BLM Wild Horses General Population Discussion Guide - DRAFT

Introductions and Code of Conduct

Time: 10 minutes

Introduction to Study
Hello, I am [NAME OF MODERATOR] from Ipsos, the research company.
We are conducting a study with the Bureau of Land Management to better understand the
values, attitudes, and knowledge of the general population with respect to wild horses and
their public management.
Everything you say will be completely confidential and we will not share your personal details
with anyone from another organization.
We will also be recording this group so that we can later refer back to the recording to write our
report. The recording will not be shared outside of Ipsos and will be destroyed after we write
our report.
Do you have any questions for me before the group begins?
[Brief introductions among focus group participants]

General Knowledge of Wild Horses and Burros

25 min

What proportion of land in Western states do you think is owned/managed by the federal
government?

What do you think the land is used for and how do you think it is managed? [If BLM isnt
mentioned, introduce the agency and its responsibilities, and then solicit responses regarding
awareness]

To change subjects a bit, what are the first things that come to mind when it comes to freerange wild horses in the United States?

Have you heard anything in the news, or amongst your colleagues, friends, or acquaintances,
about wild horses? PROBE ON details, opinions

Have you ever dealt with wild horses in any capacity? If so, how?

What are your views about free-range wild horses? PROBE ON Does it matter to you if they
are protected/preserved? Why or Why not? What costs do you think are associated with
protecting wild horses? How, if it all, do you think wild horses affect the land in the areas where
they live? Do you think, right now, there are too few or too many?

Understanding of Government Policies toward Wild Horses and Burros

20 min

Is the government currently involved in managing free-range wild horses?

Have you heard or read about any federal government programs relating to the wild horse
population?....PROBE ON knowledge of programs and their purpose

(IF ANY ANSWER YES) How familiar are you with this program? What types of things have you
heard about the Wild Horse and Burro program?

What do you think are the key responsibilities of this program? PROBE ON knowledge of the
programs history, purpose, and/or policies?

(ASK ONLY IF ANYONE IS FAMILIAR WITH THE WH&B program) If you had to assess the overall
performance of BLM at managing the wild horse and burro population on the lands for which it
is responsible, what would your assessment be?

(ASK ONLY IF ANYONE IS FAMILIAR WITH THE WH&B program) What has BLM done well?
Where does it need to improve?
[BRIEFLY INTRODUCE WILD HORSE AND BURRO PROGRAM. HAVE PARTICIPANTS READ A 1PAGE DESCRIPTION OF THE PROGRAM AND THE CHOICES MANAGERS FACE (INCLUDING
POSITIONS OF KEY STAKEHOLDERS). THEN REVIEW ORALLY AND ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS
ABOUT THE DESCRIPTION.]

Concepts

20 min

We are going to be conducting a survey to ask the general public about their opinions on the
subject of wild horses, and as part of that, we want to be able to communicate some of the
background information. Id like to get your help in trying to explain some concepts to people.
[PROVIDE GLOSSARY/FACT SHEET AND THEN DISCUSS EACH CONCEPT, GETTING FEEDBACK
ON POTENTIAL CONTROVERSIES AROUND ISSUES (such as allocation of AUMs, use of
fertility vaccination, and use of helicopters for gathers]:
- Herd Management Areas
- Herd Areas
- Animal Unit Month
- Appropriate Management Level
- Freeze marks
- Gathers (also called removals)
- Gentling wild horses
- Off range corrals
- Off range pastures
- Fertility-control vaccination
- Neutering and spaying of horses

Reassessment of BLM

15 min

Having discussed a number of the issues involved in managing the wild horse and burro
population, Id like to go back to your views about BLM.

Given what weve discussed, what do you think about the general mission of the Wild Horse
and Burro program, to ensure that healthy [wild horse and burro] herds thrive on healthy
rangelands? What does that mean to you?

Do you think this should be a BLM priority? How high a priority should it be for BLM?

Is BLM fulfilling that mission right now? PROBE ON why or why not? How should it better do
so?

