BLM Invites the Public to Tour Wild Horse Long-Term Holding Pastures in Kansas

Horseback Magazine

May 9, 2012

OKLAHOMA FIELD OFFICE , (BLM) – The Bureau of Land Management is hosting in June an all-day public tour of two wild horse long-term holding pastures in El Dorado, Kansas, located about 30 miles east of Wichita.  The free tour, which will take place on Saturday, June 9, 2012, will give the public an opportunity to observe wild horses roaming in a pastoral setting across thousands of acres.
The public must make reservations by June 1.  Visitors will be shuttled to the pastures by the BLM from El Dorado; no personal vehicles will be allowed, as the pastures are on private property.
Attendees should wear casual clothes, comfortable shoes, and rain attire if needed.  Cameras and video cameras are welcome.  Lunch may be purchased prior to the tour for up to $3 per person.
Here are details for the tour:
Tour date and time: Saturday, June 9, 2012, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
RSVP date: No later than June 1, 2012
RSVP phone number: 866-468-7826
Pick-up location: Walmart
301 S. Village Rd
El Dorado, KS  67042
Please park in the northwest corner
The BLM estimates that approximately 38,500 wild horses and burros are roaming on BLM-managed rangelands in 10 Western states, based on the latest data available.  Wild horses and burros have virtually no natural predators and their herd sizes can double about every four years.  As a result, the agency must remove thousands of animals from the range each year to control herd sizes.
Off the range, there are more than 47,000 other wild horses and burros that are fed and cared for at 21 short-term corrals and 23 long-term pastures.  (As of February 2012, there are more than 15,600 in corrals and over 31,400 horses in Midwestern pastures.)  Animals gathered off the range are initially taken to short-term corrals to be examined by a veterinarian; receive vaccinations and a freezemark; and prepared to enter the BLM’s adoption program or sent to long-term pastures if they are over the age of six.
The long-term holding ranches under BLM contract range in size from 1,100 acres to 46,000 acres on which the wild horses are free to roam.  All wild horses and burros in holding, like those roaming the public rangelands, are protected by the BLM under the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act.
For more information about the tour or about the program, please call 866-468-7826, visit www.blm.gov and click on the wild horse and burro link, or send an e-mail to wildhorse@blm.gov and put WHB in the subject line.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land – the most of any Federal agency.  This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska.  The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation.  In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends.  In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget.  The BLM’s multiple-use mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.  The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.