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Last updated: 04/04/03

BLM Announces Selection of Members to Wild Horse and
Burro Advisory Board

Public Invited to Board's First Meeting

Bureau of Land Management Director Tom Fry today announced the selection of nine people to serve on the Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board, which will advise the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture on the management and protection of wild horses and burros on the nation's public lands.

"Each of these individuals is highly qualified and represents a particular interest or discipline from across the country," Fry said. "I appreciate their interest in this important program, and I look forward to their professional input."

From more than 60 nominations the Secretaries of Interior and Agriculture selected nine individuals to serve staggered terms, varying from 1-3 years. The Secretaries reappointed four previous board members:

• Fred Burke, Wickenburg, Ariz., Public-at-Large
• Robin Lohnes, Washington, D.C., Wild Horse & Burro Advocacy Group
• Dr. Nat Messer, Columbia, Mo., Wild Horse & Burro Research Veterinarian
• Gary Zakotnik, Eden, Wyo., Livestock Management

The following will fill the remaining five positions:

• Hilleary Bogley, Middleburg, Va., Humane Organization
• J. Wayne Burkhardt, Indian Valley, Idaho, Natural Resources Management
• Brent Eldridge, Ely, Nev., Livestock Management
• Larry Johnson, Sparks, Nev., Wildlife Management
• Richard Sewing, Cedar City, Utah, Wild Horse & Burro Advocacy

Director Fry invites the public to attend the new Board's first meeting which will take place July 11-12 at the BLM-Nevada State Office at 1340 Financial Way in Reno, Nev. On July 11, the meeting will begin at 8 a.m. and end at 5:00 p.m.; on July 12, at 8 a.m. and end at noon.

"This will be the first opportunity for our new Board to examine the current state of BLM's Wild Horse and Burro Program and decide how to move forward with the previous Board's recommendations," Fry said. "Among other things, the Board will look closely at how the Bureau has refined its management strategy to achieve healthy lands and healthy herds."

The Board's Reno meeting agenda will include previous Board's recommendations, summaries of BLM reports, standardizing wild horse and burro adoption processes, program handbooks and manuals, BLM's herd management area data base, animal health issues, and recent emergency gathers.

At the meeting, the public may address the Board starting at 4:00 p.m. on July 11. Individuals making a statement should register either prior to the meeting by calling 775 861-6583 or by signing the registration form at the meeting site by noon, July 11. Depending on the number of speakers, it may be necessary to limit the length of each presentation. Speakers should address specific wild horse and burro issues related to the meeting's agenda and submit a written copy of their statement to the BLM at the meeting. Individuals who would like to comment but are unable to attend the meeting should submit a written statement by July 19 to: Bureau of Land Management, National Wild Horse and Burro Program, WO-260, Attention Ramona Delorme, 1340 Financial Way, Reno, NV 89502-7147.

The BLM manages more land - 264 million surface acres - than any other Federal agency. Most of this public land is located in 12 Western States, including Alaska. The Bureau, which has a budget of $1.4 billion and a workforce of about 8,700 employees, also administers more than 560 million acres of sub-surface minerals estate throughout the nation. The BLM preserves open space by managing the public lands for multiple uses, including outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, and mining, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources found on the public lands. Under the 1971 Wild and Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act, the BLM manages 46,000 wild horses and burros that roam public lands in the West. The law mandates the protection, management, and control of wild horses and burros in a manner that ensures a healthy, viable population of free-roaming herds within the limits of available public land resources.

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