NEWS RELEASE

For release: Thursday, Feb. 16, 2006
Contact: Sharon Kipping (202) 452-7753

BLM Asks Public for Nominations to Fill Vacancy On National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board

The Bureau of Land Management is requesting public nominations to fill a vacancy on the National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board. The position to be filled represents the category known as Public Interest (formerly Public at Large), and the selected individual will serve out the remainder of a term that expires July 8, 2008.

The National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board advises the BLM (an agency of the U.S. Interior Department) and the Forest Service (an agency of the U.S. Agriculture Department) on the management, protection, and control of wild horses and burros that roam public lands administered by those agencies.

The nine members on the 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 public interest. Members must also have a demonstrated ability to analyze and interpret data and information, evaluate programs, identify problems, work collaboratively in seeking solutions, and formulate and recommend corrective actions.

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.

Any individual or organization may nominate one or more persons to serve on the Advisory Board. Individuals may also nominate themselves. Nomination letters and resumes should include each nominee?s (1) name, address, phone number, and e-mail address, if applicable; (2) present occupation; (3) explanation of qualifications relevant to representing the public interest; (4) the name of the nominee?s nominating organization or individual (or an indication that the individual is self-nominated); and (5) a list of endorsements by qualified individuals and/or letters of endorsement. Nominations should be sent to the National Wild Horse and Burro Program, Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior, P.O. Box 12000, Reno, Nevada 89520-0006, Attn: Ramona Delorme; phone 775-861-6583 or fax 775-861-6618. All nominations should be submitted by March 31, 2006.

The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act mandates the protection, management, and control of wild horses and burros to ensure a healthy, viable herd population that thrives within the limits of other public land resources and uses. In managing wild horses and burros that roam public lands in the West, the BLM and Forest Service gather excess animals and offer them to the general public for adoption. The BLM also sells older wild horses and burros, in accordance with a law enacted by Congress in December 2004.

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