Here are the highlights from this past week.

State Budget Still in the Tank - Dept. of Agriculture still spending money

The Nevada state budget is still in free fall. Estimates are now that the budget shortfall is around a billion dollars - a lot of money for a small state. The Governor has called a special session of the legislature.

In spite of the state's fiscal woes, Governor Gibbons' appointee, Tony Lesperance, is apparently still on track to spend our tax dollars. It appears that activities are still underway to increase the holding capacity of the state's horse corrals and to remove wild horses this fall after the so-called study (which really isn't a study as there is no money for it) is completed. NDoA still seems to be believing in some kind of fantasy that the advocates and public are just going to forget about the Virginia Range issues. We know from history that they won't - especially when horses start to accumulate in the state corrals and the public finds out how much money it's costing to feed them in captivity.

Legislative Ideas

A fresh concept is gaining support among some Nevada lawmakers. The idea is to provide an incentive for large landowners who would formally agree to allow Virginia Range horses to "home range" on their undeveloped lands. The legislation would recognize that providing land for Virginia Range horses is an agricultural use.

Here is a hypothetical example. John Doe owns a couple of sections of land and signs an agreement with the Nevada Department of Agriculture that his land will be kept available as the home range for 50 Virginia Range horses. In return the state acknowledges that the land is being used for agricultural purposes. The state and taxpayers benefit because an additional number of horses now have a designated "home," one that does not come at taxpayer expense. The horses benefit for the same reason. The landowner benefits as he can preserve his agricultural designation (with lower property taxes) without having to run a token number of livestock on that land. It's a potential win-win for everyone.

The proposal would apply to tracts of land sufficient in size that they would realistically provide "home ranges" for a number of Virginia Range horses.

Orphan foal update

Tulip, the injured orphan found by landfill workers in Lockwood, is doing well and has found an adopter.

Another injured foal arrived yesterday, also from Lockwood, with a hole clean through one leg. He came in very weak. The volunteers named him Chester after the character in Gunsmoke. If Shirley and her orphan foal nursing corps can keep Chester's injuries from becoming infected he should do well.

BLM Emergency Gathers

Switching the subject for a moment to BLM horses, there has been a great deal of consternation over some emergency gathers proposed by BLM. These locations have been hit pretty hard by back-to-back dry seasons. Here's the crux of the problem.

Nevada is a water rights state. Many of the livestock operators who graze public lands own the water rights, not BLM. A number of water sources are provided by the livestock operators. When livestock operators remove their cattle either because their seasonal grazing authorization has ended or because they have had to remove cattle early due to poor range conditions, they also stop hauling out water for remote troughs and they stop hauling out diesel fuel to power their remote wells.

In normal years there are usually sufficient alternate water resources to support wildlife and wild horses. After successive dry years many of these natural water sources become marginal or dry up completely. Animals overuse the remaining water sources, in some instances increasing disease potential (nature's way of reducing animal populations.) As water sources dry up the horses can't disburse their grazing pressure throughout the available range which raises overgrazing concerns near those water sources that remain.

We're trying to develop practical alternatives to wholesale emergency gathering. While these alternative solutions can't be put in place this season, horse advocates need to take a serious look at developing concepts such as providing solar power for wells so that they can operate year round, restoring weak springs where practical and modifying other water sources so that they are less prone to such problems as salmonella contamination. We would also encourage BLM to invest in proactive activities that could help reduce dependency on gathers in order to maintain horse populations that are in balance with the animals' ranges.

If we want to preserve sustainable horse populations we have to be part of solutions that benefit the horses, benefit the ranges and are compatible with the multiple use doctrine that governs public lands.

Note:

The Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board will be meeting in Reno on Monday, June 30. Here's a link to the official announcement.

Upcoming Events of Interest

Saturday (June 21st) looks to be a real horsey day.

Anne Hall / Lucky Horse Corrals Open House

Photographer Anne Hall will be in Dayton from 4:30 until ??? at Bruce and Shirley Allens' house (the location of the LRTC's Lucky Horse Corrals) at 315 Imperial Rd., Dayton.

Meet Anne and see her great photos, meet the Virginia Range horses that need new homes and get up close and personal with the latest orphan foals.

Take Dayton Valley Rd. to Comstock, then turn right on Como Rd., then left on Imperial Rd.

If you come early you'll still have plenty of time to make the Horse Power fundraiser!

Horse Power "Just Deserts" Social / Fundraiser

Horse Power is hosting this "sweet" fund raising event at the Grand Sierra Resort. Nevada's First Lady Dawn Gibbons will be awarding checks to wild horse and burro advocates from funds generated by the Horse Power license plates. There will be decadent desserts and visitors have a chance to win great door prizes. There will also be a raffle for a High Desert Equine shelter and pipe corral.

This event will be at the Grand Sierra Resort, Tahoe Room, 7:00 – 9:00 PM, Saturday, June 21, 2008.

Tickets are still available at the door for a donation of $20 per person.

Other Upcoming Events

Virginia Range Horse Adoption, June 28, 2008, in conjunction with Customer Appreciation Day at S & W Feeds, 2292 S. Carson St., Carson City.