California Wild Horses

They're an iconic (and beloved) symbol of the American West: wild horses. According to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), over 64,000 wild horses roam the western United States, with roughly 75% of them galloping throughout most of Nevada and portions of California. The most recent migration, a herd, moving from Northern Nevada to Mono County in the Eastern Sierra, is reigniting a decades-long debate between protecting these symbolic creatures and the sustainability of the landscape. Over the years, these horses have dominated public lands to the point where some consider them a destructive nuisance. However, others believe they are a vital aspect of the ecosystem, and more needs to be done to increase their numbers. To tell us more about wild horses and the complicated issues surrounding them, Dr. Amanda Gearhart, is a professor at the University of Nevada, and rangeland scientist who focuses on restoring Nevada rangelands.