horses
Tragic Horse/Car Crash
Washoe Lake Fencing
Note: While technically the horses may be technically "estray" and/or feral, we will use the all-inclusive informal term "wild horses".
Tragic Wild Horse/Car Crash.
On May 30, at 3:47pm local authorities received a call about a horse and car collision on North Eastlake Blvd near Little Washoe Lake. The horse was severely injured in the hindquarters and had to be put down. The white Jeep SUV received severe front end damage and had to be towed. the elderly couple inside were apparently uninjured.
Locals said on Nextdoor it was "Butch" a known stallion leading its band to Little Washoe Lake. It's not unusual to see horses crossing the road here to get to the lake during the day. With the building of houses in the area, their routes are getting restricted and their crossing areas are becoming limited.
All the land east of and bordering North Eastlake Blvd between Skinner Drive and Old Hwy 395 is private land subject to development. The only exception is the historic Washoe City to Jumbo road near the cattle guard that is a public road. Nobody has built private fences as yet but the potential is there.
Washoe Lake Fencing
Wildlife ecologist Craig Downer has an opinion article on the Reno News And Review site reporting on the state proposal to fence off sections of Washoe Lake from the wild horses and improving traffic safety. He reviews the beneficial effects of wild horses and burro on the Nevada range. Then he concentrates on the failings of the fence proposal. Instead of the 23 miles of four wire fencing in the state plan, he favors an overhead wildlife overcrossing Eastlake Blvd. The only public land available for this would be the public road mentioned above.
His article has a link to an unsigned analysis of the BLM, Nevada Department of Agriculture proposal that is worth a read. It is detailed and discusses many of the short comings of the proposal. It also has links to BLM and NDA officials for providing public comment.
This article stresses the danger of cutting off the horse population from their water and forage sources, the illegality of caring for estray horses in Nevada and the danger to other animals being cut off from their range.
Contained in the article is an explanation of wild horse status in the Virginia Range which is the mountains to the east of Washoe Lake.
The legal status of the Virginia Range horses is highly complex and distinct from most wild horse populations in the West
While the federal Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 (WFRHBA) protects unbranded, unclaimed horses on BLM lands, the Virginia Range horses are largely excluded from these protections.
In 1986, the BLM designated the Virginia Range a "wild horse free area." Consequently, horses in this region are classified as "estray livestock" under Nevada state law (NRS Chapter 569) and fall under the jurisdiction of the Nevada Department of Agriculture (NDA)
.This jurisdictional split creates significant challenges:
1.Lack of Federal Protection: Because they are classified as estrays rather than wild horses, they do not receive the mandatory federal protections against capture, branding, or death
.2.Slaughter Vulnerability: As state-owned estrays, horses removed from the range can be sold at auction, making them vulnerable to the slaughter pipeline.
3.Feeding Prohibitions: NRS 569.040 makes it illegal to feed or water estray horses, complicating citizen efforts to assist horses cut off from natural water sources by development or fencing
The article also has a link to the BLM plan here.
The project (DOI-BLM-NV-C020-2026-0016-CE) description:
The Nevada Division of Agriculture is proposing to construct about 14 miles of new fence on BLM managed land. The proposed fence would tie into existing BLM fences in the Virginia Range area, in Washoe County, Nevada. The ROW requested is about 14 miles by 30 feet wide. The fence would consist of a 4-strand wildlife friendly design, built to NRS 569.431 standards. The need for the fence is to assist in public safety in Washoe County, protecting both human and animal welfare for the foreseeable future. The new fence project would help prevent horses from entering housing communities adjacent to the Virginia Range and is an essential component of the Estray Management Plan which the NDA is responsible for through Nevada statutes.
At the BLM link you can click on "Documents" and view and download the project information, maps and instructions for appeal.
There is a section of fence east of the new homes on North Eastlake Blvd bordering the BLM lands to the east. Another, much longer fence, will extend from just south of Jumbo Grade Road south behind the alfalfa fields to the north end of Carson City, then due east to provide a barrier to the south.
While the plan proposes gates and/or cattle guards at all roads and trails crossing the fence it is likely to restrict cross country hiking and travel routes in our opinion. How will wild land fire fighting be impacted by 23 miles of fence?
If you are interested in wild horse preservation and back country access, follow the links and get involved.
Members Discussion