BLM assessing wild horse sanctuary plan in Nevada

Federal land managers have identified a wide range of issues that must be addressed to move forward with a proposal to establish a wild horse ecosanctuary over 820 square miles in northeast Nevada, from the impact on neighboring mustangs, livestock and wildlife to fencing, water supplies and the local economy. The one thing most of the thousands of commenters agree upon is that that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's current horse management policy isn't working. The BLM issued a 228-page public scoping document on Tuesday that it will use to develop a range of alternatives to examine. The effort will be done in conjunction with the plan by Madeline Pickens and her group Saving America's Mustangs to develop the Northeast Nevada Wild Horse Ecosanctuary that has been described as part dude ranch, part Jurassic Park. The idea is to give visitors an up-close look at free-roaming mustangs in the wild along with a taste of Western rural life, while at the same time keep horses BLM removes from the range from spending the rest of their lives in costly holding facilities, mostly in the Midwest. Pickens and other backers say it could become a vacation destination that would help pump millions of dollars into the local economy. Most of the criticism has come from ranchers who fear it could ultimately result in reductions in livestock grazing in the region...more