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The Bureau of Land Management’s National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board will meet on September 2-3 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to discuss issues relating to the management and protection of wild horses and burros on Western public rangelands.  The two-day meeting will take place on Wednesday, September 2, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and Thursday, September 3, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.  (The meeting times are local time; Oklahoma City is in the Central Time Zone.)  The meeting will be live-streamed athttp://www.blm.gov/live/ .
 
The agenda of the upcoming meeting can be found in the August 3, 2015, Federal Register (at https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2015/08/03/2015-18869/notice-of-wild-horse-and-burro-advisory-board-meeting).  The meeting will be held at the Sheraton Oklahoma City Downtown Hotel, 1 North Broadway Avenue, Oklahoma City OK 73102.  The hotel’s Website address is http://www.sheratonokc.com; its phone number is 405-235-2780.
 
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 and management of these free-roaming animals in a manner that ensures healthy herds at levels consistent with the land’s capacity to support them.  According to the BLM’s latest official estimate, approximately 58,150 wild horses and burros roam on BLM-managed rangelands in 10 Western states.
 
The public may address the Advisory Board on Thursday, September 3, from 10:30 a.m. to noon local time.  Individuals who want to make a statement at Thursday’s meeting should register in person with the BLM by 10:15 a.m. local time, on that same day 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.
 
Speakers should submit a written copy of their statement to the BLM at the addresses below or bring a copy to the meeting.  There will be a Webcam present during the entire meeting and individual comments may be recorded.  Those who would like to comment but are unable to attend may submit a written statement to: 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 the BLM (atwhbadvisoryboard@blm.gov); please include “Advisory Board Comment” in the subject line of the e-mail.
 
For additional information regarding the meeting, please contact Ms. DeLorme, Wild Horse and Burro Administrative Assistant, at 775-861-6583.  Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may reach Ms. DeLorme during normal business hours by calling the Federal Information Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339.
 
The Advisory Board generally meets 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.
 
In its management of wild horses and burros under the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, the BLM is implementing recommendations made by a June 2013 report of the National Academy of Sciences.  For instance, the BLM is taking actions to increase the use of population growth-suppression measures on overpopulated herds roaming Western public rangelands and implementing methods developed by the U.S. Geological Survey for more accurate population estimates.
 
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM's mission is to manage and conserve the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations under our mandate of multiple-use and sustained yield. In Fiscal Year 2014, the BLM generated $5.2 billion in receipts from public lands.