Showdown Between BLM & Carson City Community: Feds Set Trap to Capture Beloved Herd of Wild Horses

Showdown Between BLM & Carson City Community

Carson City, Nevada – February 27, 2013 – Today, ignoring the wishes of the local community, including a mayor, county supervisor, and State Senator, the BLM has moved ahead with its plan to capture a small herd of cherished wild horses near Carson City, Nevada.

The photo below is of the trap site the BLM set up this morning to capture the horses. In proceeding with the capture, the BLM rejected offers from the local community to work with the agency on a plan to keep the horses, who have lived in the area for decades, safe and on their designated range in the Pine Nut Mountains Herd Management Area (HMA).

“This is a heartless move by the federal government to ignore a community’s wishes and round up a cherished herd of wild horses that have been part of this community for decades,” said Deniz Bolbol, communications director for the American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Preservation), a national coalition. “This is a major black eye for the Bureau of Land Management and its intransigent and thoroughly mismanaged wild horse program.”

Local residents are onsite and providing updates to American Wild Horse Conservation as this situation develops.

Meanwhile, over 3,500 citizens from across the nation have faxed and emailed BLM managers in Washington and Nevada, calling on the agency to reverse course and work with the community on a solution to protect the horses and keep them wild and free.

To justify the removal, the BLM has changed its story numerous times. The agency is now claiming that public safety issues on Deer Run Road, which runs through the HMA, is a motivating factor for the removals. However, the government has rejected offers from the community to work on speed limit reductions, educational outreach, fencing, signage, and other measures to address this and other public safety concerns.

Further details about this situation are available here.

Photos of this small wild horse band courtesy of Cat Kindsfather