FW: Wild Horse Management Plan

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> Information_Washington Re: Wild Horse Management Plan> louis_gambogi Tue, 15 Jul 2008 08:32:59 -0400> > Hello,> > Thank you very much for your comments regarding the Bureau of Land> Management’s Wild Horse and Burro Program.> > > The Bureau of Land Management is facing a number of difficult challenges in> the National Wild Horse and Burro Program. Our goal in the West is to> manage healthy, free-roaming herds on healthy rangelands; however, it is> becoming increasingly difficult to do so.> > > Wild horses and burros in the West have virtually no natural predators and> their herd sizes can double about every four years. As a result, the agency> must remove thousands of animals from Western public rangelands each year> to ensure that herd sizes are consistent with the land’s capacity to> support them. As of June 2008, there are more than 30,000 wild horses and> burros that are fed and cared for at short-term and long-term holding> facilities. It is essential to keep the BLM’s wild horse and burro program> in balance. Right now, the cost of keeping these animals in holding> facilities is spiraling out of control and preventing the agency from> successfully managing other parts of the program. For example, this fiscal> year, holding costs will exceed $26 million, more than three-fourths of the> BLM’s congressional appropriation of about $37 million for this program.> > > In addition, rising energy prices have increased costs. In one year alone,> energy costs for transportation and feed have increased almost $4 million.> It is clear the agency cannot continue current removal and holding> practices under existing and projected budgets. Neither can the BLM allow> horses to multiply unchecked on the range without causing an environmental> disaster. That's why the BLM is exploring options to exercise its legal> authority to (1) sell older and certain other unadopted animals “without> limitation” to any willing buyers and (2) euthanize those wild horses and> burros for which no adoption demand exists. We know this is not a popular> option, but we are at a critical point where we must consider using the> legal authorities allowed us.> > > The BLM welcomes your input as we work to improve the program and the> welfare of the West’s wild horses and burros within our budget. For every> comment to be officially recorded we ask you to leave feedback on this> program, please go to:> > > http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/wild_horse_and_burro/feedback.html> > > or call 1-800-710-7597.> > > Thank you again for your participation!>