GRANTS, NM - According to the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, the Bureau of Land Management is required to do an annual hearing to consider the use of motorized vehicles in the management of wild horses and burros.
The BLM manages and protects wild horses and burros across 26.9 million acres of public lands in 10 Western states. The BLM will normally use motorized vehicles to complete population surveys and move the animals to keep them and the land they populate healthy. As the herds grow in size, they can outgrow the natural resources available to them on the public lands.
According to the BLM, there were approximately 82,833 on their public lands as of March 1, 2023. This is about three times what is sustainable and healthy for their natural habitats. The BLM will also conduct delivery operations with their vehicles as well, supplying hay and water to the animals as needed. When involving themselves in these activities, the BLM adheres to its Comprehensive Animal Welfare Policy. The public is welcome to be a part of this hearing and submit their comments on the subject.
The hearing is scheduled for May 24 from 3pm to 5pm mountain time. It will be held using Zoom and live-streamed at BLM.gov/live. To provide a comment during the virtual public hearing, members of the public must register in advance by May 23. If you would like to submit a written comment, it may also be sent to BLM_HQ_MotorizedVehicleHearing@ blm .gov.
‘‘Motorized Vehicle Comment’’ should be in the subject line of the email. Comments must also be submitted by 5pm on May 23. More information on the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program can be found at BLM.gov/whb.