Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

GUEST COLUMN:

Wild horse is the perfect symbol for Nevada

Tough, tenacious, independent, and freedom-loving: Could there be a better symbol of Nevada than the wild horse?

These iconic animals are intrinsically tied to the history and culture of our state; their ancestors have played a central part in its founding and development. And they still play an important role in Nevada’s heritage and economic future.

The Silver State is home to more than half of the wild mustang population in the United States and they are an attraction for tourists from throughout the world. In fact, Smithsonian Magazine named the state as one of the best places to see wild horses. And Travel Nevada, the official state tourism site, writes: “Watching a wild horse charge through a sea of sagebrush in all their unfenced glory — does it get any more freeing? More than simply icons of Nevada, wild horses symbolize the American West.”

Additionally, polling shows that 86% of Nevadans support wild horses as a defining symbol of the state. Heck, the wild horse was chosen by popular vote as the symbol to represent Nevada on its state quarter.

That’s why — even in this politically fraught time — legislators of all stripes should be supportive of Senate Bill 90, which would make these iconic animals our official state horse.

The legislation, sponsored by the Senate Natural Resources Committee, had a first hearing last week and, unlike most such hearings that attract only a motley audience of middle-aged lobbyists, this one was attended by over 100 elementary schoolchildren, who were packed into overflow rooms to watch the proceedings on screen. Eight students even testified in favor of the bill.

This desire to celebrate and preserve the West’s wild horses has a long history in Nevada.

Reno native Velma “Wild Horse Annie” Johnston inspired thousands of schoolchildren to write letters to their elected officials in support of protecting mustangs from slaughter and testified before Congress as the leading advocate for the cause. Her work led to the passage of the Wild Horse Annie Act of 1959, which prohibited the use of motorized vehicles to hunt wild horses and burros on all public lands, and, ultimately, to the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971.

This act, approved unanimously by members of Congress, declared wild horses “living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West,” which are “an integral part of the natural system of the public land.”

As U.S. Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., put it, SB90 “will not only honor an icon of the American West but will spark a continued conversation on where managementimprovements can be made.”

Ronni Hannaman, executive director of the Carson City Chamber of Commerce, also summed it up well, saying, “Nevada isn’t Nevada without its wild horses. These animals are an important part of our state’s history, culture and tourism, and should be recognized as such.”

Wild horses embody the spirit of Nevada and are a perfect emblem for our state. Tell your legislators to make it official by passing SB90.

Tracy Wilson is the Nevada State Director for the American Wild Horse Campaign.