Valuation Exercises and Survey Items

25 min

The National Academy of Sciences estimates that horse populations double every four years
and they have virtually no natural predators. One concern is that over-grazing will damage
ecosystems so badly that itll take decades for them to recover. This could contribute to
wildlife species becoming endangered (such as sage grouse) and reduce hunting opportunities.
Some are concerned that having high numbers of horses will mean the range cannot support
livestock grazing. This could lead to higher prices for products like beef, wool, and leather.
Another concern is that many wild horses could die of thirst or starvation when their numbers
get too high. On the other hand, some people feel that the impact of wild horses on the
environment is exaggerated and unfairly favors the interests of ranchers and hunters. Horses
are charismatic animals, loved by many. With all these different views, it can be difficult to
agree on how wild horses and burros should be managed. Also, there are costs associated
with all the actions that can be taken to manage wild horses and burros.

How much does this situation concern you? [PROBE: Why or Why not?]

How likely do you think it is that if the BLM didnt do anything to reduce the population of wild
horses on rangelands, each of the outcomes we talked about above would happen?
[MODERATOR WRITES EACH OUTCOME ON WHITE BOARD OR EASEL AND INVITES
RESPONSES. IF ONLY QUALITATIVE RESPONSES (.e.g. Very likely, not very likely, it wont
happen,) ASK THEM TO ASSIGN A NUMBER/PERCENTAGE TO THE LIKELIHOOD. DISCUSS
WHAT PERCENTAGES MEAN (When we say its 50% likely, what does that mean?)]

[MODERATOR HANDS OUT SHEETS OF PAPER] Please write down how much more you would
be willing to pay in taxes in a year to fund BLM programs that would help reduce the horse
population to a sustainable level and then keep it at that level. For the time being, please dont
worry about what the program might involve. Well discuss different options later.
[MODERATOR COLLECTS SHEETS AND WRITES DOWN AMOUNTS ON WHITE BOARD OR
EASEL THEN LEADS DISCUSSION OF AMOUNT. PROBE ON WHY PEOPLE CHOSE THE
AMOUNTS THEY DID AND WHETHER THEY THINK THE AMOUNTS SUGGESTED WOULD BE
SUFFICIENT TO ACHIEVE THE OBJECTIVE]
3

If the federal budget increased by $10,000,000 (Ten Million Dollars), how much of that would
you allocate to the following needs: [MODERATOR HAND OUT SHEETS WITH ITEMS AND
TOTAL DOLLAR AMOUNT]
- protecting public health
- protecting national security
- protecting the environment
- maintaining national parks, monuments, and recreation areas
- helping the needy
- educating children

[DISCUSS. PROBE ON REASONS FOR ALLOCATIONS]

Right now, less than 1 percent of the Federal budget goes to the Department of Interior, and
less than 1 percent of that goes to managing wild horses and burros. For every $1 billion the
government spends, about $21 thousand goes to managing wild horses. Does that seem too
high? Too low? About right?

[EXERCISE] BLM has a fixed amount of resources to manage wild horses. This exercise looks at
how you would allocate a hypothetical $10,000,000 to control population growth or carry out
other activities. You can divide the money any way you like among the four options below.

1. Spay. Gather horses by helicopter, spay the mares, and release them back onto the range. A
spayed mare will not have any more foals. Enough mares will be left un-spayed to maintain a
healthy population size. $10,000,000 would allow for about 2700 mares to be spayed.
2. Vaccinate. Gather horses by helicopter, inject mares with a contraceptive vaccine, and release
them back on the range. The vaccine is effective for one year, so treatments must be repeated
yearly. Enough mares will be left un-vaccinated to maintain a healthy population size.
$10,000,000 would allow for about 3,500 mares to be treated with contraceptive vaccine
with 1 year of effectiveness.
3. Remove. Gather horses by helicopter, remove them from the range and care for them in
facilities located off the range. Horse populations double every four years, so removals will
need to be done regularly to control population growth. $10,000,000 would allow for about
200 animals to be removed and housed off-range for the remainder of their lives.
4. Other. If there are other activities to which you would prefer to allocate funds, please identify
them.
REMINDER: $10,000,000 would allow for about 2,700 mares to be spayed or about 3,500
mares to be treated with contraceptive vaccine with 1 year of effectiveness or about 200
animals to be removed and housed off-range for the remainder of their lives.
[Additional information if needed: The cost to spay or treat with contraceptive vaccine
includes the cost of gathering the animals and carrying out the procedures. The vaccine to be
used is PZP-22. The cost to remove an animal from the range includes the cost of gathering
the animal by helicopter, transporting it, and assumes the animal is cared for in a corral for 25
years (a typical life-span for horses removed from the range). While most of wild horses in
BLM care are housed on pastures, it is becoming difficult to find enough pasture space.]
[PROBE TO ENSURE DISCUSSION OF HOW PEOPLE UNDERSTAND OPTIONS, WHAT
INFORMATION THEY NEED TO HELP MAKE DECISIONS, AND REASON FOR DECISIONS]
4

