serve without salary, but are reimbursed for travel and per diem expenses according to government travel regulations.

In its management of wild horses and burros under the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, the BLM is implementing recommendations made by a June 2013 report of the National Academy of Sciences. Among other things, the BLM is taking actions to increase the use of population growth-suppression measures on overpopulated herds roaming Western public rangelands and implementing methods developed by the U.S. Geological Survey for more accurate population estimates.