Federal Legislation: The Theodore Roosevelt National Park Wild Horse Protection Act

Hello! As we have said, it seems like it has been more of a quiet year. Our advocacy has taken the role of one-on-one conversations with Secretary Burgum’s office, members of Congress, including Senator Hoeven’s office as well as the new TRNP Superintendent Rachel Daniels.

As you know, earlier this year, Senator Hoeven introduced The Theodore Roosevelt National Park Wild Horse Protection Act. This came from the request of all of us over the years for federal protection for this historic wild horse herd.

The last three years have been rough! We almost lost this herd FOREVER! Because of the work of CHWHA and our followers, the herd has been allowed to stay! I will be the first to admit, I NEVER want to have to repeat all that hard work we did over the last 3 years again!

Federal legislation SHOULD take care of that. The legislation, as it is currently written, does not protect the unique herd of wild horses that call Theodore Roosevelt National Park home. This is something we are hoping can be corrected as the legislation moves through the process.

We spoke with Senator Hoeven’s office last Friday. They are hoping to have hearings on this legislation this fall. Of course, the current government shutdown will impact that. The goal is to have the legislation heard, voted on and passed before the year is over. Legislators do not like to introduce legislation and then not have hearings or votes on it.

At this time, we are hoping to educate the public on critical loopholes in this legislation. When the time comes, we will also need every one of you to contact your own US Senator and ask them to support this legislation. That is why being an educated advocate is so important! We will also have Calls to Action around this in the near future. Please make sure you subscribe to our blogs and watch our social media pages for updates.

For today, we want to leave you with the current text of the legislation. Our hope is that when the legislation is amended that it will finally give these amazing wild horses the federal protection they deserve. We are thankful to Senator Hoeven and his team for all their hard work and dedication to preserving North Dakota’s only wild horse herd. Over the next few blog posts, we will share our concerns about this legislation and other conversations we had with Senator Hoeven’s office last week.

As always, we also welcome each of you to share your thoughts and concerns with us. You can comment on this blog, our social media pages or you can email us at info@chwha.org.

To further educate yourselves, please take a moment to look over The Shackleford Banks Wild Horses Protection Act. This was passed into law in 1998 and grants federal protection to the wild horses, in another National Park: Cape Lookout National Seashore. Senator Hoeven’s office has stated that this was their guide for the TRNP legislation. You can view that here: https://www.congress.gov/bill/105th-congress/house-bill/765/text

Following is the current text of The Theodore Roosevelt National Park Wild Horse Protection Act. Please check back for amendments we are requesting.

We need your support now more than ever as we work to secure the future of these historic wild horses. You can make a donation to us here: https://secure.everyaction.com/wnK6YjHlTkCC2Aq57_7srQ2

Our Fall Online Silent Auction is happening NOW through Sunday 10/19 at 8pm Mountain Time. There are over 100 items waiting for your bids! You can check out all of the items in our auction, and place your bid here: https://chwha.betterworld.org/auctions/chwha-2025-fall-auction

We also have our 2026 CHWHA calendars available for purchase while supplies last! You can grab yours here: https://chasinghorses.com/products/chwha-13-month-2026-calendar

119th CONGRESS

1st Session

S. 1377

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

April 9, 2025

Mr. Hoeven (for himself and Mr. Kaine) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

A BILL

To ensure the maintenance of a herd of horses in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and for other purposes.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Theodore Roosevelt National Park Wild Horses Protection Act.

Maintenance of horses in Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Section 5 of the Act of April 25, 1947 (61 Stat. 54, chapter 41; 16 U.S.C. 245), is amended—

(1)

by striking the section designation and all that follows through The Administration and inserting the following:

Administration, protection, and development

(a)

In general

The administration

; and

(2)

by adding at the end the following:

(b)

Maintenance of horses

(1)

In general

The Secretary of the Interior (referred to in this subsection as the Secretary) shall maintain a genetically diverse herd of horses in the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park (referred to in this subsection as the Park), with a population of not fewer than 150 horses.

(2)

Management plan

(A)

In general

Not later than 120 days after the date of enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall develop a plan to provide for the management of horses in the Park.

(B)

Requirements

The plan developed under subparagraph (A) shall provide for the cost-effective management of the horses in the Park while ensuring that natural resources within the Park are not adversely impacted.

(3)

Removal

The Secretary shall not remove, or assist in or permit the removal of, any horses from Federal land within the boundaries of the Park—

(A)

unless the removal is carried out as part of a plan to maintain a genetically diverse herd of horses; or

(B)

except—

(i)

in the case of emergency; or

(ii)

to protect public health and safety.

(4)

Monitoring and assessment

The Secretary shall annually monitor, assess, and make available to the public findings regarding the population, structure, and health of the horses in the Park.