Next Summit

We are excited to host the Free Roaming Equids and Ecosystem Sustainability Summit. The Summit will include presentations on new research, working group reports, as well as time to continue meaningful dialogue as we work together to achieve our goal of Healthy Herds on Healthy Rangelands. A tentative Agenda is outlined below. Please check back often; this page will be updated frequently as new information becomes available.

We have confirmed presenters from federal agencies, state agencies, elected officials, sanctuaries, horse training programs, scientists, and more. Don’t miss the opportunity to actively participate.

2020 FREES Summit: "Connecting the Dots"

Cody, WY – October 6-8 2020

Tuesday, October 6, 2020

(All times listed are Mountain Time)

Time	Room	Event
7:00 AM		Breakfast
8:00 AM	Main Room Livestream	Welcome Message from Governor Mark Gordon Comments from BLM Deputy Director William Perry Pendley Overview of the FREES Summit Free-Roaming Equids and Ecosystem Sustainability Network overview, goals, code of conduct, and meeting logistics Connecting the Dots: FREES Actions and Accomplishments - What we hope and need to accomplish
	Main Room Livestream	Telling the Wyoming Story The Wyoming Story Wyoming House District 28 Wyoming Game and Fish and AFWA Overview Wyoming Stock Growers Association Wyoming Department of Agriculture - Horse Research Program
10:00 AM		Break
10:15 AM	Main Room Livestream	Private Sactuaries and Horse Ranches in Wyoming Friends of a Legacy (F.O.A.L.) Wild Horse Preservation Society Wind River Wild Horse Sanctuary Wyoming Department of Corrections Honor Farm
12:00 Noon		Lunch
1:00 PM	Main Room Livestream	Updates from federal, state, and local agencies Bureau of Land Management Forest Sevice Montana - Science and Conservation Center California - Devil's Garden Wild Horses, Modoc National Forest Utah Public/Private Partnerships Ute Tribe Wind River Reservation
	Main Room Livestream	Communication and Outreach Working Group Land-Grant University and Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Task Force FREES Development Healthy Horses on Healthy Rangelands Business Plan Overview
	Breakout rooms	Moderated Discussion of Business Plan
3:20 PM		Break
3:40 PM	Main Room Livestream	Communication and Outreach New Science Report on the National Survey – Public Attitudes Regarding Free Roaming Equids
	Breakout rooms	Breakout sessions on survey results and future messaging
5:15 PM		Reconvene whole group for breakout reports and meeting evaluation Meeting adjourns for the day

Wednesday, October 7, 2020

(All times listed are Mountain Time)

Time	Room	Event
7:00 AM		Breakfast
8:00 AM	Main Room Livestream	Welcome to Day 2 of Summit Population Management New Science Horse mortality and capture techniques Gelding IUD Research
	Main Room Livestream	Population Management Working Group Fertility Control Tool Box Overview of Immunocontraceptive, IUD, and surgical options Constraints of implementing fertility control and removals Population modeling
10:00 AM		Break
10:30 AM	breakout rooms	Breakout Group Session on Management Scenario
12:00 Noon		Lunch
1:00 PM	Main Room Livestream	Rangeland Condition and Health New Science Sage-grouse Leks and Horses Sage-grouse Nesting and Horses Horses, Sage-grouse, and Pronghorn Resource Selection Relating Range Health and Body Condition Holding and Public-Private Partnerships
	Main Room Livestream	Rangeland Conditions and Health Working Group Overview of Breakout group topics Topic 1: Crossing Ecological Threshholds due to overuse Topic 2: How to Determine Concurrent Utilization Percentages by Foraging Species
3:00 PM		Break
3:15 PM	Breakout rooms Virtual chat rooms	Breakout Sessions
5:10 PM		Reconvene for Breakout group reports and meeting evaluation Meeting adjourns for the day

Thursday, October 8, 2020

(All times listed are Mountain Time)

Time	Room	Event
7:00 AM		Breakfast
8:00 AM		Connecting the Dots Welcome to Day 3: Announcements, Evaluation Results, and Moving Forward
	Main Room Livestream	Understanding Legal Precedence and Implications The panel discussion would help meeting participants understand the effects of law suits and court decisions on the management of wild horses and burros, what can or cannot be accomplished through legal action, and perhaps discuss some unanticipated consequences of court decisions.
	Main Room Livestream	Reports from Breakout Sessions for working groups Outreach and Communication working group Population Management working group Rangeland Condition and Health working group
10:00 AM		Break
10:15 AM	Main Room Livestream	Identification of Action Items
11:30 AM	Main Room Livestream	Perspectives on the Future - Engaging the Youth of America
12:00 Noon		Concluding Remarks