Wild horses add to tourism draws

Hardly a day goes by, Bonnie Matton says, that the Dayton-based Wild Horse Preservation League doesn't get a call or a letter from visitors to Nevada who hope to see wild horses.

The nonprofit organization's leaders think they can build on that interest to create a steady stream of tourism in Nevada's rural counties. And they acknowledge they hope interest among visitors will build further political support to preserve wild horses and burros on the open range.

Matton, president of the Wild Horse Preservation League, says the group is publishing a brochure for distribution to potential tourists worldwide to stir interest in viewing wild horses.

The organization won a $5,000 grant from the Nevada Commission on Tourism to cover about half the costs of the brochure. It also won financial assistance from Horse Power, a Washoe Valley nonprofit that's partly funded by the sales of specialty Nevada mustang license plates.

Nevada is home to more wild horses than the nine other Western states combined, the league noted in its application for state funds, and some neighboring states are beginning to develop lucrative niches among tourists who want to view wild horses.

The prospect is particularly appealing, Matton says, because it would help develop tourism opportunities in Nevada's outlying regions.

"The rural counties really need it," she says.

The state's tourism commission agrees.

"We find that visitors want experiences when they travel, and there's nothing quite as memorable as seeing wild horses running freely across the desert," says Bethany Drysdale, a spokeswoman for the tourism agency. "It's

a sight we, as residents, may take for granted, but visitors are in awe of the beauty

and freedom those horses represent."

The Wild Horse Preservation League has identified sites in Storey County as well as the Elko, Ely and Lincoln areas that hold promise for wild horse tourism.

It's beginning to work with guides who can be licensed to take groups of visitors to herd-management areas operated by the Bureau of Land Management.

One of those guides, John Collett of Cowboy John Tours in Elko, has taken numerous visitors on wild horse tours. He says visitors find the scenery of the open valleys south of Elko to be breathtaking - especially when they're able to see wild horses in that setting.

Wild Horse Preservation League also is working with lodging providers ranging from motels to guest ranches to create horse-viewing packages.

"We want tourists to enjoy the whole Western experience," Matton says.