For Immediate Release: April 22, 2003
Contact: Celia Boddington, 202-452-5125
                Vaughn Whatley, 303-239-3766

   Nominations Open for Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Bureau of Land Management is requesting public nominations to fill three vacancies on the national Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board. The categories to be filled represent Wild Horse and Burro Research, National Resources Management, and Livestock Management. Nominations close May 15.

The Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board advises federal managers for the Department of the Interior, through the Bureau of Land Management; and the Department of Agriculture, through the U.S. Forest Service; on the management, protection and control of wild free-roaming horses and burros on public lands administered by the BLM and the U.S. Forest Service.

The nine members on the Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board represent a balance of interests. Each member has knowledge or special expertise that qualifies him or her to provide advice in the following categories: wild horse and burro advocacy, wild horse and burro research, veterinary medicine, natural resources management, humane advocacy, wildlife management, livestock management, and the public at large. Members must also have demonstrated the ability to analyze and interpret data and information, evaluate programs, identify problems, work with collaboration to seek solutions, and formulate and recommend corrective actions.

Advisory Board members serve 3-year terms, on staggered-term basis, with one-third of the Advisory Board subject to appointment each year.

Any individual or organization may nominate one or more persons to serve on the Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board. Individuals may also nominate themselves. According to Section 7 of the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act, federal and state government employees are not eligible to serve on the board.

The Board meets at least two times 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.

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