In our Horse Talk yesterday with North Dakota House Minority Leader Josh Boschee, he told us to “Keep beating the drums” If you missed our Horse Talk yesterday, we have uploaded it to our YouTube channel. You can watch it here: https://youtu.be/Enyp3Six9SQ
In all honesty, I feel like I have been doing a drum solo! We really need your help.
As we talked about yesterday, the state of North Dakota can only make a request that the horses stay in the park. Our Governor has offered every resource available to the park, but they have not taken them up on his offer.
If you read their 1978 Environmental Assessment (EA), you will see why we along with our lawyers and other wild horse advocates fully expect the park to come back with their Draft EA showing data in favor of eliminating the horses from the park. You can read the 1978 EA here:
There is A LOT that can be done while we are waiting for the park to come back with their Draft EA. Just like the ND resolution, timing is everything – and these horses honestly are literally running out of time.
We have repeatedly said this is NOT over until these horses have a management plan in place that protects a genetically viable herd of horses AND they are protected under Federal Public Law so that the threat of removal can NEVER happen again!
So, what are we at Chasing Horses Wild Horse Advocates doing to try to save this herd?
- We have been reaching out to local and national press since December and continue to keep them updated on new developments – such as the news about SCR 4014. We have given them photos and videos of the horses in TRNP to help enhance their news stories. We provide them with interviews and information as requested in an attempt to keep the plight of the horses in the news while we wait for the Draft EA to be released.
- We are traveling to Washington DC to speak at the Save Our Wild Horses Conference. While we are there, we will be meeting with federal delegates about getting the horses protected under Public Law. What we are asking for has already been done for the Shackleford Banks Wild Horses at Cape Lookout National Seashore. You can see the National Park Service’s (NPS) annual report on all of their “wildlife” at Cape Lookout National Seashore – that INCLUDES their horses here: https://www.nps.gov/calo/learn/management/wildlife-management.htm?fbclid=IwAR31hxo-l02LWjHaDqi37OMYuwTeOi8-K-Lh3oMH5kQSIWNwDtA_rit1-hY#horse That proves once again that wild horses ARE allowed on NPS lands and that they DO NOT have to be classified as “livestock”.
- We are reaching out to local businesses trying to get them involved. We are mailing letters and taking time each week to walk around Medora and surrounding areas talking to businesses that will be impacted if the horses are removed, asking for their support and giving them our window clings to put in their windows to show their support for keeping the horses.
- We have set up “Horse Talks” to help educate the public on all of the different aspects that make these horses unique. These events are FREE, we only ask that you register in advance. We are constantly speaking with new people to keep variety in our planned talks. Be sure to join us for our Horse Talk with Frank Kuntz and his daughter Christa on April 16th and Theodore Roosevelt himself on April 30th!
- We write daily blogs updating the public on what is happening with the horses, with state legislation and any other news that we have.
- We are working on getting a billboard on I-94 so that the 700,000 people who visit the park this year will know that the horses are in danger of losing their home.
- We are working with our expert legal team at Eubanks and Associates. Eubanks and Associates has also worked with American Wild Horse Campaign and The Cloud Foundation, so we feel confident they understand this process. They helped draft our last comment letter and helped us submit FOIA requests including regular correspondence to follow up on those requests. They will also advise us when the Draft EA comes out as well as let us know along the way what other legal recourse we may have.
How can you help us?
If you are local and are interested in helping us get our window clings out to local businesses, or can help us with fundraising, those are our biggest needs – please email us at info@chwha.org.
If you can help us financially there are several different ways you can help listed on our website: https://chwha.org/support-chwha/
How your money will be used, and if you have a specific request for the use of your donation, please let us know!
- A roll of 100 stamps for mailing letters costs $63
- Our PO Box costs $166 for 1 year
- Office supplies – ink, paper, envelopes, website fees, our Zoom, Every Action & NDNA subscriptions combined cost us about $500 per month depending on how much printing and mailing we do.
- Brochures for Washington DC and to pass out in Medora cost us $400
- Postcards for our latest Postcard campaign cost us $90
- Sign to be used in DC and in Medora this summer cost us $300
- Business cards and thank you cards have cost us $200
- Presentation folders for DC have cost us $400 – AND we still need to print the inside material to fill 275 folders
- Window Clings have cost us $750 to date. We believe these are an easy way to get support and spread the word!
- We have been advertising both in local papers, horse expos like the MN Horse Expo and on Facebook to help raise awareness. Ad costs this month alone are $1000
- We would LOVE to see our billboard dream become a reality! A 1-year commitment for a billboard in Dickinson is $975 per month! A second billboard in Bismarck is $500 per month.
- Legal fees from the last comment period were $4500
There is still so much more than can be done, but as we keep saying, as a nonprofit, our success depends on the support we get. It is extremely stressful to dedicate time to daily tasks that need to be done as we continue to fight for these horses while we constantly stress over how we will get the funds needed to carry out even the simplest things that need to be done.
Thank you to those of you who continue to send us donations! We have many repeat donors who have generously given to us! Their support has helped carry us to this point. We are also grateful to those of you who have reached out to your employers and discussed matching funds. We are happy to know that so many employers offer this to their employees!
We have said it before and we will say it again, these horses are getting a lot of support but they are NOT safe yet! IF the park is able to remove these horses – they will NEVER bring them back.
NOW is the time to act.
Can you help us continue to Fight for the Spirit of the Badlands?
Every $1 literally helps! Once again, you can find different ways to help support us on our website: https://chwha.org/support-chwha/ Also remember that sharing our posts helps get this information out in front of more people!
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.
