| Contacts: | Paul McGuire | , Ofc 405-790-1009 | , Cell 405-826-3036 | |
| paul_mcguire@blm.gov |
Wild Horse & Burro Adoption Heading to Odessa, TX, Nov. 5-7!
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will hold a wild horse and burro adoption in Odessa, Texas, Nov. 5-7, 2009. The three-day event at the Ector County Coliseum will feature over 70 spectacular animals – adult and yearling horses and burros that once roamed free on public lands in the West. The BLM periodically removes excess animals from the range in order to maintain healthy herds and to protect other rangeland resources. The adoption program is essential for achieving these important management goals.
Adoption Schedule - Preview all of the animals Thursday, Nov. 5, from 4 – 6 p.m. Gates reopen Friday, Nov. 6, at 8 a.m., with adoptions starting at 10 a.m., and ending at 6 p.m. Adoptions continue Saturday, Nov. 7, from 8 a.m. – noon.
Adoption Qualifications - Application approval is required and can be done on site. To qualify, one must be at least 18 with no record of animal abuse. Adopters must have suitable facilities and can adopt up to four animals. All animals must be loaded in covered stock-type trailers with swing gates and sturdy walls and floors. BLM staff will be on hand to assist with the short application process.
Adoption Fees - The minimum adoption fee for most animals is $125, as set by law. An auction will be held Friday at 10 a.m. to determine adoption fees for any animals sought by more than one person. Animals not selected during the auction Friday morning will be offered for adoption on a first-come-first-served basis for the flat fee of $125 for the rest of the weekend (no further bidding). Those interested in bidding are encouraged to come Thursday afternoon or early Friday to identify their desired animals and to complete their adoption applications in time.
$500 Adoption Incentive - Odessa will be a test site for a new adoption incentive program in which BLM pays a $500 care-and-feeding allowance to adopters of selected older horses (4 years old +). The allowance is paid in full after one year when adopters receive official ownership title for their horse(s). All standard adoption conditions and fees apply. A limited number of eligible horses will be available at Odessa. Younger horses (under 4 years old), burros and trained animals are not eligible for this incentive. If successful, this incentive program could save taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in long-term pasturing costs.
Wild horses and burros – iconic symbols of America’s western heritage – are renowned for their strength, endurance, agility and intelligence, characteristics bred into them in the wild that make them ideal for work or recreation. Since 1973, the BLM has placed more than 220,000 of these “living legends” in approved homes across the country.
For more information, call toll-free 866-4-MUSTANGS or visit www.blm.gov/nm.
Directions to the Ector County Coliseum & Expo Center: From I-20 take East Loop 338. Go north to 42nd St. (Hwy 191) turn left on 42nd St. The coliseum is at that corner of 42nd St. and Andrews Highway (Hwy 385).
The BLM manages more land - 253 million acres - than any other Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The Bureau, with a budget of about $1 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. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.