October 29, 2020

The Honorable The Honorable Senate United States House of Representatives 516 Hart Senate Office Building 2464 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510-0001 Washington, D.C. 20515-0001

The Honorable The Honorable United States House of Representatives 144 Russell Senate Office Building 522 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510-0001 Washington, D.C. 20515-0001

The Honorable The Honorable United States House of Representatives United States House of Representatives 104 Cannon House Office Building 1330 Longworth House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515-0001 Washington, D.C. 20515-0001The

Re: Wild horses and burros

Dear Senator Cortez Masto, Senator Rosen, Congressman Amodei, Congresswoman Titus Congressman Horsford, and Congresswoman Lee:

The Legislative Committee on Public Lands writes to urge your support of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) 2020 report to Congress. Based on a unanimous vote of the Committee, members specifically support efforts to remove excess horses and burros to appropriate management levels within six years.

On May 8, 2020, the BLM submitted a report to Congress for achieving healthy and sustainable populations of wild horses and burros on public lands. At the time the report was drafted, more than 88,000 wild horses and burros were estimated to be roaming BLM-managed public rangelands—the highest level since receiving federal protection in 1971 and more than three times what is healthy and sustainable for the land. Overpopulated herds are damaging grazing lands, sensitive water sources, and wildlife habitat, and these issues are expected to increase as the population continues to grow.

The primary features of the BLM’s plan include non-lethal methods to reduce populations through gathers and fertility control treatments. Given the size of current population and expected growth rates, it will take a sustained investment from Congress to implement a strategy that will be effective at achieving appropriate management levels within a timeframe consistent with Congressional direction and protecting range and herd health. The longer Congress takes to address the issue, the more it will cost in the long run. October 29, 2020 Page 2

Under the strategy included in the report, annual program costs are expected to rise from $116.81 million in Year 1 to an estimated $238 million by Year 5, continuing to increase thereafter until appropriate management level is achieved. The rise in program costs are primarily attributed to three factors: (1) inflation; (2) holding additional animals in off-range facilities; and (3) efforts to implement fertility control. By doing nothing, the BLM estimates wild horse and burro populations on just BLM-managed public lands could reach 2.8 million by 2040; however, well before reaching this level, the population levels would likely become unsustainable. Failure to appropriately address the issue now will result catastrophic harm to the land, to other species, and to wild horses and burros themselves.

Thank you for your consideration of this matter. Please do not hesitate to contact me or Jered McDonald, Committee Policy Analyst, at (775) 684-6825 or via email at [email protected] if you have any questions or need additional information.

Sincerely,

David R. Parks Chair, Legislative Committee on Public Lands 2019–2020 Legislative Interim

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