Back home on the Range
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NEVADA WILD HORSES RETURNED TO THE RANGE
Part Three
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On January 4, 2008, Director of Agriculture Donna Rise agreed in principle to take the TRI proposal and assign State Veterinarian Phil LaRussa to meet with the Project Team and develop ways to integrate the project into the Department's master plan. We agreed that the horses held in the state corrals would be sorted and reconstituted into their original family bands. (The horses were all microchipped when captured so original family units could be accurately identified.) All mares being released of appropriate age would be provided with GnRH immunocontraception to mitigate the impact of a more than ten percent increase in the herd population suddenly appearing on TRI.
Subsequent to the release, the Virginia Range Wildlife Protection Association will arrange for an aerial census of all the horses, determining with reasonable accuracy the horse population on the range and plotting the physical locations of the various bands. Assessments will be made of range conditions and range resources. The Project Team will then review these findings, establish priorities, develop a strategic plan and find ways to implement necessary range improvements as well as mitigate current and potential horse-human conflicts.
On January 11, 2008, leaders from all but the two California groups met at the state corrals in Carson City to look over the horses. At the meeting Virginia Range Estray Program Manager Mike Holmes explained that the recent storm (the largest in five years) left the corrals too sloppy to sort horses, but as soon as he determined it was safe to get the horses back into their family units and loaded out, he would be bringing them back onto the range.
At the state corrals (from left to right)
Susan Austin, Jeanne Gribbin, Lance Gilman, Lacy J. Dalton, Willis Lamm and Mike Holmes.
One of the corrals of mares.
Brainstorming ideas.
Stallions showing off.
Lance offers some strategic advice.
Volunteers inspecting horses.
Jill Starr, President of Lifesavers Wild Horse Rescue said, "We have finally
found a creative yet natural alternative to pushing more wild
horses into an already saturated adoption market. This is a ground breaking
program and I'm thrilled to be part of it. Let's hope that it's the first
of many partnerships to come that will join-up for wild horses."
Lacy J. Dalton observed, "The 'Wild Horse Dream Team' has finally come together and stepped up to the plate. Now it's time for us to hit a home run."
This report will be continued once the corrals and range dry up and the horses are released.
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