The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board will meet for two days in April in Sacramento, Calif., to discuss issues relating to the management and protection of wild horses and burros on Western public rangelands. The meeting will take place on April 14-15, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (PDT) each day.

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 40,600 wild horses and burros roam on BLM-managed rangelands in 10 Western states.

The BLM recently announced it is seeking research proposals to develop new or improve existing ways of controlling the wild horses' and burros' population growth. The agency BLM has issued a request for applications to alert veterinarians, scientists, universities, pharmaceutical companies, and other researchers of the BLM’s need to develop new, innovative techniques and protocols for implementing population growth-suppression methods. The submission deadline for applications is May 7.

The upcoming advisory board meeting will be held at the Courtyard by Marriott Sacramento Cal Expo, located at 1782 Tribute Road in Sacramento. The meeting's agenda can be found in the March 21 Federal Register