Horse Illustrated Magazine

The Bureau of Land Management’s National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board will meet on November 17, 2008, in Reno, Nevada, to discuss issues relating to the management, protection, and control of wild horses and burros on Western federal rangelands and the public is invited to give their opinions. 

A large public turnout is expected for the meeting after the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced in early October that it is considering euthanizing wild horses to curb herd populations on the range and in federal holding facilities. There are an estimated 33,000 mustangs living in 10 Western states, and another 30,000 living in government corrals. According to the BLM, the federal dollars allotted to the wild horse program aren’t sufficient to manage current herd populations, but critics argue the herds have already been thinned to the edge of extinction.

The one-day meeting will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., local time, at the Silver Legacy Resort Casino’s Reno Ballroom, 50 East Fourth Street, Reno, Nevada 89501. The agenda of the meeting can be found http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-24631.htm.

At an appropriate point in the meeting agenda (which is expected to be about 3 p.m., local time) individuals who want to make a statement should register with the BLM by noon on the day of the meeting 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 must submit a written copy of their statements to the BLM at the meeting; those who would like to comment but are unable to attend may submit a written statement no later than November 12, 2008, to: Bureau of Land Management, 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: Ramona_DeLorme@blm.gov. Those submitting comments electronically should include the identifier “WH&B” in the subject of their message and their name and address in the body of the message.

For additional information regarding the meeting, contact Ramona 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 at any time by calling the Federal Information Relay Service at (800)-877-8339.