After BLM trapping, advocates suggest wild horse sanctuary for Carson City

Efforts by wild horse advocates to stop the trapping of 11 horses this week may have been dashed but there are plans in the works to see if the horses can be allowed to roam elsewhere, including the Silver Saddle Ranch. Margie Quirk addressed the Carson City Board of Supervisors Thursday.

She told Supervisors that wild horses are a part of the Carson City cultural and are on a number of phone books brochures, and even the state quarter touting Nevada's history and heritage. She hopes that the attention brought by this week's trapping will culminate into a larger discussion on wild horses and their right to roam public land. She suggested a grassroots effort to create a wild horse sanctuary and education center as part of our tourism draw.

"On any given day in summer you can drive down Deer Run Road and you'll see cars on the side of the road watching the horses. You can get on the V&T train and as you go through the canyon, you see wild horses running. It is impressive. When people think of the Wild West and Carson City they think of wild horses. And now they're gone."

Carson City Mayor Bob Crowell thanked Quirk and her "well thought out" efforts to find alternatives, noting he too was surprised to see issue come to pass as quickly as it did. He said he would like to see the advocate's efforts, like the ones Quirk suggests with a sanctuary and education center, come to life.

"It is well worth a look," Crowell said. "Moving foward I personally want to do this."

The following is a BLM news release

The Bureau of Land Management Carson City District Office has concluded bait trapping 11 problem wild horses on the outskirts of Carson City, Nevada. The horses were transported to the Northern Nevada Correctional Center in Carson City, where they will be prepared for an adoption event on Saturday, March 23, at Silver Saddle Ranch in southeast Carson City.

The horses are a part of the Pine Nut Mountains herd management area (HMA) that is adjacent to Deer Run Road in Carson City. These horses routinely cross the Carson River into River View City Park, where the BLM has received several complaints of people feeling threatened by the wild horses. The horses are outside of HMA boundaries the majority of the time and residents, especially horse owners, can quickly find themselves in potentially dangerous situations as domestic wild horse encounters can be very unpredictable and uncontrollable.

"We have successfully gathered the horses, and hope the community will feel safe knowing there's not a potential of hitting them on the road, or confronting them in public areas," said Leon Thomas, Sierra Front Field Manager. "We know the community loves and appreciates these horses, so we hope some of the residents will be able to give them a home in the area they're accustomed to."

The BLM recognizes that these horses have been part of the community for many years; however, it is responsible for keeping wild horses from creating a safety hazard or threatening the well-being of the community and its animals. In the past two years, four horses have been struck and killed by vehicles, and community complaints submitted to the BLM have ranged from concern for the safety of residents' children, to stallions fighting with domestic horses through fences. In all complaints, there were safety concerns and property damage.

The BLM follows the Code of Federal Regulations 4720.2-1, which mandates the removal of strayed animals from private lands based on written request from landowners. The bait trapping is in response to several complaint letters the BLM has received in past months from private landowners.

The appropriate management level for the Pine Nut Mountains HMA is 119 to 179 with a current population of 293.

More information regarding the upcoming adoption will be forthcoming, and will be made available at: www.blm.gov