Wild Horse and

Burro Population

Viability

By: Linda Coates-Markle

Program Specialist

Montana State Office, BLM 

The first in a series of 13

Resource Notes based on

transactions from the Wild

Horse and Burro Population

Viability Forum, a Bureau

of Land Management

Sponsored Event, April 21,

1999, Fort Collins, Colorado

Background

The intent of the Forum was

to provide a unique opportunity for useful discussion and

strategy development on important conceptual and practical

topics pertaining to population

viability. Our approach included

thought-provoking, sciencebased presentations, followed

by in-depth question and

answer sessions between scientific

researchers, Bureau of Land

Management Horse Program

specialists and managers,

Advisory Board members, and

interested members of the

public. Program organization

and facilitation was handled

by Linda Coates-Markle,

Montana/Dakotas State

Program Specialist. This

Resource Note is the first in a

series of thirteen Notes to

summarize the issues of the

Forum. It serves as an index

guide for Notes in the series.

Goals and Focus 

for the Forum

Session 1 (Resource Notes 24-

26): Identify and define the

equine resource. Are there

unique genetic resources, and/or

smaller populations, in need of

genetic conservation efforts or

are we dealing primarily with

larger metapopulations where

genetic conservation is not a critical issue? Draw inference from

wild equids of Africa and Asia. In

other words, comparisons to

other wild equid populations

may help us to define and further

understand critical inbreeding

and/or density dependent issues.

Resource Note #24 -

Conservation Issues for Wild

Zebras, Asses, and Horses in

Africa and Asia- Dr. Patricia

Moehlman, IUCN/SSC

Equid Specialist Group.

Resource Note #25 -

Deciding Which Feral Horse

Populations Qualify as

Genetic Resources - Dr. Phil

Sponenberg, VirginiaMaryland Regional College

of Veterinary Medicine.

Resource Note #26 - Density

Dependence in Population

Dynamics of Feral Horses -

Dr. Stephen Jenkins,

University of Nevada, Reno.

Session 2 (Resource Notes 27-

29): Clarify genetic terms and

issues such as Effective

Genetic Population (Ne) size

and Minimum Viable

Population size. What is meant

by genetic diversity or heterozygosity and how does it relate to

levels of inbreeding within a population? These are all terms used

by researchers and interested

public requesting information

about BLM herds, and it is

important that we both understand these concepts and their

applicability to populations and

management decisions.

Resource Note #27 - Genetic

Variation in Horse

Populations - Dr. Gus

Cothran, University of

Kentucky.

Resource Note #28 -

Genetic Management of

Small Populations: The

Special Case of Feral Horses

- Dr. Oliver Ryder,

University of California,

San Diego.

Resource Note #29 - Genetic

Effective Population Size in

the Pryor Mountain Wild

Horse Herd - Dr. Francis

Singer and Linda Zeigenfuss,

Biological Resources

Division, USGS.

Session 3 (Resource Notes 30-

32): Define Population

Viability Analysis (PVA) and

identify possible benefits and

limitations to modeling efforts.

What types of demographic,

genetic and/or ecological data

are needed for these models?

Compare and contrast different methods of population

monitoring which are used to

provide the necessary data to

estimate viability.

RESOURCE NOTES

NO. 23 DATE 07/18/00

Range

Wild Horse andBurro Program

Range
Resource Note #30 -

Population Viability Analysis

- General Principles and

Applications - Drs. Barry

Noon, Fred Sampson and

Nels Johnson, Colorado State

University.

Resource Note #31 -

Methods to Collect

Required Data to Develop

Rigorous PVA Models - Dr.

Gary White, Colorado State

University.

Resource Note #32 -

Development and

Assessment of Tools that

Managers Could Use to

Monitor Wild Horse

Populations - Drs. Francis

Singer and Ron Osborne,

Biological Resources

Division, USGS. 

Session 4 (Resource Notes 33-

35): Finally, use PVA to evaluate

real-life scenarios involving wild

horse populations. What are the

consequences of different management alternatives? Compare

and contrast the complexities of

herd management, using both

removals and immunocontraception, for two very different

populations. Demonstrate the

potential for enhancing the

adaptive decision-making

process through the use of PVA.

Resource Note #33 - Viability

of Feral Horse Populations on

Atlantic Coastal Barrier

Islands: Implications for

Management - Dr. Brian

Underwood, USGS Patuxent

Wildlife Research Center.

Resource Note #34 -

Effects of Contraception

and Removal Treatments

on Pryor Mountain Wild

Horse Population

Demographics and

Genetics - Dr. John Gross,

Natural Resource Ecology

Laboratory, Colorado State

University.

Resource Note #35 -

Summary Recommendations

of the Wild Horse and Burro

Population Viability Forum -

Linda Coates-Markle,

Montana/Dakotas Wild

Horse and Burro Specialist,

Bureau of Land

Management.

Contact

Linda Coates Markel

Program Specialist, 

Montana State Office, MT-010,

Billings Montana, 

phone (406) 896-5223, 

fax (406) 896-5281, 

email lcmarkle@blm.gov

Range

Resource Notes are intended to be early

announcements of technical and informational topics for

Bureau of Land Management personnel and some of their customers.

Information in this Resource Note is based on the opinion and

experience of the author and has not been peer-reviewed. Conclusions

and opinions expressed herein do not

necessarily represent those of BLM. Use of trade names does not

imply U.S. Government endorsement of commercial products.

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