A Federal Appeals Court has ordered the U.S. Forest Service to restore 23,000 acres of California land for wild horses.

The land, which connects two other wild horse territories, would create one large swath of protected area for the horses to roam. Originally included as protected territory in the 1980’s, the Forest Service has since claimed the addition of these 23,000 acres was a mistake and sought to remove it from the protected area. Judges squashed that plan, ordering the agency to redo it’s decision.

“This is a precedent-setting victory making clear that federal land management agencies cannot exclude federally protected wild horses or other key uses of public lands without grappling with the implications of such actions on the environment,” said William S. Eubanks II, a lawyer who helped handle the case for a series of challengers.

Read the complete Washington Times article here.

By Ashley Fairfield-Remeza

Source
Washington Times