Lyon County Commission to Consider Wild Horse Resolution
The Lyon County Commission is set to review a resolution supporting the humane management of wild horses and burros. This initiative aligns with similar resolutions by other Nevada counties, aiming to enhance the welfare of these iconic animals.
The resolution being presented to the commission for action Thursday is the same resolution approved on December 9 by the Washoe County Commission. The Storey County Commission is expected to adopt a similar resolution, and the Storey County manager sent a letter of endorsement to the Washoe County Commission.
By approving the resolution, Lyon County would be supporting a proposed cooperative agreement between wild horse advocacy organizations and the Nevada Department of Agriculture for the humane management of wild horses of the Virginia Range.
The American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign), under Return to Freedom, is working to expand the existing public/private partnership with the state to include the humane management of the Virginia Range horses. Currently, the group has an agreement that allows them to directly purchase from the NDA Virginia Range horses that have been captured.
A second cooperative agreement, which will relate to the management of horses on the range, has been under negotiations for more than one year and is expected to be finalized in January. That agreement will allow the group, and local partner organizations, to work collaboratively with the NDA to humanely manage the Virginia Range wild horse population.
According to the American Wild Horse Conservation, key components of the management plan include a humane fertility control program to reduce population numbers over time; fencing and diversionary feeding to improve public safety and address potential human/horse conflicts by keeping horses out of harm's way; and ecotourism and educational programs.
Resolution Details
The resolution the commission will consider is entitled "Wild Horse and Burro Protection in Northern Nevada" and states the following:
WHEREAS, Nevada is home to more than half of the Nation's wild horse population; and
WHEREAS, Wild horses and burros are living symbols of our American Western heritage as represented by the depiction of wild horses on the Nevada State quarter; and
WHEREAS, The Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 covers the management, protection and study of feral horses and burros on federal lands; and
WHEREAS, Portions of Washoe, Storey and Lyon counties include habitat for wild horse populations outside of the jurisdiction and protection of The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 and under the responsibility of the State of Nevada; and
WHEREAS, Residents within Washoe County are passionate about the management, protection and preservation of the wild horse population; and
WHEREAS, State statute allows the State to enter into cooperative agreements with public entities and non-profits for the management, control, placement of wild horses and burros; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That Washoe County supports the implementation of humane management cooperative agreements between private non-profits and public agencies to address the management of wild horses and burros not protected by federal law.
Local partner organizations involved in the humane management cooperative agreement include the Hidden Valley Wild Horse Preservation Fund (Reno), Least Resistance Training Concepts (Stagecoach), Virginia Range Sanctuary (Reno), Virginia Range Wildlife Protection Association (Virginia City), Wild Horse Preservation League (Dayton), and The Wild Spirit Horse, Inc. (Silver Springs).
Originally Posted By RGJ