“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”
~ Barack Obama
Hello Again! As promised, we have some NEW information to share with you. This is something we have been working on and we are excited that we can finally share this news with you. This will be a long post, with an important Call to Action at the end.
We have heard you!
For two years, we have heard your concerns about the wild horses of Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
We have heard your concerns about the ongoing use of GonaCon being used on the wild horses in the park and the concerns about permanent sterilization.
We heard you when you have repeatedly asked for the removal of Superintendent Richman and Chief Resource Manager Blake McCann.
We heard you last week when CHWHA informed you about the new “Entrance and Exit” policy that was added to the 2024 Superintendent’s Compendium.
As we always say, timing is everything. The first two items could not be addressed while the management planning process was underway. The third item just happened last week.
Tonight, I spoke before the Medora City Council. I gave the following speech to them:
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak tonight.
My name is Chris Kman I am a business owner of the Chasing Horses Gift Shop and also the co-founder and president of Chasing Horses Wild Horse Advocates. Both organizations are active in the Medora community.
As I am sure you are aware, on April 25th, Theodore Roosevelt National Park abandoned their plans that would have eliminated the herd of wild horses from the boundaries of the park.
This leaves a lot of questions on how this herd will be managed as well as many concerns about continued management practices.
From 2009-2020, Theodore Roosevelt National Park experimented on the wild horses of TRNP with the drug GonaCon as a method of birth control. In one reported study, of 24 horses treated with GonaCon in 2009 and boosted again in 2013, 19 of those 24 mares had not returned to fertility as of 2020. While the park will say that they cannot say they were permanently sterilized until they live out their lives, 10 -15 years of mares not returning to fertility is concerning.
Equally concerning is that once the experiment was over, the park continued using GonaCon treating all female horses age 8 months old and up. For comparison, the BLM, who heavily funded this experiment in the park, administers GonaCon to only older mares who have contributed genetically to the herd. There are also valid concerns that treating younger horses causes permanent sterility as they are still developing.
As of today, there have been 8 live births in the TRNP herd. There are currently 125 female horses between the ages of 2-25 years old. Healthy herds should have a 15-20% yearly foaling rate. In 2023, there were 17 live births that include 2 foals that died soon after they were born. While GonaCon may be helping decrease births, the numbers are way too low, with the same mares giving birth year after year. Additionally, it can easily been seen that the park is darting mares that have not given birth in over 10 years. There does not seem to be any justification for those actions. The lack of transparency from the park and their unwillingness to answer concerns from the public is alarming.
We believe that while the park agreed to stop the immediate threat of removal of the horses, they are still carrying out their plans to eradicate or significantly reduce the herd size by continuing to use GonaCon. PZP is a more trusted form of birth control that when used responsibly does not cause permanent sterility. PZP is what another popular national park, Assateague Island, uses for their wild horse population control.
We are also concerned with current actions at TRNP because Superintendent Angie Richman just passed her 2024 Compendium. In this compendium, she enacted a policy that greatly limits the visitor experience. Despite several attempts to address these concerns with her, she added language in the policy that prohibits the public from entering or exiting the park through the egress areas set up for wildlife, that many local residents have utilized to have easier access to the east and north boundaries of the park. Her actions in the compendium create a minimum 3-8 mile round trip hike, across rugged terrain, instead of allowing visitors to take about a mile walk on level terrain to explore these areas of the park and view the wildlife that inhabits those areas. This new policy in the compendium is punishable for up to 6 months in jail and/or a $5,000 fine to individuals and $10,000 fine to organizations who violate this new policy.
This is especially disturbing as we feel that this is a retaliatory action against not only the small businesses of Medora but also followers of the horses and local community members who enjoy exploring these areas of the park because they were pressured to allow the horses to remain.
Additionally, the Bismarck riding club is given a key to one of the gates on the east boundary to help enhance their visitors experience. Our business has requested a key so that we can also enhance our client’s experience when we conduct hiking tours in the park. Our requests have not even been acknowledged by the park. This action is nothing short of discrimination and seems to support our retaliation theory.
We feel the lack of transparency and lack of communication from this current administration is not helping to repair relationships with the public that have been negatively impacted over the last two years as they fought against public opinion to eliminate the herd. What is needed now is a Superintendent and Chief Resource Manager that is willing to work with the public and the community of Medora to not only address valid concerns regarding the management of the wild horses that we all know helps drive all of our small businesses in town, but also work to repair those relationships as well. The park should be working with the community to enhance the visitor experience, not hinder it.
I am here today asking that the Medora City Council pass a resolution requesting the following:
- That the Park’s new Exit and Entrance policy be immediately reversed.
- That the park immediately stop the use of GonaCon on this herd.
- That Superintendent Angie Richman and Chief Resource Manager Blake McCann be replaced with NPS staff that initiate actions that have the best interests of the public and the immediate community of Medora and our small business in mind when decisions are made.
