BLM to Webcast Two-day Meeting in Phoenix of Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board

The Bureau of Land Management announced today that the March 10-11 meeting of the Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board in Phoenix will be accessible as a Webcast on the Internet for anyone interested in observing the meeting but unable to attend in person.

The live meeting Webcast will be available at: http://blm.gov/webcast on Thursday, March 10, from 1 p. m. to 5 p. m. Mountain Standard Time (3 p. m. to 7 p. m. EST) and from 8 a. m. to 5 p. m. (MST), Friday, March 11 (10 a. m. to 7 p. m. EST). The Webpage will not be activated until Thursday morning, March 10.

The National Wild Horse and Burro 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. This 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 more than 38,000 wild horses and burros that roam BLM-managed rangelands in 10 Western states; the agency also feeds and cares for more than 40,000 horses and burros that are maintained in short-term corrals and long-term Midwestern pastures.

The Advisory Board meets at least twice 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.

Additional information about the meeting is accessible at: http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/info/newsroom/2011/february/NR_02_09_2011.html

The BLM manages more land – over 245 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.