RENO, Nev. (AP) — Republican Rep. Ron Paul says he's unsure of the solution to the wild horse problem in Nevada and other western states, but he thinks federal land managers should be the last resort to resolve the issue.
About 300 people turned out to see Paul late Thursday afternoon at an Elko rally ahead of Saturday's presidential caucus in Nevada.
Paul says he supports a "more privatized and localized" solution to the wild horse issue, and he would like Nevada to resolve it.
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has removed thousands of "excess" wild horses from public lands in the West it says are harming rangelands and native wildlife. Horse advocates oppose the move, saying the agency is removing the animals to appease ranchers and make room for more cows.
Paul also says the federal government should not be imposing travel management plans on Forest Service lands in Nevada and elsewhere across the West. He says the issue should be up to states.
