BLM Announces New Appointments
to National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board
The Bureau of Land Management today announced new appointments to its
National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board. The nine-member board
advises both the BLM (an agency of the U.S. Interior Department) and
Forest Service (an agency of the U.S. Agriculture Department) on the
management, protection, and control of wild horses and burros that roam
Western public rangelands.
New to the Advisory Board is Melissa Scott of Decatur, Tennessee, who
is a teacher, trainer, and competitor in the horse community and an adopter
of a wild horse. Ms. Scott will serve as the public interest representative
on the board, whose members represent a balance of interests.
Newly re-appointed members are Gary Zakotnik of Eden, Wyoming, a rancher
who is the board’s livestock management representative; Larry Johnson
of Reno, Nevada, President of the Coalition for Nevada’s Wildlife,
as well as Director of Nevada Bighorn Unlimited, who serves as the board’s
wildlife management representative; and Richard Sewing of Cedar City,
Utah. Mr. Sewing, who manages the National Mustang Association
ranch and sanctuary, had served as the board’s wild horse and burro
advocacy representative from 2000-2003; as a re-appointed member, he
will now serve as the humane advocacy representative.
Advisory Board members serve three-year terms, on a staggered-term basis,
with one-third of the Board subject to appointment each year. 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. In accordance with Section 7 of the Wild Free-Roaming
Horses and Burros Act of 1971, Federal and state government employees
are not eligible to serve on the board.
The 1971 law mandates the protection, management, and control of wild
horses and burros in a manner that ensures healthy herds at levels consistent
with the land’s capacity to support them. About 31,000 wild horses
and burros roam BLM-managed rangelands in 10 Western states.
The BLM manages more land – 258 million surface acres – than
any other Federal agency. Most of this public land is located in
12 Western states, including Alaska. The Bureau, with a budget
of about $1.8 billion, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface
mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM’s multiple-use
mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands
for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.
include1
|
