Hello and Happy Saturday to everyone!

Hopefully you were able to tune into the Jay Thomas Show yesterday.  We talked about the last two years, what is happening with the horses now, and some retaliatory actions the park has just put into place that will minimize the visitor experience for everyone.

Every year, the superintendent of each park puts together a “compendium”.  What does that mean?

From the 2024 Compendium from Theodore Roosevelt National Park:

“The Superintendent’s Compendium is the summary of park specific rules implemented under 36 Code of Federal Regulations (36 CFR). It serves as public notice, identifies areas closed for public use, provides a list of activities requiring either a special use permit or reservation, and elaborates on public use and resource protection regulations pertaining specifically to the park administration. The Superintendent’s Compendium does not repeat regulations found in 36 CFR and other United States Code and CFR Titles, which are enforced without further elaboration at the park level.”

This year, the superintendent added the following rule into the 2024 TRNP Compendium:

Entrance and Exits:

“All access to park areas within the boundaries of Theodore Roosevelt National Park shall be through official access points. For the purposes of this section, official access points are defined as drive through entrances and walk-through gates that are open to the public and are not otherwise locked. Drive-through entrances are located where East River Road enters and exits the Park (South Unit), where the Scenic Drive enters the Park from Highway 85 (North Unit), and at Painted Canyon Visitor Center (seasonally) at Exit 32 on I-94. Walk-through gates are spring-loaded, lift-open gates specifically designed for visitor pedestrian and equine access to the Park, generally located at trailheads that meet the boundary fence. When the Painted Canyon Visitor Center is closed in the winter, the drive-through entrance is converted into a pedestrian only, spring loaded push-through gate. Climbing over, under, or through the boundary fence is prohibited, including areas in the fence that are designed for wildlife ingress and egress. Prohibition of climbing over or under the fence does not include emergencies where personal safety requires an emergent exit of the Park to protect life and safety. The entrance requirements in this paragraph do not apply to administrative actions taken by the NPS or its agents.”

Theodore Roosevelt National Park is one of the only national parks where you can (currently) walk anywhere and not have to be on a marked trail.  For many locals and regular visitors to the park, being able to go under/over the boundary fence is a way to be able to view the horses and other wildlife by simply walking about a mile on relatively level ground instead of having to walk 8 miles round trip through rugged terrain. 

This has been completely legal and has even been suggested to us in the past by park staff in the visitor center.

Thursday, the superintendent let us know that we all now have to walk the 8 miles round trip in some cases as she put in place a rule that greatly inhibits visitor experience. 

And what happens if you violate this rule?

Penalties for Not Adhering to the Compendium Requirements

“A person who violates any provision of the regulations found in 36 CFR, Parts 1-7, or provisions of this Compendium, is subject to a fine as provided by law (18 U.S.C. 3571) up to $5,000 for individuals and $10,000 for organizations, or by imprisonment not exceeding six months (18 U.S.C. 3559), or both, and shall be adjudged to pay all court costs associated with any court proceedings.”

I reached out to Superintendent Richman to discuss this before the change was made official in the compendium this week.  I also asked how the public could comment.  Her response:

“As it states on page 4 in the compendium, we welcome comments at any time. However, this is not a formal proposal that goes out for public comment before it goes into effect. Once the compendium has been signed and uploaded to the park website this action will go into effect. We will send a letter to all CUA holders as a courtesy notice that we have made this change in the compendium.”

We received our letter this week letting us know that the compendium was signed.  You can read the full version of the compendium here:

We have also been working with Congressman Armstrong’s office on this issue.  They spoke with their NPS liaison and expressed concerns over the proposed change in the compendium.  Now that the compendium has been released, they are drafting a formal response to the park as they continue to work to try to get this decision reversed. 

What can you do? There are a few things that will help!

Contact Superintendent Richman and request that the “Entrance and Exits” portion of the compendium be removed.  Let her know that this will negatively impact the visitor experience, and that this is contradictory to the way that our national parks, paid for by our tax dollars, are supposed to SUPPORT positive visitor experiences. You can email Superintendent Richman here: Angie_Richman@nps.gov You can also call Theodore Roosevelt National Park and leave a message for her here: 701-623-4466.

• Send the same email to Superintendent Richman’s boss, Regional Director Herbert Frost: Bert_Frost@nps.gov, and NPS Director Sams: charles_sams@nps.gov
• Call Congressman Armstrong’s office and let them know that you need help with a federal agency and how this decision by the park will greatly diminish the visitor experience.  His Fargo, ND office is handing this: 701-353-6665.
• Residents of North Dakota: Please go to Congressman Armstrong’s website and fill out his web form for help with a federal agency: https://armstrong.house.gov/services/help-federal-agency   Everyone else can also email his office making the same request by using this email address: Mary.Christy@mail.house.gov
• Write a letter to the editor!  This is a GREAT way to get this information that is NOT being shared as openly with the public out to others!

As with everything else we have done together, the success in getting any of this changed will depend on everyone raising their voices so that we can get this changed.  Our voice alone will not be enough to reverse this decision. 

Thank you for your support and please feel free to contact us at info@chwha.org with any questions.

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