Utilizing local resources to benefit communities
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What do wild horses, tourists and Stagecoach have to do with each other?
BLM is proposing to turn over approximately 320 acres of land to the town for open space and recreational purposes. If that land is also suitable for use as permanent sanctuary for horses removed from nearby BLM lands, BLM could provide a substantial amount of money for a public sanctuary project. These funds could be used for fencing and other improvements necessary to develop a wild horse preserve that would also be available to hikers and riders for recreational purposes. |
Visitors from Illinois meeting stallions at BLM's Butterfield Canyon in Utah
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BLM will pay up to $ 48,000.00 to qualified entities that will provide permanent sanctuary to twenty former free-roaming horses. If there are no extraordinary issues associated with developing the grant land, the funds could pay for required fencing and preparing a simple staging area for hikers and riders.
The Lyon County Horseman's Association and regional wild horse advocacy groups could develop a system of interpretive hiking and riding trails where visitors could enjoy the open space and view the herd of horses. This kind of a project, especially if Stagecoach is the first town to develop a sanctuary, will predictably generate tourist interest. The "Stagecoach Wild Horse Preserve" could also be the seed for environmentally friendly economic development. |
Tourists visiting the Butterfield Corrals
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Lacy J. Dalton is moving ahead with developing her wild horse sanctuary and interpretive center in Six Mile Canyon, not far from the Lyon County Border. That project will include a "History Trail" for riders and hikers. The Lyon County Horseman's Assn. is working to connect Storey County's trails to Lyon County through an effort to preserve and improve Lyon County's trail network.
A Stagecoach Wild Horse Preserve would spread tourist interest into our area. If the parcels proximate to the preserve are zoned for residential-agricultural enterprises, small equestrian bed and breakfast operations could make Stagecoach an equestrian tourist destination. Visitors could come to the bed and breakfasts, ride the preserve, ride Lyon County trails, and either ride or drive to Storey County points of interest. |
Olivia Fiamengo and Lacy J. Dalton at their
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The bed and breakfast concept makes Stagecoach a destination rather than a place to drive through. If tourists spend several days visiting northwestern Nevada, they will return each evening to Stagecoach. They will spend money in town without substantially increasing traffic or demands on County services. Vacationing with one's horses is gaining in popularity. Tourists can come to Stagecoach, put up their horses at a Stagecoach facility, visit the wild horses, ride the Pony Express and other trails, take a camel ride, visit Lake Lahontan, visit Storey County, and experience what Lyon County really has to offer. What other location in the region could develop such a compatible variety of low impact, high return tourist opportunities. If the town develops other quality non-motorized recreational activities, Stagecoach will have a credible and economically viable purpose that could attract "outside" money and good quality permanent residents for what we develop for visiting equestrians to enjoy we will also have available for our horse loving residents. |
Horses "showing off" for visitors
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Examples of Successful EstablishmentsArtist's sketch - |
"And The Horse You Rode In On" - Bed & Breakfast |
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The town of Knightsen described in Part One was unable to seriously capitalize on it's wild horse related notoriety. Its greatest shortfall was that most of the region's unpaved trails had been dissected by checkerboard development. There was no connectivity to points of interest for equestrian visitors. Stagecoach still has the opportunity to preserve most of its trail infrastructure, has local points of interest and can develop other unique projects such as a modest wild horse preserve that will allow low impact enterprises to develop and flourish; enterprises that bring in outside dollars but not a lot of traffic, noise, water usage and similar negative impacts. Return to Part OneContent and images © 2003 KBR Horse Net. All rights reserved.
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