Wild horse management plan trots out of Senate

AB509, endorsed Thursday, sets up a process enabling landowners to ask the federal government to round up the stray horses, followed by a trip to court if there's no response.

A federal judge would be asked to grant approval to either the county or state to remove the horses if the government couldn't or wouldn't.

Those opposed to the plan included Sen. Mark Amodei, a Republican from Carson City, and Dina Titus and Terry Care, both Democrats from Las Vegas.

Amodei said his vote was driven by constituents who called in against the bill. He didn't give a number but said there were "enough to make it an issue."

"It's just a thinly disguised attempt to get rid of the wild horses," said Titus. "The cowboys once again just want the range for cows and sheep and not wild horses."

"My vote was to preserve the tradition of the American Wild West," added Care.

The Senate also approved AJR2, which urges Congress to control wild horse populations and keep them at a manageable level.

The horses have divided landowners and wildlife advocates. Their populations are burgeoning and overrunning available range land, leading to conflicts when they compete for resources with livestock and in some cases, when they venture into suburban areas to graze on lawns.

The federal Bureau of Land Management, which is officially charged with managing them, doesn't have enough money to do it.

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