The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Ridgecrest Field Office will hold a public hearing to present information and gather public comments about the use of motor vehicles or aircraft in the management of wild horses and burros on federal lands in the California Desert. This includes the use of helicopters to assist in both the gathering of animals and obtaining accurate census, as well as the use of motor vehicles for transporting captured animals during gather operations.

The hearing will be held on Thursday, Sept. 23 at the BLM Ridgecrest Field Office, 300 S. Richmond Rd, Ridgecrest, CA 93555 beginning at 6:30 p.m. A BLM representative will explain how BLM implements the use of motorized vehicles and aircraft in the management of wild horses and burros within the California Desert and conduct the public hearing. Questions will be entertained after the hearing has concluded.

The hearing meets the requirement of Section 404 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act that the use of helicopters and motor vehicles in the gather and census of wild horses and burros requires an annual public hearing. For more information on the public hearing or questions about the BLM’s wild horse and burro program, please contact the Ridgecrest Field Office, (760) 384-5434 or David Briery, BLM Public Affairs, (951) 697-5220.