Nevada Governor Considers Legal Action Over BLM Mustang Roundup Funding

Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval is contemplating legal action to compel the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to allocate funds for wild horse roundups in the state. These roundups have been delayed due to federal budget constraints, impacting Nevada's ranchers and rural communities.

BLM State Director John Ruhs recently requested funding approval from agency leaders in Washington D.C. for a series of gathers in Elko County, where ranchers are being asked to reduce livestock grazing due to ongoing drought conditions.

Currently, the federal agency has no plans for large-scale roundups in Nevada this year, primarily due to budget shortfalls caused by the cost of housing over 45,000 mustangs in government facilities nationwide.

Governor Sandoval has stated that if the BLM's parent Interior Department does not provide the necessary funding, he will explore all legal options to protect Nevada's ranchers and rural communities. He criticized the BLM for underfunding the wild horse program for years, forcing Nevada to compensate for the federal government's inability to manage the growing wild horse populations effectively.

Nevada is home to nearly 28,000 wild horses, more than half of the 47,000 estimated across ten western states, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming. The BLM argues that the range can sustain less than half that number, about 12,000 in Nevada and 26,000 nationally.

Governor Sandoval highlighted that BLM's latest estimates show over 5,000 wild horses in southern Elko County alone, three times more than what the BLM considers appropriate for the region.

Jim Barbee, Nevada Department of Agriculture Director, warned that ranchers could face significant reductions or even elimination of grazing on federal lands in Elko County, potentially impacting the local economy by up to $1.8 million.

Tony Wasley, Nevada Department of Wildlife Director, noted that many areas with wild horses contain critical habitat for the greater sage grouse, which is at risk of degradation.

Deniz Bolbol of the American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Preservation) argued that private livestock grazing on public land has a more significant negative impact on sage grouse habitat than the mustangs.

Originally posted by WRAL.