Walker Lake Wild Horses

A Community Unites to Save Their Wild Horses

In this post, I would like to deviate from my usual writings about photography and travels to bring attention to the plight of the Walker Lake Wild Horse Herd that BLM has scheduled for roundup around the middle of November, 2010. The Walker Lake Wild Horse Herd has been on the south end of Walker Lake for well over ten years. The area on the south end of Walker Lake is over ten square miles with fresh ground water and abundant native grasses. These wild horses are actually on land that is controlled by the military and restricted for use by the public. US highway 95 runs along and above the south end of Walker Lake and the wild horses are within easy viewing from the road.

The rational behind BLM’s roundup of these wild horses is due to several horses straying on to the highway and getting hit by cars. The speed limit in this area is 70mph.

The communities of Hawthorne and Walker Lake that are located near the wild horses have united to protest BLM’s roundup of this wild horse herd. On October 16, 2010, a rally was held at Veteran’s Memorial Park in Hawthorne to gather the community support with petitions, letters of protest, banners and photos to try and persuade BLM to cancel this roundup. In order to protect the wild horses and prevent them from getting near the highway, plans are underway to construct a fence at the projected cost of $10,000, to run along the highway and taper back to the water’s edge of the lake.

Allowing the Walker Lake Wild Horse Herd to remain at the south end of the lake will benefit the local communities which have been hit very hard by the recession. A local wild horse advocacy group will be formed and will become involved with the Walker Lake Herd. A monitoring program, which has not been previously developed, will be implemented to study the wild horses in their natural habitat. An additional advocacy group, Horsepower has volunteered to lend support to the community and has offered to fund ¼ of the cost of the fence.

Unfortunately, there is still much controversy over whether the Wild Horses on our American Pubic lands are actually wild horses. Many view the present day wild horses as nothing more than feral offspring that were turned out to fend for themselves because they were no longer useful. Others see the wild horses as nuisances who destroy the fragile desert eco-systems and unlike cattle, provide no benefit to humanity. However, scientists are starting to question the theories and documented history of the wild horse. For example, did the horse become entirely extinct in North America, or were there any survivors? Was it the Spanish who brought the horse back to the Americas, or were they returned earlier by the Norsemen or Chinese Explorers? Has the horse always been with some of the Native American tribes as mentioned in their oral histories?

On January 5, 2007, a statement was introduced to the 110th Congress, entitled Wild Horses as Native North American Wildlife, by Jay F. Kirkpatrick, Ph. D. and Patricia M. Fazio, Ph.D, which supports evidence through DNA analysis that the modern horse is genetically equivalent to a horse, that according to fossil records, represented the most recent specimen prior to extinction in North America. In summary, Kirkpatrick and Fazio conclude that native status for wild horses would place these animals, under law, within a new category for management considerations. As a form of wildlife, embedded with wilderness, ancient behavioral patterns, and the morphology and biology of a sensitive prey species, they may finally be released from the “livestock-gone-loose” application.

The future of the Walker Lake Wild Horse Herd remains uncertain and with all the community effort, will it be enough to persuade BLM to allow these horses to remain free? Only time will tell. There are so many benefits including ecotourism and scientific study that could come from keeping this herd intact, but the most important by far is that an American Icon will be allowed to roam free and wild.

For more information:

Mustangs in danger? Too many horses, too little land

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1590/is_13_58/ai_85465324

Wild Horses as Native North American Wildlife

http://www.awionline.org/ht/d/sp/i/18457/pid/18457

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What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been.  I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences. 

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