Coalition Actions |
More Information: |
|
The Coalition regularly takes direct action in response to emerging issues or events. The following is a record of written comments, press releases, public statements, or other activities taken on behalf of the Coalition.
2017 ActivitiesThe Coalition provided testimony to the Wild Horse & Burro Advisory Board meeting in October 2017 in Grand Junction, CO. The testimony encouraged the Board to emphasize their previous recommendations that would help achieve Appropriate Management Levels.
The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations approved an amendment to the FY18 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill that removed restrictions on the BLM for some management options.
The Coalition issued a statement in response to President Trump's Fiscal Year 2018 Budget Proposal. The statement supports the Administration's request for the removal of appropriations language that restricts the BLM from using all management options authorized under the Wild Free Roaming Horse and Burro Act of 1971, as amended.
The Coalition sent a letter to the BLM Burns District Office supporting the BLM’s stated objective to return and maintain the wild horse population at Stinkingwater Herd Management Area in eastern Oregon to Appropriate Management Levels. The letter, however, expresses the Coalition's concerns regarding the BLM's proposed management action.
Prior to Inauguration Day, the Coalition sent a letter to President-elect Trump offering its assistance and support in improving wild horse and burro management on federal lands. The letter is accompanied by a transition document detailing current management, its historical and legal context, and potential solutions to management challenges.
2016 ActivitiesThe Coalition sent a letter to Congress and the Secretary of the Interior supporting the National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board's recommendation to the BLM to implement sale of all suitable, unadoptable animals without restriction and euthanize those that are unsuitable for sale. The letter also raises concerns about the BLM's swift dismissal of the recommendation.
A letter was sent to members of Congress encouraging them to include within the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2017 provisions to simplify the process for federal agencies, states, and local governments to utilize wild horses and burros as work animals.
A letter was sent to the House of Representatives encouraging members to vote against a proposed amendment to the FY17 Interior Appropriations bill. The amendment was designed to prevent the BLM from implementing its proposed research on sterilization techniques.
The Coalition was called to testify before the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands during an oversight hearing titled Challenges and Potential Solutions for BLM's Wild Horse & Burro Program in June 2016. The testimony highlights the impacts of excess horses and burros to wildlife and rangelands, and outlines several management options Congress and the BLM could consider.
The Coalition was quoted on Western Livestock Journal, 10 June 2016, highlighting the need for Congress to address the growing population of horses and burros and BLM's limited ability to act.
The Coalition was quoted in Oregon's KTVZ News regarding the Wild Horse & Burro Advisory Board meeting in April 2016. The coalition highlighted the importance of rangeland health for multiple uses in an interview with the news station.
The Coalition provided testimony to the Wild Horse & Burro Advisory Board meeting in Redmond, Oregon in April 2016. The testimony focused on the need to manage horses and burros in a manner that ensures sustainable rangeland health.
The Coalition provided testimony to each of the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Interior, Environment & Related Agencies. The Coalition raised concerns regarding the Administration's budget request which only called for the removal of 2,500 horses and burros from rangelands. Our testimony highlighted the need to better manage horses and burro to achieve AML and protect the rangelands.
The Coalition sent a letter in general support of proposed research on various sterilization methods for free-roaming mares. This research can help develop another management tool to balance horse populations with the rangeland ecosystem.
The Coalition launched a public education and information campaign in January 2016. This campaign included the creation of five 30-second commercials, which aired on various media outlets.
2015 ActivitiesCongress has a great deal of responsibility and power to influence the management of our nation's wild horses and burros. The Coalition sent a letter to all 535 Congressional offices urging them to take action that improves the management of our nation's wild horses and burros to protect rangeland health.
The Coalition provided testimony to the Wild Horse & Burro Advisory Board, which is a citizen council that provides recommendations to the Bureau of Land Management. The testimony focused on the need to manage horses and burros in a manner that ensures sustainable rangeland health.
The Coalition provided support in the form of a letter for the BLM White River Field Office's decision to remove excess horses from the West Douglas Herd Area in Colorado.
The Coalition submitted comments to the Bureau of Land Management regarding their Proposed Collection of Information on Wild Horses and Burros, Knowledge and Values Study. The Coalition's comments encouraged the BLM to provide and fairly represent a broad spectrum of management options for study participants to consider.
Public comments were made and testimony submitted to the Wild Horse & Burro Advisory Board meeting in Columbus, Ohio in April 2015. The Coalition's testimony called for actions to achieve the BLM's goal of healthy herds on healthy rangelands.
