We are on day 43 since Theodore Roosevelt National Park announced their plans to eliminate the ENTIRE herd of horses from the park. There are ONLY 7 DAYS left to get your comments into the park!
Can we make a difference?
Together, WE already have!
We decided to start local: Governor Burgum, and our state legislators. Governor Burgum stated he would have a comment after the park’s January 12th virtual meeting. It has been suggested that his comment will be in support of the horses staying in the park.
Our state legislators have shown that they are just as outraged as we are about the park’s plans to eliminate the entire herd of horses from the park as all of us are. They have heard each one of you that has called, emailed, or written them with your concerns for these horses! They have also seen all of the “letters to the editor” in our local newspapers.
Chasing Horses Wild Horse Advocates (CHWHA) has submitted a draft resolution to our state legislators. A final version has been sent for legal drafting and is expected to be returned to Senator Jay Elkin this week. I spoke with Senator Elkin yesterday. He is sponsoring the resolution and said that he was “happy to carry this water bucket” for us. He did give me some work to do for him to help fill those buckets 😉 That is one of today’s projects. We will update you on what committee the resolution will go before and any other details as we get them. You can view the draft resolution we submitted here: https://chwha.org/north-dakota-supports-trnps-wild-horses/
THAT is something that each one of you helped to make a reality! I have said before that there were several times over the last few weeks when it seemed like we were building some momentum for a resolution and then things seemed to go backwards and then forward again. Give yourselves a pat on the back! This was NOT an easy task to complete!
CHWHA gave a presentation on the NEPA Process and how to make your comment count. You can view the recording here: https://chwha.org/events/
CHWHA has done all we can to keep the story of the wild horses in Theodore Roosevelt National Park in the news over the last 43 days and there is more reporting coming out in the week ahead so stay tuned! We are working on updating the news section of our website, but there is still a lot for you to see here: https://chwha.org/chwha-in-the-news/
CHWHA gave you 10 Calls to Action to help fight for this herd. Once we went through the proper channels getting state support, we asked you to reach out and help get support from our federal government. The last 2 calls to action ask you to contact the North Dakota’s Congressman Kelly Armstrong and North Dakota Senators Kevin Cramer & John Hoeven. ALL of their contact information is in our Call to Action #9: https://chwha.org/2023/01/16/15-days-call-to-action-9/
Call to Action #10 asked you to contacted leaders in the Department of The Interior and the National Park Service. ALL of their contact information is here: https://chwha.org/2023/01/18/call-to-action-10/
CHWHA has worked with national organizations: American Wild Horse Campaign and The Cloud Foundation. Know that there are several other organizations that are coming out in support of these iconic wild horses! Stay tuned for more coming soon!
Each one of these things that we have all done TOGETHER is making a difference for the future of the wild horses of Theodore Roosevelt National Park!
Please know, this list is far from complete! There are still a lot of other things being worked on in the background that we are not able to share – yet! We have literally been advocating from every angle we could think of – and thank you to those of you who helped us find some of the new ways we didn’t think of!
We have one last ask for you. It is the MOST IMPORTANT thing that each one of us can do – SEND YOU COMMENT TO THE PARK!!!
As one of our followers so gracefully stated – as part of the NEPA process, every single comment letter that you send to the park has to be scanned into their database. Your voice is literally the voice of 186 horses that currently call Theodore Roosevelt National Park home!! MAKE YOUR VOICE COUNT!!
MAKE SURE THE PARK HEARS YOU LOUD AND CLEAR!
CHWHA has even put together a sample letter that you can customize to fit what it is YOU want to see for the future of these iconic wild horses that call Theodore Roosevelt National Park home!
THIS IS IMPORTANT:
YES! There WILL be another public comment period BUT THIS is the ONLY PUBLIC comment period where you can suggest alternatives that you want them to consider.
WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANT TO SEE FOR THE FUTURE OF THESE HORSES?
You have 7 (SEVEN) DAYS to let the park know.
186 wild horses are counting on you.
PLEASE, don’t let them down.
A quote that has echoed in my head throughout this process is by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO REMAIN SILENT! We CANNOT stress that enough!
Please share your comments no later than January 31, 2023, online through the PEPC website at: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/LP
Or in writing to:
Superintendent
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
PO Box 7
Medora, ND 58645
If you have already submitted your comment letter and would like to share it with us and our community, please email us at info@chwha.org.
Thank you for your support and have a GREAT day!
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.