H.C.R. 4 Enrolled

1

WILD HORSE AND BURRO ADVISORY BOARD
2 CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
3 2011 GENERAL SESSION
4 STATE OF UTAH
5 Chief Sponsor: Melvin R. Brown
6 Senate Sponsor: Ralph Okerlund
7
8 LONG TITLE
9 General Description:
10 This concurrent resolution of the Legislature and the Governor urges the United States
11 Secretary of the Interior to have an elected county official as a permanent member of
12 the Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board.
13 Highlighted Provisions:
14 This resolution:
15 . urges the United States Secretary of the Interior to have, as a permanent member of
16 the Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board, an elected county official so that the
17 needs and concerns of the county level of government are represented on the board.
18 Special Clauses:
19 None
20
21 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
22 WHEREAS, the charter of the Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board declares that the
23 objectives and scope of the board are to assist and advise the United States Secretary of the
24 Interior, through the Director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the Secretary of
25 Agriculture, through the Chief of the Forest Service, on wild horse and burro policy
26 formulation and oversight of the Wild Horse and Burro Program;
27 WHEREAS, currently the membership of the Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board is
28 comprised of individuals representing wild horse and burro advocacy, livestock management,
29 humane advocacy, veterinary medicine, wildlife management, wild horse and burro research,

30 and public interest;
31 WHEREAS, on October 7, 2009, Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar announced an
32 initiative "proposing to develop new approaches that will require bold efforts from the
33 Administration and from Congress to put this program on a more sustainable track, enhance the
34 conservation for these iconic animals, and provide better value for the taxpayer";
35 WHEREAS, on June 3, 2010, Bureau of Land Management Director Bob Abbey
36 announced that the BLM "is taking the Federal Wild Horse and Burro Program in an
37 unprecedented new direction, and is seeking in-depth public comment on a Strategy
38 Development Document implementing Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar's Wild Horse and
39 Burro Initiative";
40 WHEREAS, the press release also noted that the "BLM is seeking public input over a
41 60-day comment period", which expires July 31, 2010;
42 WHEREAS, a Wild Horse and Burro Draft Strategy workshop was held in Denver on
43 June 14, 2010, seeking questions and comments from the public and various stakeholder
44 groups;
45 WHEREAS, the manner in which wild horses and burros are managed has, like other
46 public land management policies, a direct impact on the counties where these animals live;
47 WHEREAS, counties support the maintenance of sustainable, healthy populations of
48 these "symbols of the American West" on public lands, but these herds must be managed in a
49 manner that does not harm the resource or negate the multiple use of these lands;
50 WHEREAS, it is apparent that the BLM, in order to comply with Secretary Salazar's
51 initiative, will be making changes to the policies that govern the Wild Horse and Burro
52 Program;
53 WHEREAS, it is vital that counties have a voice in the formulation of these new
54 policies;
55 WHEREAS, the adoption of well intended but misguided policies for the management
56 of wild horses and burros on public lands that lead to restrictions on other uses of these lands
57 would negatively impact the counties in which these animals exist;

58 WHEREAS, recreational activities on public lands, as well as agriculture and livestock
59 operations, could be limited or eliminated by these anticipated new policies creating harm to
60 both the economy and quality of life of rural counties; and
61 WHEREAS, adding the voice of an elected county official to the Wild Horse and Burro
62 Advisory Board, the board responsible for assisting and advising the director of the BLM on
63 the development of the managed policies, is critical and necessary to achieve sound policy
64 regarding the management of wild horse and burro populations:
65 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
66 Governor concurring therein, urge the United States Secretary of the Interior to have, as a
67 permanent member of the Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board, an elected county official so
68 that the needs and concerns of the county level of government are represented on the board.
69 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the United
70 States Secretary of the Interior and to the Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board.