For Fiscal Year 2014, Congress allocated $77.2 million to the Wild Horse and Burro program.
Do you think the total amount of money allocated to BLM to manage the wild horse and burro
population should be increased? (PROBE: If so, by how much?)

What other issues regarding BLMs management of the wild horse and burro population on
public lands do you think we should discuss? What are your thoughts on those issues?

Thank you for your time!

BLM Wild Horses Stakeholders Discussion Guide - DRAFT

Introductions and Code of Conduct

Time: 10 minutes

Introduction to Study
Hello, I am [NAME OF MODERATOR] from Ipsos, the research company.
We are conducting a study with the Bureau of Land Management to better understand the
values, attitudes, and knowledge of stakeholder groups with respect to wild horses and their
public management.
Everything you say will be completely confidential and we will not share your personal details,
or any information about your organization or programs, with anyone from another
organization.
We will also be recording this group so that we can refer back to the recording to write our
report later. The recording will not be shared outside of Ipsos and will be destroyed after we
write our report.
Do you have any questions for me before the group begins?
[Brief introductions among focus group participants]

General Knowledge of and Exposure to Wild Horses and Burros

15 min

What are the first things that come to mind when it comes to free-roaming wild horses in the
United States?

[For groups *other* than advocates] Have you ever dealt with wild horses or policies related
to them in any capacity? If so, how?

[For advocates] How did you get involved in advocacy relating to wild horses?

What sorts of information if any have you heard in the news, through social media, or
amongst your colleagues, friends, or acquaintances, about wild horses?....PROBE ON details,
opinions

What do you think are the major issues pertaining to wild horses in the US?

Understanding of Wild Horse and Burro Program

30 min

As you might know, the Bureau of Land Management in the Department of the Interior runs a
Wild Horse and Burro program on some public lands.

How familiar are you with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)?

Have you had any experiences interacting with the BLM? If so, could you describe?

How familiar are you with the Bureau of Land Managements Wild Horse and Burro
program?...PROBE ON knowledge of the programs history and/or purpose, knowledge of
specific aspects or policies of the program, knowledge of general roles and responsibilities of
the program

What types of things have you heard about the Wild Horse and Burro program?PROBE ON
- herd sizes and population growth
- activities to manage wild horse herds
- removals of animals from the range (also called gathers) by helicopter or bait trapping
- care/well-being after removal (care of horses removed from the range; adoptions and sales of
wild horses)

If you had to assess the overall performance of BLM at managing the wild horse and burro
population on the lands for which it is responsible, what would your assessment be?

What has BLM done well? Where does it need to improve?

What have been your primary sources of information on the BLM and on wild horses?

Attitudes toward Specific Issues

35 min

Weve talked about some of the major issues involving wild horses and burros on public lands.
Now, we want to better understand your opinions about how these issues should be managed.

To start off, what do you think about the general mission of the Wild Horse and Burro
program, to ensure that healthy [wild horse and burro] herds thrive on healthy rangelands?
What does that mean to you?

Is BLM fulfilling that mission right now? PROBE ON why or why not?
Now wed like to discuss some more specific issues and policies:
The Federal Land Policy and Management Act requires that BLM manage lands for a variety of
uses including wildlife habitat and livestock grazing. The Wild Horse and Burro Act requires
that the BLM protect and manage wild horses and burros. The Act requires the BLM to
manage wild horses and burros in a manner designed to achieve thriving natural ecological
2

balance. What are your thoughts on how BLM should meet these requirements?

