Hello and Happy Thursday to everyone!
As you know, on December 12, 2022, Theodore Roosevelt National Park announced their plans to eliminate the ENTIRE herd of horses from the park! From DAY 1, Chasing Horses Wild Horse Advocates has been leading the fight to save this iconic herd of horses!
With your help, we have gained A LOT of traction in our fight to save these horses! We have come such a long way since December! Support to save these horses has been coming from literally all across the globe!
The comment period is over. The park received over 6,000 UNIQUE comments! THANK YOU AGAIN!! They are now reviewing those comments and moving forward in their management planning process as outlined in NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act). The park has said that they plan to be back this spring with the results of their Environmental Assessment (EA).
Meanwhile, we are all sitting on pins and needles wondering if the park will take Governor Burgum up on his offer of the state of North Dakota’s resources to help keep the horses in the park.
We are all wondering if conversations by Governor Burgum and Senator Hoeven with National Park Service Director Sams will change the outcome for these horses.
Now that North Dakota Senate Concurrent Resolution SCR 4014 passed the ND Senate UNANIMOUSLY, we wait as our North Dakota state legislators are currently in “Crossover recess” for testimony and voting in the ND House.
So…
What can we do NOW?
First, THIS is NOT a time to remain silent. Several ND legislators have encouraged us to keep the pressure on and keep this in the forefront as much as we can!
And THAT is exactly what we are doing!
Chasing Horses Wild Horse Advocates is working with other wild horse organizations to keep the pressure on and keep the fight alive! We are happy to say that the organizations that are working with us keeps growing! If you are an organization interested in working with us or are already sharing our information, please email us at info@chwha.org. People have been asking us daily for the names of organizations that are working with us, so we are working on adding a page with links to those organizations that have joined us in this fight!
We have been sending monthly press releases to every newspaper in the state of North Dakota. We are also in contact with several members of the press in North Dakota discussing future stories and helping them gather information to cover.
And, because we know that these horses are just as important to all of you, we are creating NEW “Calls to Action” as we continue to work through things behind the scenes to save these wild horses.
Here are some important things you can do RIGHT NOW:
Please visit our “Calls to Action” page for links to our current action items: https://chwha.org/calls-to-action/
Since our ND Legislators are in recess, AND we know many of you were frustrated with the process to submit your testimony to the ND Senate, so we have created a link that will allow you to share your own personal comments and have them entered with the official testimony in the ND House when they reconvene. Your comments can be as simple as “Please pass SCR 4014” or as complex or personal as you would like it to be. There are no “rules” in this comment process. Chasing Horses Wild Horse Advocates will be testifying before the ND House in person and will be hand delivering your comments to the ND legislators. Do we have your comment? You can submit it here: https://secure.everyaction.com/UjcKwEYRSkO-TDc6OfAXMQ2
As we mentioned, the wild horses of Theodore Roosevelt National Park have been getting support from all across the globe!
There is one very important name missing from that list of support: ND Congressman Kelly Armstrong! Congressman Armstrong came out early supporting the park. CHWHA has been contacting his office every week asking if he has a press release that he would like us to share with our followers stating that he has joined the growing support for these horses. Every week I am told that he has NOT changed his position!
We created a “Call to Action” that allows you to send your own email to Congressman Armstrong, asking him to join the fight to save North Dakota’s ONLY wild horse herd.
I have personally sent my email to Congressman Armstrong. TODAY I got this response from his office:
Dear Ms. Kman,
Thank you for contacting me and sharing your thoughts on this important issue. Your perspective is important to me as I work to represent you in Congress.
Please continue to keep me informed of your views on legislation and other congressional matters. Additionally, if you ever have issues relating to the Federal Government, my office is available to assist you in resolving the problem or provide you with additional information. Please call my Fargo office at (701) 353-6665, if you are in need of constituent services.
Again, thank you for contacting me on this issue. I appreciate having the opportunity to represent you in the U.S. House of Representatives. Please feel free to visit my website at Armstrong.house.gov to sign up for my newsletter or contact me with any other concerns you may have.
Sincerely,
Kelly Armstrong
Member of Congress
The weather more than likely has his office in Fargo closed for the day, BUT you can still follow our link and send your email! You can send your email easily by clicking on this link: https://secure.everyaction.com/Rg-lK-HiAkSz6nxuYsiKmw2
Lastly, we will be attending and speaking at the 2nd Annual Save Our Wild Horses conference in Washington DC in April! We plan to make the most of our time in DC and already have several meetings set up with our federal legislators!
Save Our Wild Horses (SOWH) is asking for our help in their 2023 Postcard Campaign! The goal is to flood President Biden AND our federal legislators with postcards asking them to save our wild horses! SOWH has postcards on their website that you can purchase and use to send your own personal message. You can find more information about this campaign on their website here: https://saveourwildhorses.net/2023-postcard-campaign.html CHWHA has also created a “Call to Action” to help get more postcards to DC! We have made this easy for you too! You can find more information here: https://secure.everyaction.com/_FHTeHpTOUG1Er7wwscTYw2
I think we can all agree that ONE postcard will probably NOT make a difference. BUT – WHAT kind of statement would HUNDREDS OR THOUSANDS of postcards make?
As we have said before, each one of these actions, no matter how big or small they seem, are helping to create a bigger picture for saving this historic group of wild horses! THIS is NOT a time to be silent!
WHAT IF Theodore Roosevelt National Park decides to continue with their plans to eliminate this entire herd of horses DESPITE the outpouring of support keeping these horses has received?
THAT could happen! These horses are NOT “safe” until we have a management plan in place that allows for a genetically viable herd AND a way to protect these horses from future threats of removal.
THAT is EXACTLY why Chasing Horses Wild Horse Advocates continues to not only work on behind the scenes for these amazing wild horses, but we are also giving you updates daily and letting you know how you can help us save this herd.
As you personally answer our “Calls to Action”, please continue to share our posts! We have shown BEYOND A SHADOW OF A DOUBT that there is power in numbers! This herd will need everyone to help save them!
Can they count on you?
Thank you for your 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.
