Happy New Year to everyone! We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. More than anything, we hope that you are ready to pull up your sleeves and help us fight to save the iconic wild horse herd that calls Theodore Roosevelt National Park home! We have less than 30 days to make an impact and any impact that is made will take EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US!
In case you missed it during the holiday season, on December 12, 2022, Theodore Roosevelt National Park announced their plans to eliminate the ENTIRE herd of wild horses from the park!
We have been very busy since then talking to wild horse advocate friends, state legislators, press throughout the state of North Dakota, and basically anyone that will listen that we think MIGHT be able to offer solid solutions on how we can help keep the wild horses of TRNP Wild & Free!
Last week, we came to you with three different calls to action. If you have already sent your emails, THANK YOU! If you have not had a chance yet, it is not too late to help! Please see our post from last week for more information: https://chwha.org/2022/12/30/this-weeks-calls-to-action/
Based on conversations with ND state legislators, we have a new call to action for you today – along with some GOOD NEWS that we wanted to share!
When we asked our friends in the North Dakota State Legislature what the state of North Dakota CAN do to help save our states ONLY wild horse herd, they said that the state legislators CAN introduce a resolution asking the Theodore Roosevelt National Park to keep the wild horses in the park.
We were told, “Having the resolution drafted is the easy part. Securing support takes time and organized effort.”
We put on our lobby hats this morning and reached out to some of our local North Dakota Senators and House members asking them to draft a resolution asking Theodore Roosevelt National Park to keep the wild horses in the park.
We want to say a HUGE THANK YOU! To Senator Jay Elkin and Senator Dean Rummel! They will be working together to draft a resolution asking Theodore Roosevelt National Park to keep the wild horses IN Theodore Roosevelt National Park where they belong!
PLEASE send these amazing North Dakota Senators an email thanking them for helping to keep the wild horses in Theodore Roosevelt National Park wild and free! You can email Senator Jay Elkin at jayelkin@ndlegis.gov and you can email Senator Dean Rummel at drummel@ndlegis.gov.
That is only the first part of our ask today!
We are also asking that those of you who live within the state, please contact your North Dakota House and Senate legislators asking them to support this legislation. We have a list of all of the ND House members and their contact information for you here:
We have a list of all of the ND Senate members and their contact information for you here:
Your letter should be short, respectful and to the point. Here is a sample for you to send or modify with your own message:
As a resident of the State of North Dakota, I am outraged that Theodore Roosevelt National Park announced their plans to remove the ENTIRE herd of wild horses from the park! I am writing to you today to respectfully request that the state of North Dakota draft a resolution asking Theodore Roosevelt National Park to keep our state’s ONLY herd wild horses in the park. I appreciate your support in helping to save our iconic herd of wild horses.
Sincerely,
We are happy to announce that we have already heard back from a few North Dakota House and Senate members who WILL be supporting this resolution! Please make sure you reach out to yours!
Thank you for your continued support!
Chasing Horses Wild Horse Advocates is committed to advocating for a wild horse management plan and protection for these unique wild horses that call Theodore Roosevelt National Park home! We are fighting for a management plan that is guided by science especially when it comes to decisions regarding the removal of horses and the administration of birth control. Many other wild horse management plans have proven to be successful with their science-based plans. We are asking for the same for this amazing group of wild horses that call Theodore Roosevelt National Park home.
What the the reason given for eradicating the mustangs from TRNP? Do they not know that the wild mustangs bring in tourist dollars?
According to the park’s newsletter/press release: Currently, two livestock herds reside in the Park: there are nine cattle in the North Unit and approximately 200 horses in the South Unit. Both herds have been allowed to occur as nonnative livestock on NPS lands. While past perspectives focused on managing for a historic scene, park priorities are to manage the species, resources, and ecosystems that are native to the landscape of the Park.
The park is saying the horses are NOT native – they view them as an invasive species and their priorities have changed to only focus on the native species in the park.