When BLM determines that the number of horses in an area exceeds the population the land
can sustain, what do you think BLM should do?

Some people propose using a fertility vaccine to limit the wild horse and burro population
growth. What are your thoughts on this approach?

Some people propose neutering or spaying wild horses to limit population growth. What are
your thoughts on this approach?

What should BLM do with horses that have been removed from rangelands? PROBE ON
Adoption, sales, remain in Government care? Who should take care of them? Why should pay
for their care?)

Should BLM encourage greater adoption of adoptable horses removed from rangelands? If so,
what would be the best ways to do that?

VALUATION EXERCISE

35 min

[EXERCISE] BLM has a fixed amount of resources to manage wild horses. This exercise looks at
how you would allocate a hypothetical $10,000,000 to control population growth or carry out
other activities. You can divide the money any way you like among the four options below.

1. Spay. Gather horses by helicopter, spay the mares, and release them back onto the range. A
spayed mare will not have any more foals. Enough mares will be left un-spayed to maintain a
healthy population size. $10,000,000 would allow for about 2,700 mares to be spayed.
2. Vaccinate. Gather horses by helicopter, inject mares with a contraceptive vaccine, and release
them back on the range. The vaccine is effective for one year, so treatments must be repeated
yearly. Enough mares will be left un-vaccinated to maintain a healthy population size.
$10,000,000 would allow for about 3,500 mares to be treated with contraceptive vaccine
with 1 year of effectiveness .
3. Remove. Gather horses by helicopter, remove them from the range and care for them in
facilities located off the range. Horse populations double every four years, so removals will
need to be done regularly to control population growth. $10,000,000 would allow for about
200 animals to be removed and housed off-range for the remainder of their lives.
4. Other. If there are other activities to which you would prefer to allocate funds, please identify
them.
REMINDER: $10,000,000 would allow for about 2700 mares to be spayed or about 3500
mares to be treated with contraceptive vaccine with 1 year of effectiveness or about 200
animals to be removed and housed off-range for the remainder of their lives.
[Additional information if needed: The cost to spay or treat with contraceptive vaccine
includes the cost of gathering the animals and carrying out the procedures. The vaccine to be
used is PZP-22. The cost to remove an animal from the range includes the cost of gathering
the animal by helicopter, transporting it, and assumes the animal is cared for in a corral for 25
3

years (a typical life-span for horses removed from the range). While most of wild horses in
BLM care are housed on pastures, it is becoming difficult to find enough pasture space.]
[PROBE TO ENSURE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND OPTIONS, WHAT INFORMATION THEY NEED TO
HELP MAKE DECISIONS, AND REASON FOR DECISIONS]

For Fiscal Year 2014, Congress allocated $77.2 million to the Wild Horse and Burro program.
Do you think the total amount of money allocated to BLM to manage the wild horse and burro
population should be increased? PROBE If so, by how much?

What other issues regarding BLMs management of the wild horse and burro population on
public lands do you think we should discuss? What are your thoughts on those issues?

Information and Communications

10 min

Other than what has already come up in the discussion, is there anything else you think the
BLM should do differently? Other suggestions for improving their management/operations?

How effective is BLM at consulting the public in its decision making process regarding issues
such as those we have been discussing? PROBE ON seeking input and communicating
reasoning behind decisions

How can BLM improve in these areas?

- Seeking input
- Communicating information PROBE ON type, format, media

BLM Wild Horses In-Depth Interview Guide - DRAFT

Introductions and Code of Conduct

Time: 2-3 minutes

Introduction to Study
Hello, I am [NAME OF INTERVIEWER] from Ipsos, the research company.
We are conducting a study with the Bureau of Land Management to better understand the
values, attitudes, and preferences of stakeholders including leaders of organizations such as
yours with respect to wild horses and their public management.
Everything you say will be completely confidential and we will not share your personal details,
or any information about your organization or programs, with anyone from another
organization.
We will also be recording this conversation so that we can refer back to the recording to write
our report later. The recording will not be shared outside of Ipsos and will be destroyed after
we write our report.
Do you have any questions for me before we begin?

