Hello and Happy Sunday to everyone!
Theodore Roosevelt National Park has released the summary report of their last comment period that ended on January 31, 2023.
LOOK AT THE IMPACT EACH ONE OF YOU HAD ON THIS COMMENT PERIOD!!!
- The NPS received 19,012 pieces of correspondence during the scoping comment period. Of the 19,012 correspondences, 5,138 correspondence letters were unique, and 13,874 were part of four separate form-letter campaigns. 1 The topics that received the majority of the comments related to the management of horses within the Park, while fewer comments related to the management of cattle and bison.
- Comments broken down by Description & Number of Comments
Support Complete Livestock Removal 45
Oppose Complete Livestock Removal 2867
Preliminary Alternative A: No Action 64
Preliminary Alternative B: Expedited Reduction to No Livestock 15
Preliminary Alternative C: Phased Reduction to No Livestock 11
New Alternative Proposed 329
Issues: Cultural resources 163
Issues: Park management 429
Issues: Visitor use or experience 498
Issues: Livestock, Horses 1167
Issues: Livestock, Cattle 48
Purpose and Need: Planning Process and Policy 28
Purpose and Need: Park Purpose and Significance 439
Purpose and Need: NEPA and CEQ1 202
Purpose and Need: Interpretation of Park Policies, Regulations, Laws 48
References: General Comments 349
Issues: Socioeconomics 367
Issues: Vegetation 113
Issues: Wildlife/Special Status Species 139
Issues: Public Health and Safety 3
Issues: Water Resources 7
Total 7,331 - LOOK AT ALL OF THE Organizations Represented in Correspondences!!!
Advocates for Wild Equine
Advocates for Wild Horses
American Wild Horse Campaign
Animal Law LLM Candidate at Lewis and Clark Law School
Animal Welfare Institute
Animal Wellness Action
AtlasVet
AWI Nongovernmental Blue Ribbon Stables, LLC
Bureau of Reclamation & Environmental Protection Agency
Carlotta’s Housing and Mentoring Service
Cause 4 Paws
Cedar Hill Farm
Center for Global Studies
Chasing Horses Wild Horse Advocates
ComDel Inc.
Coyote Canyon Caballos d Anza
Dakota Grown Photos
Dickinson CVB
Dukart Ranch LLLP
Eyefrogs Photography
Fleursteppe
GardaWorld
GDCD
Giangrego
Grand River Ranch
Grazing Land Solutions LLC
Horse Medicine Productions
Humane Society of the Heartland
In Defense of Animals
Legacy Farm and Stables
Let Them Live Free
Lewis and Clark trail museum
Long X Visitor Center/Pioneer Museum of McKenzie County
Love Wild Horses, Inc.
Magic Photo Art
Marian’s Dream and United Spay Alliance
Medora Chamber of Commerce
National Mustang Association, Colorado
Newell Media
Nokota Preserve, Chester Springs PA
North Dakota Badlands Horse
North Dakota Department of Commerce
North Dakota Equine Assn
North Dakota Senate, Kathy Hogan
North Dakota Senate, Sean Cleary
North Dakota Senate, Tim Mathern
North Dakota Travel Alliance Partnership
N-X Ranch
Oregon Wild Horse Organization
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
Rafter R Ranch, LLC
Return to Freedom; Humane Society of the United States; Humane Society Legislative Fund Salmonberry Tribal Associates
Saveourwildhorses.net
Sharing With The Hearts Of Wheezer
Sierra Club Member
South Dakota State University
State of North Dakota, Governor
State Studio Cornelia
Sundance Square Home Owners Associate (HOA)
Swan Farm Akhal-Tekes
Taku Skan Skan Wasakliyapi: Global Institute for Traditional Sciences (GIFTS)
The Buffalo Gap Gift Shop
The Cloud Foundation
The Homes for Horses Coalition
The Walsh County Record
Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site
Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation
This Old Horse (a.k.a. Wishbone Ranch)
Tori Gagne Photography
Travlin the 2 Trax
University of Idaho
University of Oklahoma
Western Watersheds Project
Wild Equids of New Mexico
Wild Heart Sanctuary
Wild Horse and Burro Fund
Wild Horse Education
Wild Lands, Wild Horses
Wind Horse Dancer, Inc.
Wood Creek Apartments
World Wildlife Fund
Wyoming Mustang Institute
Number of Correspondences* Web form** 18,849 Letter 163 Total 19,012
The park goes on to share comments under each code they created. You can read the entire report here: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/document.cfm?parkID=167&projectID=105110&documentID=129168&fbclid=IwAR01E9aWjS5G-PaRR8TIx2mKYDe1Sunu5BxGurWSmQrZUOHuSwaLLuoMurs
THANK YOU again to each one of you! 19,012 PIECES OF CORRESPONDANCE!!! These horses are LOVED and CHERISHED by MANY!
THIS IS THE POWER OF MANY VOICES COMING TOGETHER!!! PLEASE! REMEMBER THIS when you wonder what the impact of your single voice is or when you second guess making a phone call or sending an email!
Remember, this fight is far from over! In light of those 19,012 comments, the park is expected to stay their course and present us with an Environmental Assessment that will support the removal of the horses, or attempt to take the current herd of just under 200 horses down to an unviable 30-60 horses! Please support our advocacy work as we continue to Fight for the Spirit of the Badlands! https://chwha.org/support-chwha/
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.
