Hello again!

We have an update for you on another way that you can get your comment to the North Dakota State Historic Preservation Office.  Please sign our petition! https://secure.everyaction.com/Af1717oXqU2wTrcB0Yz6jw2

We will collect names through 11/3/2023 and then send the entire petition along with a letter from our organization citing pertinent documents to the North Dakota State Historic Preservation officer.  You are STILL also welcome to send a snail mail letter into the office.  And yes!  You CAN do both!

IF you also want to send a snail mail letter, your letter can be customized in whatever way you choose, but please, use these lines specifically:

I am writing to request that the wild horses in Theodore Roosevelt National Park be considered a significant historical and cultural resource to the state of North Dakota.

Your letter should be sent to:

North Dakota State Historic Preservation Office
612 E. Boulevard Ave.
Bismarck, ND  58505
Attn: Bill Peterson

In case you missed our earlier blog post, here is some information for you:

As part of FEDERAL LAW – there is a 1966 federal Historic Preservation Act law as amended requires all public agencies to cooperate with State Historic Preservation Offices in protecting historic resources by making a determination of historic significance and any potential negative effects of proposed actions.

It starts with the State Historic Preservation Officer (Bill Peterson) making a determination if the property (in this case, the National Park) is historically significant according to NPS National Register guidelines.

A lot of State Historic Preservation Office staff time is necessary to make a meaningful review, so the determination letter is usually quite short and not supported with much narrative. Something like, “of course it’s historically significant under NRHP criterion “A” for the Park’s “embodiment of broad patterns of historical events associated with the design and construction by NPS and other federal agencies (CCC, WPA) cooperating with the North Dakota State Historical Society, to establish a memorial park in the North Dakota Badlands commemorating the influence of that landscape on President Theodore Roosevelt.”

At a minimum, IF the State Historical Preservation Office finds the wild horses of Theodore Roosevelt National Park to be historically and culturally significant within the state of North Dakota, it will help strengthen our argument for a detailed Environmental Impact Statement to be performed INSTEAD OF a FONSI (Finding Of No Significant Impact) – which is what the Park wants to do!

The State Historical Preservation Office tries to formulate an informed judgment based on evidence.  They DO understand how this process works, though, so important to let them know that the public is concerned.

We are asking again, PLEASE sign our petition and/or send a snail mail letter to the State Historic Preservation Office.  I know – snail mail letters are a pain!  But what will be a bigger pain is if the wild horses of Theodore Roosevelt National Park are removed from the boundaries of the only home they have ever known.  THAT is the reality of where we are folks.  Please take 5 minutes to sign our petition and send your letter!  You DO NOT have to live in the state of North Dakota to have your voice heard. 

Thank you for your support and PLEASE share this information far and wide.  THIS is a REAL way you can help make a difference in the outcome for the wild horses that call Theodore Roosevelt National Park home. 

We KNOW from NPS 2022h that the Park is concerned about Section 106 and no doubt meeting with the North Dakota State Historic Preservation Office too.  Please make sure this office hears from you as well!

Thank you for your continued support and for fighting so hard with us to save this herd!

 

---