Commission sets aside money for wild horses lawsuit

The Iron County Commission voted to allocate $1,000 to the Western Range Conservation Association for a lawsuit seeking to give the state of Utah authority to handle the wild horse problem instead of the Bureau of Land Management in a meeting Monday. Mike Edwards, chief deputy Iron County Attorney, said he would like to be sure that WRCA was a non-profit organization and the money would be being used “in the best interests of the public.” “It could open up the gates for any of a number of organizations to request money,” he said. The commission made the amendment, and voted for the proposition, pending verification that WRCA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. “I feel this has a big impact on Iron County because our livestock permittees are being impacted by this,” commissioner Alma Adams said. “In some cases I have talked to ranchers who have taken their cattle to their allotment and there is nothing left to graze because the horses have either trampled or eaten all the vegetation.” Adams said Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah, has already drafted a bill that would transfer care of wild horses over to state management; he is just waiting for the upcoming elections to be over...more