Wild horse, burro board to meet

RENO - The Bureau of Land Management's Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board meets here Monday and Tuesday.

The board was created to advise the Interior and Agriculture departments on how to best manage and protect wild horses and burros on the nation's public lands.

The meeting will begin at 8 a.m. Monday in the Reno Hilton in downtown Reno. Deputy bureau Director Tom Fry said this will be the final meeting of the present board and that the panel needs to reach agreement on issues including a draft report to congress, the bureau's strategic plan and the status of the National Wild Horse and Burro Center in Palomino Valley north of Reno.

Public comment has been set for 3:45 p.m. Monday for those attending the meeting but written comments to the bureau's Wild Horse and Burro Program will also be accepted.

Bureau officials are looking for people willing to serve on the next advisory board which takes over in January. It will have up to nine members representing advocacy groups, research organizations, veterinary medicine, natural resource management, livestock and the general public.

Nominations and applications must be submitted by Monday.