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Special Bulletin:
Ethical Considerations One of the Topics at the
Wild Horse and Burro Conference
Reno, NV- Nov. 4-5, 2009
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The Society for Range Management pulled together an impressive lineup of scientists; public lands stakeholders and permitees; wildlife and resource experts; local, state, and federal government agency leaders; tribal leaders and horse managers; horse advocates and concerned citizens for their 2009 Conference on Wild and Feral Horse and Burro Management and Policy in search of solutions within ecological, biological, and economic realities.
Although Wild, feral, and estray horse and burro management policy
in the US can be very controversial and polarizing, the two days of the conference were ably negotiated by the facilitators who maintained a civil and respectful discourse where the facts were considered, and everyone's input was welcomed.
Natural resource
professionals indicated that the dynamics and limits of natural ecosystems
and current economic realities have collectively given rise to a situation that
will not be sustainable. In the past, the wants and needs of horse owners and
advocates have often been pitted against the policies and requirements of
federal and private land managers. The
consequence is a tremendous burden placed upon the very habitats that sustain
horses and burros as well as all other wildlife species.
Wild
horses and burros have a very high capacity to increase their populations in a
free range scenario. With the domestic economic downturn, privately owned
horses that can no longer be cared for by their owners, and without other
viable disposal options, have been turned loose on public, Indian sovereign,
and private lands, further exacerbating site specific management problems.
Federal budgets designated for horse and burro management have increased, with
incrementally more going to support long-term holding costs of unadoptable
animals.
In
some cases, overpopulation of horses and burros has led to numerous unintended
consequences of the original federal authorization including degradation of
rangeland habitats. This adversely
affects ecosystem functions, biodiversity, and other legally authorized land
uses including other wildlife species that share the same habitats.
The end result of the conference was the unanimous agreement by all in attendance that horses belong on public lands, and general agreement that the current situation is unsustainable. The conference organizers are in the process of compiling the results of the meetings into documents which will be shared with Congress, the federal agencies, state governments, and other stakeholders.
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Ethical Considerations - Talk presented by Sue Wallis to the Wild & Feral Horse Conference
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Click HERE to read the text of Sue Wallis' presentation on the Ethical Considerations around the horse issues at the Wild Horse and Burro Conference.
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