Professional background and interests

10-15 min

Could you briefly describe the mission of your organization and your personal role within it?

[For stakeholders *other* than advocates] How did you get interested or involved in this
field?

[For advocates] How did you get interested/involved in advocacy relating to wild
horses?....PROBE ON other work he/she has done related to the subject

What would you say are your organizations top policy priorities? Why are these issues
important?....PROBE ON details, opinions

Understanding of Wild Horse and Burro Program

20 min

As you might know, the Bureau of Land Management in the Department of the Interior runs a
Wild Horse and Burro program on some public lands.

How familiar are you with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)?

Have you personally or with your organization had any experiences interacting with the
BLM? If so, could you describe?

How familiar are you with the Bureau of Land Managements Wild Horse and Burro
program?...PROBE ON knowledge of the programs history and/or purpose, knowledge of
specific aspects or policies of the program, knowledge of general roles and responsibilities of
the program

What types of things have you heard about the Wild Horse and Burro program?PROBE ON
- herd sizes and population growth
- activities to manage wild horse herds
- removals of animals from the range (also called gathers) by helicopter or bait trapping
- care/well-being after removal (care of horses removed from the range; adoptions and sales of
wild horses)

If you had to assess the overall performance of BLM at managing the wild horse and burro
population on the lands for which it is responsible, what would your assessment be?

What has BLM done well? Where does it need to improve?

What have been your primary sources of information on the BLM and on wild horses?

Attitudes toward Specific Issues

25 min

Weve talked about some of the major issues involving wild horses and burros on public lands.
Now, we want to better understand your opinions about how these issues should be managed.

To start off, what do you think about the general mission of the Wild Horse and Burro
program, to ensure that healthy [wild horse and burro] herds thrive on healthy rangelands?
What does that mean to you and those you work with?....PROBE ON
agreements/disagreements

Do you believe that BLM is fulfilling that mission right now? PROBE ON why or why not?
Now wed like to discuss your opinion on more specific issues and policies:

The Federal Land Policy and Management Act requires that BLM manage lands for a variety of
2

uses including wildlife habitat and livestock grazing. The Wild Horse and Burro Act requires
that the BLM protect and manage wild horses and burros. The Act requires the BLM to
manage wild horses and burros in a manner designed to achieve thriving natural ecological
balance. What are your thoughts on how BLM should meet these requirements?

When BLM determines that the number of horses in an area exceeds the population the land
can sustain, what do you think BLM should do?

Some people propose using a fertility vaccine to limit the wild horse and burro population
growth. What are your thoughts on this approach?

Some people propose neutering or spaying wild horses to limit population growth. What are
your thoughts on this approach?

What should BLM do with horses that have been removed from rangelands? PROBE ON
Adoption, sales, remain in Government care? Who should take care of them? Who should pay
for their care?)

Should BLM encourage greater adoption of adoptable horses removed from rangelands? If so,
what would be the best ways to do that?

Considering that BLM has a fixed amount of resources to manage wild horses, which types of
wild horse management strategies do you think should be prioritized in terms of allocating
funds? PROBE ON spaying, vaccinating, removal to care facilities, other strategies

For Fiscal Year 2014, Congress allocated $77.2 million to the Wild Horse and Burro program.
Do you think the total amount of money allocated to BLM to manage the wild horse and burro
population should be increased? PROBE If so, by how much?

What other issues regarding BLMs management of the wild horse and burro population on
public lands are important to you? PROBE: Why? What are your thoughts on those issues?

Information and Communications

5-10 min

Other than what we have already discussed, is there anything else you think the BLM should
do differently? Other suggestions for improving their management/operations?

How effective is BLM at soliciting and considering the views of the public or major
stakeholders in its decision making process regarding issues such as those we have been
discussing? PROBE ON seeking input and communicating reasoning behind decisions

How can BLM improve in these areas?

- Seeking input
- Communicating information PROBE ON type, format, media