Apparently the U.S. House can agree on this much: wild horses.
The House on Monday unanimously passed the Corolla Wild Horses Protection Act. The bill, sponsored by U.S. Rep. Walter Jones, a Farmville Republican, provides for a new public-private management plan for the horses that run wild on the Outer Banks. The plan will not cost any additional taxpayer money.
Under the current plan, the maximum number of horses allowed in the herd is 60. The bill requires a new management plan that allows between 110 and 130 horses — the number scientists say is needed to maintain the herd's genetic viability. It also allows for the periodic introduction of mares from Shackleford Banks — which like the Corolla herd are Colonial Spanish Mustangs.
Colonial Spanish Mustangs — designated as the State horse — date to the arrival of Spanish explorers on the Banks in the 16th century. They currently roam thousands of acres of public and private land on the Currituck County coast.
Here is the link to H.R. 126. Apparently, the U.S. Congress is allowing private foundations to do what they would like on public land. You can make your donation here.
Those horses are cool. When peak oil hits I'm using my last drop of gas to get to Currituck. I'll be the one known as "Conquistador" who rides a Spanish pony named La Reina (Queen) adapting to the realities of historical, linear sea level rise in the Mad Max wasteland of the coastal plain of North Carolina.
