Mound House may still get horse center

Mound House may get its wild horse adoption center after all.

Though Congress dropped the language that provided funding for the center from an $80.7 billion spending bill intended for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan in May, it was included in energy and water legislation that passed the U.S. Senate on June 30.

HR2149 allows for appropriations for energy and water development for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2006.

The $5 million add-on is for the design, engineering, and construction of the facility.

The funding was arranged by U.S. Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., and U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev,, in a joint effort to build the new National Wild Horse and Burro Adoption Center in Mound House.

That legislation now goes to a House-Senate conference committee where Reid is participating in the negotiations, according to Sari Mann, press secretary to Ensign.

"We're fully confident the language will be maintained in the legislation," she said.

In May, when the language on the wild horse center was dropped from the war appropriations bill, Ensign had assured adoption center director Meg Getty that the funding would be tacked to a different bill.

The proposed $9 million, 20- to 40-acre facility would permanently house 100 horses and temporarily house 20 more. It was designed to be not only an adoption center but a tourist attraction, and will include a classroom, veterinary clinic, display area, restaurant, gift shop and visitors center.

The remaining $4 million needed to complete the facility would be sought through state and local government and private contributions.

The center will be run by the University of Nevada, Reno and The National Wild Horse Center, a nonprofit agency.

-- Contact reporter Karen Woodmansee at kwoodmansee@nevadaappeal.com or 882-2111 ext. 351.