12-3-2010 Elko Daily Free Press

Wildlife advisory board passes anti-horse sanctuary resolution

ELKO — The Elko County Advisory Board to Manage Wildlife passed a resolution at its Wednesday night meeting to oppose the development of any privately owned feral horse sanctuary in Elko County that utilizes federally managed lands.

The resolution states the members believe the structure of a nonprofit corporation will cause the loss of local tax revenue while also taking money from federal tax revenue.

Furthermore, the board says such a privately owned sanctuary is still subject to Nevada Revised Statutes and would not be able to justify "a beneficial use and loss of any water rights associated with the operation of the original agricultural operation."

The resolution states the board is opposed to changing the Taylor Grazing Act of 1934, Wild Free Roaming Horse and Burro Act, increases to appropriate management levels, increases to AUMs for feral horses, expansions of herd areas, waiving of brand inspections and brand fees and waiving of grazing fees.

The resolution indicates federal support of a private sanctuary would be "detrimental to all multiple uses on federally managed public lands including hunting, agricultural uses, mining activities, recreation activities and access to and within public lands. The board is opposed to converting livestock AUMs to feral horse AUMs, and the presence of feral horses in private sanctuaries could be "detrimental to habitat needed to sustain wildlife."

The Nevada Board of Wildlife Commissioners' Mule Deer Restoration Committee recently submitted a finding of facts document to the commission for review. Feral horses are addressed in the document, and a proposal was made for two ranches to be established in the state. One thousand horses from management areas would be taken to the ranches if the committee's suggestion becomes policy and the Bureau of Land Management agrees to the idea.

John Carpenter, who is on the committee and is a retiring assemblyman from Elko, said the committee referred to the locations as ranches, rather than refuges or sanctuaries, because those terms have connotations indicating feral horses are threatened in some manner.

"Horses will never become extinct," Carpenter said.

According to Carpenter, the ranches serve as a way to get feral horses off the range, as "people don't want to adopt them anymore."

"Ninety-nine percent of the people don't know where to go to see wild horses," Carpenter said.

Attempts are being made to use birth control methods on feral horses, Carpenter said, but more permanent methods involve castrating of males and sterilizing mares.

"We've got people starving to death in this country and we're spending millions on these horses," Carpenter said.