– our mission –
Ensuring a thriving herd for generations to come.
CHWHA advocates for the proper management of the wild horses of Theodore Roosevelt National Park to ensure that this herd continues to survive and thrive for generations to come.
Who We Are
We’re a passionate volunteer-based team,
committed to collaboration for preservation.
– our history –
Get Caught Up
Our advocacy has led to meaningful change
2021-2022
2021
Why we organized
Our organization was formed in 2021 out of significant and genuine concerns regarding the management of the herd of wild horses in Theodore Roosevelt National Park that
call the park home. The use of GonaCon as birth control, coupled with the constant removal of younger horses, was leaving an older herd that will eventually quit reproducing and die out.
March 2022
Public Input for a new Park Plan
In March of 2022, the Park Service asked. for public input on the need for an updated TRNP Lifestock Plan. At that time, they also introduced six preliminary options for such an updated plan. “Currently, two livestock herds reside in the Park: there are nine cattle in the North Unit and
approximately 200 horses in the South Unit. Both herds have been allowed to occur as nonnative
livestock on NPS lands. While past perspectives focused on managing for a historic scene, park priorities are to manage the species, resources, and ecosystems that are native to the landscape of the Park.” – Theodore Roosevelt National Park
December 2022
Park Service announces dangerous alternatives for new Park Management Plan
Theodore Roosevelt National Park narrowed the choices down to three alternatives under the NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) umbrella. The three options they were considering were:
The final alternative was their “no action” alternative which would allow 35-60 horses to remain in the park (there were just over 200 wild horses in the park at the end of 2023).
The first, and their proposed action, was to eliminate the entire herd quickly.
The second option was to eliminate the herd over the course of 10 years.
2023
April 2023
Chasing Horses Drafts Legislation
We drafted and introduced legislation requesting that the horses be allowed to stay in the park to our North Dakota state legislators for the 2023 session. This included writing the initial legislation, finding sponsors and co-sponsors, and testifying before the North Dakota House and Senate committees.
Our hard work and dedication paid off in April of 2023 when the Senate Concurrent Resolution SCR-4014 passed unanimously in the North Dakota House and Senate.
April 2023
CHWHA President, Chris Kman, travels to Washington D.C.
Chris gave a presentation on effective advocacy and spent the rest of her time lobbying Congress and making them aware of the current plight of the TRNP wild horses.
June 2023
City and Tribal Resolutions
We collaborated with the City of Historic Medora and the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation (collectively called the MHA nation) to draft and pass their own resolutions asking that the horses be allowed to stay in their home at the Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
July 11, 2023
City of Historic Medora passes Resolution 1-2023
The resolution passes unanimously, urging the Park Service to preserve the wild horses and urging Congress to assist with their preservation.
2024
April 2024
Park Service Abandons Plans to Eradicate TRNP wild horses
Senator John Hoeven (ND) announces that he has secured a commitment from the National Park Service (NPS) to maintain the wild horses at Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP).
The NPS will immediately terminate its proposed removal of horses at TRNP under the environmental assessment (EA) process initiated in 2022, and as a result, the existing management plan for the wild horses will remain in place.
June 2024
CHWHA fights to release Alluvium
2019 Stallion Alluvium was labelled a “nuisance” horse and relocated to the handling facility in early June. We led the fight to give Alluvium his freedom back by petitioning for his release and even requesting that the state of North Dakota pardon Alluvium.
At the end of July, the Park sold Alluvium to an undisclosed buyer for $25.
August 2024
Chris Kman, President, is honored as a ‘Woman You Should Know’
Bis-Man Magazine named CHWHA President Christine Kman August’s “Woman You Should Know” for her effective advocacy leadership.
Check out Page 64 for Chris’s spotlight!
August 6, 2024
Billings Co Commission passes Resolution 2024-15
The Billings County Commission unanimously passes Resolution 2024-15 stating that they support the continued existence of a healthy and genetically viable herd of horses to remain in TRNP.
September 3, 2024
Medora City Council passes resolution 1-2024
The Medora City Council unanimously passes Resolution 1-2024 asking that a genetically viable herd of horses remain in TRNP. Another community body letting their vote be heard!
September 2024
An unexpected removal
The Park Service announces a plan to remove up to 15 horses and 200 bison. The announcement states helicopters will be the method of rounding up both wild horses and bison, and that the public will not be allowed observation of the removal.
October 3, 2024
Medora City Council asks Park to suspend proposed roundup
Medora City Council passes Resolution 2-2024 asking that the park suspend the proposed roundup. CHWHA presents supporting documents at City Council meeting, aiding in decision to pass the resolution.
October 2024
CHWHA Fights Back Again
We submitted op-eds in the local newspaper, gathered voices to contact our senators, and campaigned with the power of postcards mailed directly to the NPS. In the end, the Park Service did roundup every single TRNP horse. They hand injected mares with sterilizing GonaCon, collared several more, and released the herd back into the park.
November 2024
Take off the Collars and COOL IT with dangerous sterilization
Chris Kman spent a week on Capitol Hill to speak with congresspeople about the dangerous effects of GonaCon, much needed federal protections for the TRNP herd, and major issues with wild horse herd management across the country.
November 2024
Marquis Who’s Who in America taps CHWHA Chris Kman
Christine Kman is invited to be included in the 2024 edition, and accepts to bring awareness to continuing issues with the Theodore Roosevelt National Park horses.
501(c)(3) Status
Chasing Horses Wild Horse Advocates (CHWHA) is organized exclusively for charitable, religious, educational, and scientific purposes as specified in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding section of a future federal tax code. This corporation will not be operated for profit, but rather will be operated exclusively for exempt purposes.
Charitable Purpose
Charitable: Preventing cruelty to animals by advocating for the wild horses of Theodore Roosevelt National Park to ensure that they are managed so that they will continue to survive and thrive for generations to come.
Educational Purpose
Educational: Advancement of education of the public about the historical and scientific significance of the herd of wild horses in Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Click the files below to view our Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation