Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/261964
The Mustang Project, a 501 (c) 3 organization based in Corning, is seek- ing to preserve and pro- vide sanctuary for Ameri- ca's most historic herd of wild horses – the horses from the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge. By the end of the year, all the horses will be removed from the refuge, the herd lost forever, and some may even be in dan- ger of being sent to slaugh- ter. The US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) will be rounding up the last remaining horses on the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge this August. This historic herd was on the land before the area was declared a wildlife refuge, and their lineage can be traced back to the time before the Civil War. These horses were rounded up and used in wars in the US and Europe all the way through WWII. Because they are not protected under the Wild Free Roaming Horse and Burro Act, and there are no holding facilities for these horses, FWS uses contractors for their dispo- sition. In the past, contrac- tors have sent horses directly to slaughter. To prevent this, the FWS has charged contractors with adopting the horse to suit- able homes. The Mustang Project would like to save at least part of the remaining herd and provide sanctuary for them. It has offered to take those horses most at risk – the older horses that are not suitable for adoption and deserve to live out the remainder of their lives in peace. The Mustang Project is hoping to provide sanctu- ary for at least 200 horses. If it is able to take any younger horses, those horses could be gentled and used by youth in the program or adopted out. As part of the sanctuary, there will be a visitor edu- cation center that will highlight the Sheldon herd's history, and the his- tory of all of the nation's Mustangs. The Mustang Project is working to find suitable property for the sanctuary, and property must be secured before the end of February. The project is looking for at least 150 acres, but an ideal property would be at least 300 acres. The property should be fully fenced for horses, and cross fencing and corals would be a plus. There must be a year- round water source, preferably from a well or spring. Some other features which would be desirable are a place to store hay and a habitable house or mobile home, or a well, septic and power for a mobile home. Property should be easily accessible to the public, and be with- in an hour of Chico. The Mustang Project is looking to purchase prop- erty, or would consider a lease. Donated land would be gratefully accepted. For more information about The Mustang Pro- ject, the Sheldon horses or how you can donate toward preserving the country's living heritage, visit: www.themustang- project.org/sheldon-hors- es.html. Intermediate class Job Training Center • 718 Main St., Red Bluff Call 529-7000 Pre-Registration Required Thursday February 27, 2014 8:30 am to 12:30 pm Cost: $65.00 per person Just 10 slots available/Each person at a computer Weather forecast 8B Mostly cloudy 64/46 N EWS D AILY DAILY 50¢ TUESDAY FEBRUARY 18, 2014 Mammogram discussion Breaking news at: www.redbluffdailynews.com N EWS D AILY RED BLUFF TEHAMA COUNTY T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U N T Y S I N C E 1 8 8 5 See 4A Vitality 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 Buckle bash Daily News photo by Andre Byik Allison Geyer competes in barrel racing at the interdistrict Red Bluff Shootout high school rodeo over the weekend at the Tehama District Fairground. DN Staff Report After the dust settled and the buckles went out, Gianna Cianfichi of Santa Rosa and Colton Campbell of Klamath Falls, Ore., came away with All-Around Cowgirl and Cow- boy honors over the weekend at the Red Bluff Shootout high school rodeo at the Tehama District Fair- ground. The rodeo was hosted by Cali- fornia High School Association's District 1, which comprises many North State counties including Tehama, Shasta and Butte. The rodeo draws hundreds from the region, and Districts 2 and 3 also participated. District 1 rodeo athletes put up strong performances, such as Cara Hencratt of Red Bluff, who bested the field in breakaway roping, fin- ishing first with a time of 6.91 sec- onds. Hencratt also finished third in girls cutting with a score of 144. Bailey Bean of Gerber earned a second-place finish in barrel racing with a time of 28.477 seconds. Gianna Esteve of Corning finished seventh in the event with a time of 29.114 seconds. Bean finished sev- enth in goat tying, notching a score of 19.58. Brittany Manner of Red Bluff finished 10th with a time of 29.169. In team roping, Chelsey Bush- nell of Red Bluff and Brody Gill of Millville earned top-honors with a time of 21.46. Wyatt Brown of Red Bluff and Cameron Jones of Cot- tonwood teamed up and finished fourth in the event with a time of 26.12. Bushnell also finished fifth in girls cutting with a score of 142. Brown earned fourth place in tie down calf roping, finishing with a time of 29.59. He tied for sixth in boys cutting with a score of 139. Dance gold Sports 1B County refinancing for future projects By RICH GREENE DN Staff Writer The Board of Supervisors is moving forward with a plan that would retire one Tehama County debt early, refinance a second and then borrow money on a new debt service plan to provide around $10 million in financing for a series of cap- ital improvement projects. Financing on a new 2014 Refunding Certificates of Participation (COP) could provide the funding for a new library, the already-in-the-works Agri- cultural Center, a remodel of the Health Services building and pay a portion of the jail roof remodel- ing project. The county has outstanding COPS from 1998 and 2002. At its board meeting Tuesday, the supervisors approved paying off the remaining $1.373 million balance on the 1998 COPS early for a financing savings of around $197,000 over the next eight years. There is no prepayment penalty on the deal and the county is not using borrowed money to pay off the balance, instead using existing funds and cred- its. The 1998 COPS, which was for around $4.5 mil- lion, was taken out to refund two older debt issuances. The 2002 COPS, which was around $9 million, City Council appoints 2 to Parks Commission The Red Bluff City Council appointed two new members to the Parks and Recreation Commission during its Feb. 4 meeting. Ryan Gamboa, a Red Bluff Union High School sophomore, was the lone applicant for the student position and was appoint- ed. Gamboa said in his application that he would like to become more involved with youth and adult sports and find out how to have better opportu- nities made available to athletes throughout Red Bluff. The student term expires at the end of the year. Two applications were filed for an adult position to expire at the end of 2015. The council appointed Richard Bourne, a retired recreation department employee, to the position. Mayor Danielle Jackson said she had asked Bourne to apply for the position. "When I came to Red Bluff 40 years ago the rec dept was one of the city's sources of pride. I wish for it to stay that way," Bourne wrote in his application. Group aims to save historic herd 2 CHP officers killed in crash KINGSBURG (AP) — The California Highway Patrol was mourning the loss of two officers Monday after their squad car flipped over while responding to a multi-vehicle crash. Officers Brian Law, 34, of Clovis, and Juan Gonzalez, 33, of Fresno, were heading to the crash on state Route 99 near the Central Valley town of Kingsburg when they swerved to avoid a person in the road and lost control of the vehicle, the CHP said. California Gov. Jerry Brown and first lady Anne Gust Brown sent their regards Monday to the fallen officers and their loved ones. Flags will be flown at half-staff at the State Capitol in Sacramento. ''Anne and I extend our deepest condolences and sympa- thies to the families, friends and colleagues of Officers Law and Gonzalez as they mourn the tragic loss of these dedicat- ed public servants,'' Brown said in a written statement. ''We join all Californians in honoring these officers for their courage, commitment and service.'' Law and Gonzales were traveling southbound to get to the crash, CHP Capt. Dave Paris said. The original pre-dawn collision about 25 miles southeast of Fresno was initially reported on the northbound side of the divided highway, Paris said. The officers soon realized, how- ever, that the crash scene was actually in the southbound lanes, and one the drivers involved was on the road, Paris said. The officer who was driving swerved out of the way, and the squad car hit a guardrail and struck the pylon of a free- way exit sign, said Officer Axel Reyes, a CHP spokesman. Photo courtesy US Fish & Wildlife Service See CHP, page 7A See COUNTY, page 7A