| Contacts: | Tom Gorey | , 202-912-7420 |
BLM Announces Three Selections for National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board
The Bureau of Land Management announced today that it has made selections for three positions on the National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board. The BLM has chosen Callie Hendrickson of Grand Junction, Colorado, as a new appointee for the category of General Public; June C. Sewing of Cedar City, Utah, as a new appointee for the category of Wild Horse and Burro Advocacy; and Boyd M. Spratling, DVM, of Deeth, Nevada, as a re-appointee to the category of Veterinary Medicine. These individuals will each serve three-year terms as members of the Advisory Board.
Ms. Hendrickson is Executive Director, White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts, and owner and consultant for E-Z Communications. As executive director of the conservation districts, Ms. Hendrickson has extensive experience in addressing public rangeland health concerns for the Colorado Association of Conservation Districts. Her career is focused on natural resource policy development and education. She has served on the Colorado Foundation for Water Education, Mesa County 4-H Foundation, Mesa County Farm Bureau, and the Mesa County Cattlewomen. Ms. Hendrickson replaces Janet M. Jankura.
Ms. Sewing is Executive Director and Secretary for the National Mustang Association, for which she has worked since 1985. Her current responsibilities include management of the association’s wild horse sanctuary. Ms. Sewing has also served as the president of various charitable organizations, as trustee on the Cedar City hospital board for 20 years, and on a local committee dealing with the endangered Utah prairie dog. Ms. Sewing has received a Citizen Volunteer award from the Chamber of Commerce, Board of Realtors, and Southern Utah University. Ms. Sewing replaces Robin Lohnes.
Dr. Spratling is actively engaged in the practice of large animal veterinary medicine in Elko County, Nevada, where he has lived since 1963. He has been involved in the practice of veterinary medicine since he graduated from Washington State University in 1975. Dr. Spratling, a current member of the Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board, has twice served as President of the Nevada Veterinary Medical Association; he also serves on the Board of the Nevada Department of Agriculture.
BLM Director Bob Abbey commended the outgoing members, saying, “Robin Lohnes and Janet Jankura served during challenging times and I commend each of them for moving the BLM forward in its efforts to achieve a ‘new normal’ for the Wild Horse and Burro Program. Robin also deserves kudos for her years of outstanding leadership as chair of the Advisory Board.”
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 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.