BLM announces new members for the National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board and next meeting in California

The Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service have appointed three members to the National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board, which advises the agencies on the management and protection of wild horses and burros on public lands. The Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board will next meet Jan. 7-9, 2025 at The Officer’s Club in Sacramento, California. 

Dr. Sarah Buckley King of Fort Collins, Colorado has been appointed to represent wild horse and burro research institutions. James French of Winnemucca, Nevada has been re-appointed to represent natural resource management. Finally, Tammy Pearson of Minersville, Utah has been re-appointed to represent public interest. Each individual is appointed to serve a three-year term on the Advisory Board. 

Dr. King is an established and respected scientist and is internationally known as an expert in wild equine behavior and conservation due to her extensive research on both Przewalski’s horses and wild horses and burros, and for her service as co-chair of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission Equid Specialist Group. Dr. King’s research has been presented in more than 60 peer-reviewed publications and at more than 70 conferences over the course of her career.  She has been a member of the Free Roaming Equid and Ecosystem Sustainability Network steering committee since 2020.

French has more than 40 years experience in the management of wildlife on public lands in Nevada, 32 of those years were as a biologist with the Nevada Department of Wildlife. Over the course of his career, he developed a unique understanding of wild horse and burro issues, and has worked with diverse groups to develop land management plans on county, state, and Federal public lands. 

Commissioner Pearson has more than 40 years of experience as a public land rancher in Utah and has worked closely with countless organizations focused on public land issues. She is a founding member of the Free Roaming Equid and Ecosystem Sustainability Network and has participated in National Wild Horse and Burro Summits to address the critical issues of wild horse and burro management. 

The next meeting of the National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board is scheduled for Jan. 7-9 at The Officer’s Club (Ballroom) located at 3410 Westover Street, Sacramento (McClellan), Calif. from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific Time each day. The public may attend the meeting in person or watch via live stream at www.blm.gov/live. 

The public will have an opportunity to make a verbal statement to the Advisory Board in person and virtually via Zoom (audio only) on Tuesday Jan. 7, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. PT and on Wednesday, Jan. 8, from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. PT. Registration is required by Jan. 3 to provide comment via Zoom; those wishing to provide comment in-person may register on-site up to one hour before the comment period commences.  

The public may also submit written comments to the Advisory Board in addition to, or in lieu of, providing verbal comment. Written comments should be submitted to the Advisory Board at blm_wo_advisory_board_comments@blm.gov. Comments emailed three days prior to the meeting will be provided to the Advisory Board for consideration during the meeting.

The BLM will host an educational field tour for the Board on Jan. 9 to the Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center in Elk Grove, Calif. from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Due to limited space, those wishing to attend the educational field tour should register via email to dbooth@blm.gov no later than 5 p.m. PT on December 19, 2024. Those attending the tour should bring their own vehicle and any necessary food, health, and safety items for a half day in the field.

More information about the Advisory Board meeting, including an agenda, can be found in the Federal Register. Additional meeting materials will be posted to the BLM’s website prior to the meeting. 

The National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board is comprised of nine individuals representing a diverse range of stakeholders and interests. The Board provides advice and recommendations to the BLM and U.S. Forest Service as the agencies carry out their responsibilities under the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. The law mandates the protection and management of these free-roaming animals in a manner that ensures healthy herds at levels consistent with the land’s capacity to sustainably support them and other authorized uses of the land. Board members have a demonstrated ability to analyze information, evaluate programs, identify problems, work collaboratively and develop corrective actions. More information about the Advisory Board can be found at BLM.gov/WHB.

For additional information regarding the January Advisory Board meeting, please contact Dorothea Boothe, Acting Wild Horse and Burro Program Coordinator, at 202-912-7654 or at dboothe@blm.gov. Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service at 800-877-8339 during normal business hours.