“There comes a time when silence is betrayal.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.

Hello and Happy Monday! Happy MLK Day to you!

I wanted to say THANK YOU again to Sherri for sharing her email to the Park with us yesterday.  Her letter resonates with many of you!  Have you answered our Call to Action from the weekend yet: https://chwha.org/2024/01/14/the-global-spotlight-lets-get-louder/

We have heard some people express irritation that Superintendent Angie Richman told The Wall Street Journal that they expect to have a decision at the end of this year (2024) on IF they will be eliminating 150 of the 200 horses currently in the Park OR THE ENTIRE HERD!

Why this this taking a WHOLE YEAR?

I know – we are all impatient and anxiously waiting for their answer.  Legally, we cannot move forward either until this process is complete. 

As we have stated numerous times, the park is engaged in a NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) process.  That means that there are things they HAVE to do before this process can be complete! 

If you remember, when all of this started in March of 2022, they Park seemed to believe that they would have all of this wrapped up pretty quickly! We do NOT think they expected this level of public outcry and local pressure!

We know from the “secret” NPS 2022h document that disappeared as quickly as it made its way to the Park’s Planning Website, that The Park was not too concerned with the Section 106 Review Process. 

Another way the Park underestimated the opposition that their plans to remove these horses would get!

What is the Section 106 Review Process?

We have added some documents to the Research Library Section of our website for you: https://chwha.org/library/

From one of those documents:

“A key responsibility of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) is to administer the requirements of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), a review process that ensures historic properties are considered during the development of any federal project.”

That means that as soon as the Park initiated this NEW management planning process and their plans to eliminate the ENTIRE herd of horses from the landscape of the Park, this Section 106 Review Process kicked in.

The BEAUTY of this process is that while it is a FEDERAL process, the Park DOES NOT have the final say in what the outcome is!

Who does?

The North Dakota State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO)!

CHWHA had a Call to Action around this last year.  In November, we sent in a petition with just under 4,000 names along with supporting documentation asking that the SHPO find these horses to be historically and culturally significant to the state of North Dakota.  We also know that several other individuals and organizations have also sent in letters and documentation.  – THANK YOU AGAIN!

While we wrapped up our part in this, you CAN still send in your own requests to the SHPO BECAUSE their review is STILL ongoing! Letters can be sent to:

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

We checked in with their office a few weeks ago and Bill Peterson, the State Historic Preservation Officer, confirmed that they are still working on this process.

We also know that they sent the following letter back to Theodore Roosevelt National Park letting them know that they have NOT completed their part in this review process. 

Meaning – the Park has NOT given the SHPO enough proof that the horses ARE NOT historically and culturally significant!  His office needs more information from the Park before they make a final determination!

For those of you wondering WHEN the Park would be held to showing proof for their claims – THIS is definitely one of those times!

We also shared this information with Senator Hoeven’s office when we spoke with them last week.  This is something his office was not aware of, and they appreciated the update. 

What does all of this mean?

Theodore Roosevelt National Park CANNOT move forward with their plans to eliminate the ANY or the ENTIRE herd of horses from the Park WITHOUT the blessing of the North Dakota State Historic Preservation Office!

There is also A LOT of CONTROVERSY with regards to the historical and cultural aspects of the Park’s proposed action. 

NEPA clearly states that all controversies must be resolved before the process can be completed.  There is a direct controversy between Theodore Roosevelt National Park and their Proposed Action, and the Historical & Cultural FACTS submitted by people like Dr. Castle McLaughlin, who the Park commissioned to research the history of the horses back in the 1980’s. 

THAT controversy has to be resolved before this can move forward. 

In some cases, the way that it moves forward is in an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) – which is what CHWHA has been asking for since this process began. 

An EIS will mean that the Park has to do A LOT more work and that process will take a few more YEARS to complete.  That process will include a whole new set of public comment periods and civic engagement.

So, while the Park is no doubt scrambling to try its best to resolve this controversy, we here at CHWHA will be maximizing this time to continue to raise awareness about the current plight of these amazing wild horses.  We will continue to work with our state and federal delegates, and we will absolutely continue to consult our legal team!

There is still A LOT of work to be done and we are grateful that this process is where it is.  It is allowing us the time to find a way to keep 200 wild horses WILD and FREE! This is NOT a time for silence! We ONLY get ONE chance to save these horses!

We do hope that all of you are in this with us for the long haul!  200 wild horses are counting on each and every one of you!

We hope that this helps explain the importance of our Calls to Action over the last couple of weeks!  If you have not completed them yet, there is STILL time!  You can get details here: https://chwha.org/2024/01/06/lets-get-loud-2/ and https://chwha.org/2024/01/14/the-global-spotlight-lets-get-louder/

Thank you for your support and as always, feel free to email us with any questions you may have regarding this process and our fight to save the iconic wild horses of Theodore Roosevelt National Park! You can email us at info@chwha.org or PM us through our social media channels. 

In case you have not read the NPS 2022h document, we have it for you again here:

Thank you for your support and have a GREAT week!

---

PLEASE DON’T FORGET TO MAKE YOUR GIVING HEARTS DAY DONATION!  This is a GREAT way to DOUBLE your gift and help us continue our Fight for the Spirit of the Badlands!