4. WILD HORSE AND BURRO ADVISORY BOARD

The WH&B Advisory Board (Board) is provided for in Section 7 of the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act. Since passage of the Act, the BLM and Forest Service have employed the Board periodically to provide recommendations when major program adjustments were needed. The Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture chartered the first Board in 1986 to provide advice on possible solutions to problems in administering the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act. These problems included the need to establish and achieve appropriate population levels for wild horse and burro herds on public lands. A second Board was chartered in 1990 for a two-year term.

Findings:

The Team found wide differences of opinions among the horse advocacy groups, ranchers, and past Board members as to the BLM's ability to fully utilize their advice and counsel without a Federal Advisory and Committee Act (FACA) charter, as would be provided with the appointment of a National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board. The Team conducting this review was restricted to only Federal and State employees to comply with FACA rules.

The Team found a high level of satisfaction among all those interviewed with the past use of the advisory boards, which provided a forum where issues could be raised and discussed. Some of the concerns surfaced during the interviews were:

• The BLM lost a sounding board when the Board was discontinued and the management of the WH&B program has suffered.
• Lack of full representation by diverse interest groups prevents the BLM from building consensus for resolution of issues.
• BLM's recent experience with the Resource Advisory Councils (chartered under FACA) provides further evidence of the value of public interest represented through advisory councils.
• Providing a public forum allows for meaningful dialogue to occur which builds trust and confidence between the public and the BLM.

Recommendations:

The Team recommends:

• A new WH&B Advisory Board be chartered by the Secretary to advise the BLM Director on WH&B issues. The Board should be rechartered on an on-going basis.
• The NPO's WO liaison position be given responsibility for coordinating and communicating with the National WH&B Advisory Board (see Organizational Considerations).