Wild-horse adoption center loses funding

Lawmakers in Washington, D.C., have dropped funding for a national wild-horse and -burro adoption center to be built in Mound House from a military appropriations bill.

U.S. Sens. John Ensign, R-Nev., and Harry Reid, D-Nev., had secured $5 million for the adoption center through a $80.7 billion spending bill earmarked for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Adoption center Executive Director Meg Getty said lawmakers dropped the funding because they wanted a "cleaner" spending bill. But Sen. Ensign reassured her he would try to tack the funding to a different bill.

"The senator is confident the language will be added to a different legislative bill and will pass," said Sari Mann, a spokeswoman for Ensign.

"The center has to be adequately funded in order to work," said Willis Lamm, who heads up a wild-horse mentoring group in Lyon County.

The $5 million proposal would have covered only part of the center's total $9 million estimated cost. The rest would be raised from local and state government and private contributions.

Federal funding "would have gotten the ball rolling and encouraged other people to donate," Lamm said.

Part adoption facility, part tourist attraction, the 20- to 40-acre center would house 100 horses on a permanent basis and provide temporary shelter to some 20 horses. It would also include a restaurant, gift shop and visitors center.