The Bureau of Land Management is looking for feedback about its use of helicopters and other motorized vehicles in rounding up wild horses and burros on public lands.

The BLM will hold a hearing Wednesday to gauge public sentiment about how it manages a wild-horse population that numbers about 2,700 in Utah. The hearing begins at 6:30 p.m. in the agency's office at 2370 S. 2300 West in West Valley City.

BLM stands by its methods.

"Using helicopters and other advanced equipment is crucial in our efficiency and maintaining safety in wild-horse management," Jared Redington, manager of the Salt Lake Wild Horse and Burro Center, said in a news release. "We have found the use of helicopters is the most humane method in gathering horses from the open range and remote mountain areas where they live."

The BLM removes 300 to 400 wild horses a year from public lands to keep the population from outgrowing the food and water supply.

Since government roundups began in 1975, the BLM has captured more than 14,000 wild horses and 500 burros. About 6,700 of those animals have been adopted locally, according to the BLM. The rest are sent east for adoption.

The public hearing comes amid a national effort by the BLM to collect public input on its management of wild horses and burros — a discussion that could touch on ways to slow population growth (such as fertility controls), protect existing animals (such as creating "treasured herds") and care for horses and burros that haven't been adopted (such as establishing preserves or placing animals into private care.)

"It's a new day, and we need a fresh look at the wild horse and burro program," national BLM Director Bob Abbey said in a news release. "We want all those with an interest in wild horses and burros and their public lands to consider our initial ideas and offer their own."

The bureau is expected to present a report to Congress later this year detailing its long-term strategy for wild-horse and burro management.