“I’m not crazy about your position on “X” but man, don’t you agree on “Y”. Let’s work on that for a while.
That I think is where you start seeing hope.
When people actually meet and get to know each other and they work on a common endeavor then what Lincoln called those better angels come out.
People start recognizing themselves in each other. And they start trusting each other. That’s not just the basis for our democracy but the basis for our long-term salvation.”
~ Unknown
Hello and Happy Tuesday to everyone! I will probably overuse that quote, but it is fitting for today’s blog.
Yesterday I posted an announcement on our social media pages that we FINALLY have a new superintendent at Theodore Roosevelt National Park. For those of you who are not aware, we have only had interim superintendents since Angie Richman left last year. We had a total of 3 different superintendents. Rachel Daniels, who came after the October roundup, was the 3rd and has now gone from being “Acting” Superintendent to the park’s newest “official” Superintendent.
I will share the full press release at the end of this blog, but I wanted to talk about what had many of you upset yesterday. It was this paragraph:
“Theodore Roosevelt National Park encompasses over 70,000 acres in three units, including almost 30,000 acres of designated Wilderness. The park was established in 1947 to preserve the badlands landscape that had a profound impact on Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt credits his time in the badlands for becoming President of the United States. The park boasts one of the most intact Northern Great Plains wildlife communities which includes bison, bighorn sheep, elk, mule deer, white-tailed deer, pronghorn, coyotes, prairie dogs and other native animals.”
Many of you were upset that the horses were not included in the listing of animals and blamed Superintendent Daniels for that oversight.
I wanted to share with you today that it was actually not an oversight by Superintendent Daniels.
After I made the post on social media yesterday, Superintendent Daniels emailed me to say thank you for sharing the press release and for the warm welcome. She also had the same concerns as all of you with that paragraph. This was discussed with her superiors, and it was decided to leave the text as it reads in the park’s foundation document. The NPS sees this as having clear and consistent messaging.
The only part of the press release that Rachel got to write herself was this paragraph:
“I am honored to be selected as the new superintendent of Theodore Roosevelt National Park,” said Daniels. “To be a caretaker of President Roosevelt’s legacy and the landscape that so profoundly influenced him, is humbling as I step into this role. I am eager to work with the staff and many stakeholders that are invested in the success of this incredible place, both for the American people today, and for the generations that will follow.”
In her email to me yesterday, she said “I am committed to finding a new path forward in partnership.” Which says and means a lot to me, especially in light of our recent meeting.
For those of you who also made comments about trusting the park, she also added in the email “Trust is obviously going to take time.”
When we met a few weeks ago, we had a great meeting. I believe that we both left with a better understanding of each other, our concerns and I also believe that we even cleared up some misconceptions on both ends.
What I am asking for from all of you is some understanding too.
We just came off 3 long years of literally fighting for these horses to be allowed to remain in the only home they have ever known. CHWHA won that battle. The horses are staying. As a friend has reminded me, we have not “saved” the herd yet. There are many concerning management practices still in place that can threaten the future of these horses.
The thing is, I am beyond exhausted from the fight. That is why during our meeting with the Department of the Interior a few weeks ago, at the end of the call, I said to Regional Director Bert Frost “We (CHWHA) are not going anywhere. How do we start to work together?” He suggested I speak with Superintendent Daniels. I took his advice and that led to our latest meeting.
We talked about a lot of different things, and I look forward to circling back with her once she gets settled and has time to discuss our topics of discussion with her superiors and her staff. I also respect that it is summer and that means an already short staffed team at the park is as busy as we are as business owners in the same town.
While I won’t go into details of our talk until after we meet again and see what we can work out, I can tell you that she shared some of the same concerns. I feel that she listened to what I said. Our voice was heard.
What happens next?
I don’t know, but I would like to think that we are making a new start, with a new superintendent, and hopefully a new way to work together to protect the wild horses we have all come to know and love.
The other thing we need to remember is that it has been 78 years since the fence went up around a park that was created to pay tribute to Theodore Roosevelt and his time in this little corner of Southwestern North Dakota.
The horses were NEVER meant to be a part of that tribute.
They were accidentally fenced into the park. Since the 1950’s the park has been working hard to eliminate the horses. They didn’t count on the public falling in love with these amazing creatures. The public also understood the relationship between the wild horses and Theodore Roosevelt’s time in the Badlands of North Dakota.
After multiple failed attempts to eliminate the horses over the years and now pending federal legislation, the horses ARE staying.
But what does that mean?
I can tell you Superintendent Daniels doesn’t know yet.
We have no idea.
I can assure you that Senator Hoeven’s office is also not sure what that means.
This is unchartered territory, and CHWHA has offered to be here to help navigate a new way forward.
“I am committed to finding a new path forward in partnership.”
Those words mean a lot coming from a Superintendent at the park. And while she is correct, trust is obviously going to take time, I am going to believe that she is committed to finding that new path forward in partnership until she proves otherwise.
I am sure we will not always agree. That doesn’t mean we have to fight, although we will happily return to the arena at any time if we need to. It also doesn’t mean we become complacent. I know she would never expect that from us either. It means that Chasing Horses Wild Horse Advocates, including all of you our followers, are committed to taking one step at a time with the park, to find the new reality for the wild horses that call the park home. It means finding those common concerns we have, even if our concerns are on the other side of each other.
Our wild horses deserve that and so much more. For them, I think we can do this.
I do hope that this helps ease your mind. I also hope you will join me in welcoming Superintendent Daniels to Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
You can read the entire press release here:
Please help support our critical advocacy work! Click our logo below to make your tax deductible donation to Chasing Horses Wild Horse Advocates.
Leave a Reply