Skip to main content

Currently Skimming:

1 Free-Ranging Horses and Burros in the Western United States
Pages 13-30

The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.


From page 13...
... welfare in keeping with the multiple-use management concept of public lands." In addition, horses and burros were ­ to be managed at "the minimal feasible level." Management should "achieve and maintain 1 The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 also pertains to free-ranging horses and burros found on public lands administered by the U.S. Forest Service.
From page 14...
... . The charge called on the Committee to Review the Bureau of Land Management Wild Horse and Burro Management Program to investigate the annual rates of growth in the animal populations, the implications of genetic diversity for their long-term health, and how they interact with the environment.
From page 15...
... . FIGURE 1-2  Burro population reported by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
From page 16...
... 4. Annual rates of wild horse and burro population growth: Evaluate estimates of the annual rates of i ­ncrease in wild horse and burro herds, including factors affecting the accuracy of and uncertainty related to the estimates.
From page 17...
... The Committee to Review the Bureau of Land Management Wild Horse and Burro Management Program was asked to build on the findings in those three reports. Appendix B contains a summary of findings of the earlier studies that overlap with the statement of task for the Committee to Review the Bureau of Land Management Wild Horse and Burro Management Program.
From page 18...
... In addition to the information gathered at its meetings, committee members examined peer-reviewed scientific literature on free-ranging horses and burros, particularly literature published since the previous National Research Council reports were completed. The committee analyzed data on free-ranging horse and burro populations and genetics that it received from BLM and from E
From page 19...
... The committee did not limit itself to research and data on free-ranging horses and burros in the western United States. It also consulted studies on free-ranging horses and burros on the barrier islands off the East Coast of the United States, particularly the herds on Assateague Island and Shackleford Banks.3 Those populations are not under BLM management and are not subject to the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971, but results of research on the herds, which in many cases have been studied much more often and thoroughly than BLM herds, were relevant to the conclusions drawn by the committee.
From page 20...
... As a committee established under the auspices of the National Research Council, the Committee to Review the Bureau of Land Management Wild Horse and Burro Management Program was constituted to answer science-based questions. Although the answers to science-based questions inform policy decisions, it is the role of decision-makers to weigh the values associated with the possible outcomes of management actions.
From page 21...
... In the context of the committee's study, free-ranging horses and burros under BLM management, whether or not they are considered a species reintroduced into North America, are protected by the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act and therefore have the protection stipulated in the law, that is, to their known territorial limits as of 1971. Regarding evaluations of gather techniques, the effects of gathers on horses and burros, and the condition of animals placed in long-term holding facilities, such a study would be better conducted by a committee specifically constituted with the expertise to assess animal welfare.
From page 22...
... , BLM sets an appropriate management level (AML) for each HMA, the numeric population range at which the agency has determined a herd can be maintained in healthy condition without adversely affecting a thriving natural ecological balance.
From page 23...
... NV3  Johnnie, Red Rocks, Wheeler Pass (managed by the Bureau of Land Management with Spring Mountain Wild Horse Territory) NV4  Fish Lake Valley (managed by the Bureau of Land Management with U.S.
From page 24...
... , Tilly Creek UT3  North Hills (managed by the Bureau of Land Management with the North Hills Wild Horse Territory) WY1 Adobe Town, Salt Wells Creek WY2  Divide Basin, Lost Creek, Stewart Creek, Antelope Hills, Green Mountain, Crooks Mountain WY3 Dishpan Butte, Muskrat Basin, Conant Creek, Rock Creek Mountain WY4 White Mountain, Little Colorado DATA SOURCE: Mapping data and complex information provided by the Bureau of Land Management.
From page 25...
... . they pertain to free-ranging horse and burro management are discussed in Chapter 7 (see section "The History of Appropriate Management Levels")
From page 26...
... BLM has used the contraceptive porcine zona pellucida in mares since 2004, but it has been administered to so few animals that it has had no effect on population size. Since the earlier National Research Council reports were published (NRC, 1980, 1982,
From page 27...
... Chapter 5 summarizes the research on genetic diversity in free-ranging horse and burro populations in the western United States. Much work has been conducted since the earlier National Research Council reports were published, and genetic-testing capabilities have advanced.
From page 28...
... The issue of the horse as native to North America is also addressed in the chapter. Chapter 9 uses the report's findings to suggest a sustainable path forward for the Wild Horse and Burro Program built on scientific research.
From page 29...
... Presentation to the National Academy of Sciences' Commit tee to Review the Bureau of Land Management Wild Horse and Burro Management Program, October 27, Reno, NV.


This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More information on Chapter Skim is available.