Wild horses drink from a water tank in this 2017 R-C file photo.
The day after Nevada Wildlife commissioners signed onto a letter calling for more money for the BLM to decrease the number of wild horses on Nevada’s public lands, Congress did the exact opposite.
According to the American Wild Horse Conservation, the spending bill signed into law on Saturday reduced the BLM’s budget for roundups by $5.9 million to $141.9 million.
The bill was part of the $460 billion package that narrowly passed Congress to avoid a government shutdown.
Among the provisions was a significant spending cut for the Bureau of Land Management’s Wild Horse and Burro Program budget, emphasizing the need for a shift towards humane and sustainable in-the-wild conservation strategies, said spokeswoman Amelia Perrin. Notably, the legislation preserves $11 million in funding specifically designated for the implementation of a robust, humane fertility control program, as advocated by both House and Senate versions of the bill.
“This legislation represents a pivotal moment in wild horse and burro management,” said American Wild Horse Conservation Executive Director Suzanne Roy. “By cutting overall program funding while preserving resources for humane fertility control, Congress is signaling a shift towards more sustainable, in-the-wild conservation practices.”
According to the wild horse organization, Congress directed the BLM to explore alternatives to helicopter roundups, acknowledging for the first time growing public opposition to this method as both inhumane and ineffective.
“With over 60,000 wild horses and burros currently confined in holding facilities and thousands more slated for removal, it’s clear that the status quo is untenable,” she said. “Public sentiment strongly favors humane conservation efforts, as evidenced by the overwhelming support for Congresswoman Dina Titus’ bill to prohibit helicopter roundups.”
On Friday, wildlife commissioners supported increased funding for the BLM to reduce wild horse populations on public lands.
The letter was prepared by the Coalition for Healthy Nevada Lands, Wildlife and Free-Roaming Horses for the Director of the Bureau of Land Management.
Nevada Commission on Wildlife Chairman Tommy Caviglia said that the letter was in line with the commission’s Policy 67, which calls for support of efforts to reduce the number of horses on the range.
“Everyone agrees there is an overpopulation of horses in Nevada,” said Commissioner Shane Rogers. “The rub becomes how do we fix that.”
Pine Nut Wild Horse Advocates President Mary Cioffi testified that darting mares in the Fish Springs herd over the last 10 years has been effective in reducing the reproduction rates without costly roundups.
“We have an amazing team of certified darters,” she said. “We ask that you don’t paint the entire state with one broad brush. Some areas have horses that are struggling. We have horses with good body scores.”
American Wild Horse Campaign advocate Helen Foley asked commissioners to reject the letter seeking additional funding to move the horses off the range.
“We recognize there is a population problem in Nevada,” she said.
However, she said reducing the number of wild horses to the appropriate management level of around 13,000 in five years would require the removal of 40,000 horses at a cost of $40 million. Those horses would cost $109 million a year to keep, Foley said.
“This is a failed approach to wild horse management,” she said. “Without fertility control, it would at best kick the can down the road in an endless and unsustainable cycle.”
While Douglas County’s citizens advisory board took no action on the request to sign onto the letter, both Clark and Washoe county’s boards supported it.
There are about 60 horses in the Fish Springs herd, which lives in the Pine Nut Mountains east of Carson Valley.
It has been a year since 13 horses were captured after someone dumped hay along East Valley Road in February.
A few months later, The American Wild Horse Campaign became one of the major grazing rights holders in Douglas County after the acquisition of 3,335 acres of Bently land in the Pine Nuts.
“This legislation reflects a critical step towards ensuring the welfare and conservation of America’s wild horses and burros,” Roy said of the bill. “We commend Congress for its commitment to humane management practices and look forward to continued collaboration to safeguard these iconic symbols of the American West.”