Testimony was provided to each of the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Interior, Environment & Related Agencies. The Coalition raised concerns regarding the Administration's budget request which only called for the removal of 2,000 horses and burros from rangelands. Our testimony highlighted the need to better manage horses and burro to achieve AML and protect the rangelands.
2013-2014 ActivitiesREQUEST FOR SUPPORT:
Need for Congressional support of Wild Horse & Burro Program, Bureau of Land Management - 6 March 2014 In a recently released internal working document (attached) for the Bureau of Land Management’s Wild Horse & Burro Program, Division Chief Joan Guilfoyle described the current state of the program as “nearing the point of financial insolvency.” She specifically cited challenges resulting from a growing population of horse and burros on the range, increasing program costs, declining adoptions and holding pasture space, and declining appropriations. Although Ms. Guilfoyle may have intended this memorandum to be an internal, working document, it nonetheless points out some very troubling and accurate aspects of the program. The National Horse & Burro Rangeland Management Coalition agrees with Ms. Guilfoyle’s assessment of the program. However, we are deeply concerned with the prioritization of actions Ms. Guilfoyle has outlined in her memo, including the decision to halt the removal of horses and burros from rangelands. Full request... STATEMENT FOR RECORD: National Academies of Sciences Report Findings and Recommendations - 30 August 2013 “The continuation of ‘business-as-usual’ practices will be expensive and unproductive for BLM. Because compelling evidence exists that there are more horses on public rangelands than reported at the national level and that horse population growth rates are high, unmanaged populations would probably double in about 4 years. If populations were not actively managed for even a short time, the abundance of horses on public rangelands would increase until animals became food-limited. Food-limited horse populations would affect forage and water resources for all other animals on shared rangelands and potentially conflict with the multiple-use policy of public rangelands and the legislative mandate to maintain a thriving natural ecological balance… The committee’s conclusions that there are considerably more horses and possibly burros on public lands than reported and that population growth rates are high suggest that the effects of fertility intervention, although potentially substantial, may not completely alleviate the challenges BLM faces in the future in effectively managing the nation’s free-ranging equid populations, given legislative and budgetary constraints.” (NAS Report) Full letter... STATEMENT FOR RECORD: Horse and Burro Coalition Statement on the National Academies of Sciences Report – 7 June 2013 Washington, DC (June 7, 2013) – The National Horse & Burro Rangeland Management Coalition (“the Coalition”) issues the following statement in response to the National Academies of Sciences National Research Council (NRC) report released this week, entitled: “Using Science to Improve the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program: A Way Forward.” This statement may be used to correct some of the misinformation put forth by several nongovernmental organizations and media outlets immediately following the report’s release. Full press release... STATEMENT FOR RECORD: Comments submitted to Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board - 15 March 2013 The National Horse & Burro Rangeland Management Coalition (“Coalition”) is submitting this statement for the meeting record of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board. Formed in 2012, the Coalition is a diverse partnership of 13 wildlife conservation and sportsmen organizations, industry partners, and professional natural-resource scientific societies. We work together to identify proactive and comprehensive solutions to increase effective management of horse and burro populations and mitigate the adverse impacts these wild horses and burros have on healthy native fish, wildlife, and plants, and on the ecosystems on which they depend. Full comment... PRESS RELEASE: Horse and Burro Coalition Responds to NBC’s Wild Horse Stories – 15 March 2013 Recent stories by NBC News (Today Show: Wild horses: Endangered animals or menace, and Cruel or necessary? and NBCNews.com: The true cost of wild horse roundups) portray only select facts and a narrow part of the reality surrounding wild horses and burros on the western range. Full press release... STATEMENT FOR RECORD: BLM Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board Meeting – 7 March 2013 The National Horse & Burro Rangeland Management Coalition (“Coalition”) is submitting this statement for the meeting record of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board. Formed in 2012, the Coalition is a diverse partnership of 13 wildlife conservation and sportsmen organizations, industry partners, and professional natural-resource scientific societies. We work together to identify proactive and comprehensive solutions to increase effective management of horse and burro populations and mitigate the adverse impacts these wild horses and burros have on healthy native fish, wildlife, and plants, and on the ecosystems on which they depend. Full statement... PRESS RELEASE: Horse and Burro Coalition Responds to BLM Policy Changes Regarding Humane Treatment – 4 February 2013 Washington, DC—Feb 4, 2013—The National Horse and Burro Rangeland Management Coalition commends the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for the recent release of four instructional memoranda (IMs) announced February 1st to ensure the humane treatment of animals and greater transparency during horse gathers.Full press release... |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||