Washington, D.C. – Following today’s release of the long-awaited National Academy of Sciences report on the Wild Horse and Burro Program at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva released the following statement:

“The National Academies report highlights and expands upon many of my concerns with the Bureau’s Wild Horse and Burro Program. BLM cannot continue to spend 70 percent of the program’s budget on roundups and long-term corralling. These unsustainable practices are a waste of taxpayer money and jeopardize the health and safety of wild horses across the West.

“The fact that current management practices are actually increasing population growth is one of the biggest takeaways. This report is a needed wakeup call that should lead to the corrective actions I’ve been requesting for years. Contraception can lower herd size and prevent the terrible practice of  ‘warehousing’ wild horses. There’s no reason not to start meaningful contraception efforts immediately.

“The report finds that the entire program needs to be reevaluated, and I will continue to communicate the importance of reform to Secretary Jewell and leadership at the BLM as we move forward.”

The report, ‘Using Science to Improve the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program: A Way Forward,’ published by the National Research Council, a division of NAS, can be found at http://bit.ly/12t8bta.