Thank you for your time. I am open to any questions you may have regarding this request.
Last Friday, I contacted our Holly Bice from our Government Relations Team at Bice Policy Group. She was heading out of town, to a location with limited cell phone service, for a planned vacation. I told her about this opportunity, and she found a way to make it work! We were on a call Sunday to discuss this and on Monday she emailed me the following resolution to present to the Medora City Council TODAY (6/4/2024):
Whereas, the National Park Service is minimizing the experience of visitors at Theodore Roosevelt National Park due to changes implemented in the May 2024 Superintendent’s Compendium, specifically the “entrance and exits” rule, which now requires visitors to hike up to eight miles to access certain areas of the park, and these areas were more easily accessible before this change took place;
Whereas, minimizing the experience of visitors at Theodore Roosevelt National Park will have the impact of harming tourism, small businesses, and the local economy in Medora;
Whereas, the negatively perceived actions taken by the National Park Service regarding Theodore Roosevelt National Park in recent years have diminished the community’s trust in the National Park Service;
Whereas, Theodore Roosevelt National Park’s current Chief Resource Manager and Superintendent have failed to ensure that the Theodore Roosevelt National Park engages with the community in a meaningful way, and new leadership is needed to begin repairing relationships with the community;
Whereas, Theodore Roosevelt National Park should sustain a healthy, genetically viable wild horse population;
Whereas, a lack of transparency exists regarding the management of wild horses at Theodore Roosevelt National Park;
Whereas, some mares have not returned to fertility after a decade-long research study using the GonaCon immunocontraceptive vaccine, causing concerns about the genetic viability and long-term health of the herd, and fertility control, when needed, should be used responsibly to ensure the preservation of the herd for future generations;
Whereas, Assateague Island National Seashore of the National Park Service, which has managed wild horses for over thirty years with the porcine zona pellucida (PZP) immunocontroceptive vaccine, can serve as a model for a successful fertility control management program;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF HISTORIC MEDORA, NORTH DAKOTA:
Section 1. That the findings contained in the Preamble of this Resolution are determined to be true and correct and are hereby adopted.
Section 2. Be it Resolved that the City of Medora hereby urges the National Park Service to reverse the “entrance and exit” rule in the May 2024 Superintendent’s Compendium; implement genetic testing to evaluate the genetic health of the herd; provide transparency about the protocols used in its wild horse management program, including its fertility control program; immediately stop the use of GonaCon and responsibly implement a PZP immunocontraceptive program, looking to Assateague as a model and preserving the wild horse herd for future generations; and assign a new Superintendent and Chief Resource Manager who understand the importance of tourism to the local business community and will work with the City of Medora to enhance the visitor experience.
Section 3. This Resolution shall be passed finally on the date of its introduction and shall take effect immediately upon its passage and approval by the City Council.
The council members all received a copy of this resolution and have agreed to discuss it further and bring it for a vote at the July 2, 2024 meeting!
What will this do?
A resolution is a request – this is NOT a bill or something that is put into law. It is a request, in this case, from the City of Medora to whoever they send this to. These are sent to our federal legislators and we would recommend that this is also sent to the Office of the Governor, NPS Director Sams and NPS Regional Director Herbert Frost.
This is meant to alert our congress that, in this case, The City of Historic Medora has an issue with a federal agency and is requesting help from our federal delegates.
What can you do?
WE ARE THE ONES WE’VE BEEN WAITING FOR! This has become my new mantra!
You can contact the Medora City Council and request that they vote to pass this resolution. Remember to ask a friend or family member to also take action to help maximize this Call to Action!
We made this easy for you with a one click email that you can customize if you wish: https://secure.everyaction.com/3FOOSSFKrEilcvlpBhxzhg2
You can also email them directly at info@medorand.gov
Or you can mail them a letter to:
Medora City Council
P.O. Box 418A
Medora, ND 58645
We not only heard you – Chasing Horses Wild Horse Advocates shares these concerns with you and we are working on getting these things changed! Please understand this will take time, but we do hope that you will take a moment to send an email or letter to the Medora City Council. You do NOT have to be a resident of Medora or the state of North Dakota to send this email. You are also welcome to respectfully personalize this email or send your own to include how and why these issues are important to you.
Also, please understand that the Medora City Council cannot MAKE the park do anything. That is why this resolution is important – it brings these matters to the people who CAN help make a difference – our federal legislators!
Please make sure you send your message by July 1, 2024 so that your voice can be included in the July 2, 2024 Medora City Council meeting.
A HUGE THANK YOU goes out to Holly Bice at Bice Policy group! When I apologized for interrupting her vacation her reply was “No worries! This is an awesome opportunity, and we need to take advantage of it!”
We hope you see why we have hired Bice Policy Group and why we need your help and support to continue working with them on this and other legislative matters as we continue to Fight for the Spirit of the Badlands!
Thank you for your continued support!
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