Mount Charleston locals petition to keep and address wild horses

Drive up to Mount Charleston and you'll get your fair share of nature.

Sometimes, you may even come across wild horses like the ones that I filmed in March. However, these horses are now getting a lot of attention, especially at a recent Mount Charleston town meeting.

"March 28th, a representative from the Forest Service mentioned that there have been plans and discussions about relocating the horses," resident Charyl Abbate told me.

Abbate has lived at Mount Charleston since 2019. She and others in the community don't want to see the horses be taken away. She knows issues have come up recently like visitors feeding the wild horses. They even put up this sign.

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"When people feed the horses, the horses associate food with humans and humans with cars," Abbate said.

The Forest Service tells me the horses in the Spring Mountains Recreation Area are outside their designated territory and that they can contribute to negative visitor impacts and unsafe interactions with wildlife.

While they recognize there is a need to manage the horses, there is no plan in place or a timeline on the managing of them, as of right now.

Abbate worries about what could happen.

"Neighbors and myself started a petition. What we are asking for is the horses remain here and that the Forest Service engage in a meaningful educational campaign," Abbate explained. "Maybe the Forest Service will start a volunteer program that is just focused on educating the public."

Abbate says they would like to see the law be enforced and people warned or ticketed for feeding or petting the horses.

However, trash is also becoming a concern for wildlife like the horses. Abbate showed me a bag full of trash that she said only took about 15 minutes to fill up.

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Long-time resident Lisa Lattino tells me she sees the same six horses that linger in the area regularly.

"Almost every day," she said. "They put a smile on our face. They are just beautiful."

The Forest Service says they will seek public engagement and feedback on a plan when or if there is one. Locals plan to present the petition to the U.S. Forest Service at the May 30th Mount Charleston Town Advisory Board meeting.

We have a link to the petition here and you can learn more about the board meeting here .