BIWFC SPONSORED SYMPOSIUM at 2022 TWS CONFERENCE

“Fertility Control to Mitigate Conflicts and Manage Wild Horse and Burro Populations on Public Lands in the U.S.”

The BIWFC and The National Wildlife Research Center organized a symposium titled Fertility Control to Mitigate Conflicts and Manage Wild Horse and Burro Populations on Public Lands in the U.S., at The Wildlife Society’s (TWS) 29th Annual Conference held in Spokane, Washington, USA from November 7 – 10, 2022.

Since the passage “Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971,” managing America’s wild equids has evolved into a fiscal and political quagmire that is now one of the most critical and complex wildlife management issues in the U.S. today. This session explored public knowledge, values and attitudes about wild equid management, stakeholder perspectives and disputes that impact management decisions, the use of multi-objective modeling as a management decision-support tool, and the role fertility control can play in providing effective, sustainable, and widely accepted alternatives for managing wild equid populations on public lands in the U.S.

The presentations included:

Click the photo below to see each video presentation

Wild Horse and Burro Management 101 (Warning: Proceed with Caution!)
Celeste Carlisle, Return to Freedom/Former National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board

Public Knowledge and Opinion of Euthanasia as a Management Option for Wild and Free-Roaming Horses
Nicki Frey, Utah State University, Cedar City, Utah

Free-Roaming Equids and the American Mind; the Role of Strategic Public Engagement in Achieving Healthy Herds on Healthy Rangelands
Terry Messmer, Berryman Institute, Utah State University, Logan, Utah

Multi-Objective Modeling as a Decision-Support Tool for Free-Roaming Horse Management
Kate A. Schoenecker, USGS, Fort Collins, CO

Stakeholder Perspective: Federal Agency Lead on Wild Horse and Burro Management
Teresa Drotar, USDA Forest Service, Fort Collins, Colorado

Stakeholder Perspective: Rangeland Scientist and Former Member of the National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board
Barry L. Perryman, Dept. of Agriculture, Veterinary, and Rangeland Sciences, Reno, NV

Effect of Adult Male Sterilization on the Behavior and Social Associations of Free-Roaming Feral Horses
Sarah King, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado

Optimum Reimmunization Interval for Delivery of GNRH Immunocontraceptive Vaccine (Gonacon-Equine) in Feral Horses (Equus Ferus Caballus) Using Prototype Syringe Darts
Jason Bruemmer, USDA, Fort Collins, CO

Remote-Delivery and Efficacy of ZonaStat-H in Wild Burros of the Black Mountain Herd Management Area in Northwest Arizona
Stephanie Boyles Griffin, The Botstiber Institute for Wildlife Fertility Control, Media, Pennsylvania

The Effects of Immunization Against Oocyte Specific Growth Factors in Mares
Jason Bruemmer, USDA, Fort Collins, CO

The Contraceptive Efficacy of a Self-Assembling Intra-Uterine Device and Its Potential to Control Fertility in Free-Roaming Equids
Karl Hoopes, Utah State University

Wild Horse and Burro Management 101 (Warning: Proceed with Caution!)
Celeste Carlisle, Return to Freedom, National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board

The Contraceptive Efficacy of a Self Assembling Intra-Uterine Device and its Potential to Control Fertility in Free-Roaming Equids
Karl Hoopes, Utah State University

Free- Roaming Equids and the American Mind; The Role of Strategic Public Engagement in Achieving Healthy Herds on Healthy Rangelands
Terry Messmer, The Berryman Institute, Utah State University, Logan, UT