News Release    

For Release: Friday, Feb. 1, 2008     
Contact: Tom Gorey (202-452-5137)

BLM Sets Meeting of National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board for February 25 in Tucson

The Bureau of Land Management’s National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board will meet on Monday, February 25, 2008, in Tucson, Arizona, to discuss issues relating to the management, protection, and control of wild horses and burros on western public rangelands.  The one-day meeting will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., local time, at the Radisson Suites Tucson, 6555 E. Speedway Blvd., Tucson, Arizona 85710.
 
The advisory board provides input and advice to the BLM as it carries out its responsibilities under the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act.  The law mandates the protection, management, and control of these free-roaming animals in a manner that ensures healthy herds at levels consistent with the land’s capacity to support them.  The BLM manages about 29,000 wild horses and burros that roam BLM-managed rangelands in 10 western states.
 
The public may address the advisory board at the February 25 meeting at an appropriate point in the agenda, which is expected to be about 3 p.m., local time.  Individuals who want to make a statement should register with the BLM by noon on the day of the meeting at the meeting site.  Depending on the number of speakers, the board may limit the length of presentations, set at three minutes for previous meetings.
 
The agenda of the meeting can be found in the January 25, 2008, Federal Register. 

Speakers must submit a written copy of their statement to the BLM at the meeting; those who would like to comment but are unable to attend may submit a written statement by February 15, 2008, to: Bureau of Land Management, National Wild Horse and Burro Program, WO-260, Attention: Ramona DeLorme, 1340 Financial Boulevard, Reno, Nevada, 89502-7147.  Comments may also be e-mailed to: Ramona_DeLorme@blm.gov.  Those submitting comments electronically should include the identifier “WH&B” in the subject of their message and their name and address in the body of the message.
 
For additional information regarding the meeting, please contact Ramona DeLorme, wild horse and burro administrative assistant, at 775-861-6582.  Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may reach Ms. DeLorme at any time by calling the Federal Information Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339.
 
The advisory 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.  

– BLM –