WILD HORSES ACT

Wild horses act

Partial transcript of the statement Rep. Bill Emerson, R-Mo., will give in the House today in support of the "Wild Horses Protection Act of 1995," which the congressman introduced.

As you know, this legislation is of high importance to the folks in my congressional district in southern Missouri. First and foremost, the Wild Horses Protection Act of 1995 is a very straightforward measure. It combines common sense and the will of the people to answer what has turned into a very complex problem. In order to fully explain why my legislation is necessary, please allow me to give the subcommittee a brief history about the wild horses that freely roam the Ozark National Scenic Riverways in Missouri.

There are about 25 to 30 animals in the herd which have been around for at least 60 years, if not longer. Throughout these years, some new horses in the herd have been born while others have died off. In this time, however, the animals have never become overpopulated, nor a physical nuisance to the lands or waters in which they roam. In fact, the local folks of southern Missouri -- the people who live there and own land there -- want the horses to stay for future generations to enjoy. They, as I, want this legislation to become law in order to protect the wild horses from being rounded up and carted away. Additionally, should the day ever come that the herd's population flourishes to a point that is unsafe to the animals, their habitat, or the surrounding community, the Missouri Wild Horse League has a viable management plan ready to implement.

You should know, there is precedence for allowing wild horses to remain in a National Park. In the 1980s, a similar case occurred in Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota, where the National Park Service wanted to proceed with removal but local folks wanted them to stay because of their image of a "rough rider spirit." In the final analysis, the Park Service relented and allowed them to remain, because NPS determined that the wild horses are scenic, historical and cultural.

Unfortunately in our case, congressional action has been deemed necessary by the former park superintendent and the Interior Department in order to keep their hands off the Missouri horses. Since 1990... park officials have been so adamant about removing the Ozarks' wild horses... that they have spent countless taxpayers' dollars to take the issue up the court of appeals ladder. Additionally, this entire time an unwieldy bureaucracy was fighting an amendable, rationale, no-cost solution strongly and vocally urged by the Missouri Wild Horse League and the public at large -- that was to simply leave the horses alone.

The horses are a strong part of the regional lore, culture and folks' lives in southern Missouri. They also serve as a meaningful attraction for vacationing visitors who come to our area to fish, hunt, canoe, raft, or simply to take in the great outdoors. The Wild Horses Protection Act will hopefully provide justice -- once and for all -- for the horses and the people who have stood beside them throughout these legal and bureaucratic hurdles.