Unintended consequences of the wild fee-roaming horses and burros act

Few images of the West are more iconic than a herd of wild horses galloping across the landscape. The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 ensured these images would continue as living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West. As cultural icons of the West, wild horses hold great emotional significance, often eliciting heated debates and litigation over how these animals should be managed (Kaweck et al. 2018). The goal of protecting wild horses and burros while managing them to achieve a thriving natural ecological balance has challenged the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and US Forest Service (USFS) Wild Horse and Burro Programs since their inception (NRC 2013). Often, the general public is not aware of the complex factors that go into managing U.S. public lands. One primary factor that is frequently misunderstood is that access to most public lands is federally mandated and includes all groups, including the public, ranchers, timber harvesters, native animals, feral horses, etc. Additionally, few understand that the BLM and USFS are required by law to manage public lands to sustain a healthy environment for multiple uses, including horses and burros. The goal of this article is to summarize key factors concerning horse and burro management on public lands to increase our understanding of the many challenges involved.