BLM National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board Meets in Elko, NV

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BLM Sets Meeting of National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board for September in Elko, Nevada

September 8–9 meeting will be livestreamed at www.blm.gov/live

The Bureau of Land Management’s National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board will meet September 8-9, 2016, in Elko, Nev., 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 Thursday, September 8, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:15 p.m., and Friday, September 9, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (The meeting times are local time; Elko is in the Pacific Time Zone.) The meeting will be live-streamed athttp://www.blm.gov/live.

The agenda of the upcoming meeting can be found in the August 1, 2016, Federal Register at http://go.usa.gov/x4TRJ. The meeting will be held at Stockmen’s Hotel and Casino, 340 Commercial Street, Elko, Nev. The hotel’s website address is www.northernstarcasinos.com/Stockmens-hotel-casino; its phone number is (775) 738-5141.
The Advisory Board provides advice and recommendations to the BLM as it carries out its responsibilities under the 1971 Wild 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 67,027 wild horses and burros roam on BLM-managed rangelands in 10 Western states.

The public may address the Advisory Board on Thursday, September 8, from 3:15 to 5:15 p.m., local time. Individuals who want to make a statement at Thursday’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-261, Attention: Ramona DeLorme, 1340 Financial Boulevard, Reno, Nev., 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, the BLM is taking a number of steps to ensure healthy horses and burros thrive on healthy public lands , including sponsoring a significant research program focused on fertility control; transitioning horses from off-range corrals to more cost-effective pastures; working to increase adoptions with new programs and partnerships; and requesting two new pieces of legislative authority — one to allow for the immediate transfer of horses to other agencies that have a need for work animals and one that would create a congressionally-chartered foundation that could help fund and support adoption efforts.