Wild horses will remain in North Dakota’s Theodore Roosevelt National Park, a leading lawmaker announced Thursday, amid concerns from advocates that park officials will remove the beloved animals from the rugged, wild landscape.
Republican Sen. John Hoeven said he has secured a commitment from the National Park Service to keep wild horses in the park, but the number has not yet been determined. Currently, about 200 horses roam the park.
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Hoeven said the Park Service will abandon the proposed horse removal under an environmental review process that begins in 2022 and continue operating under an existing 1978 environmental assessment that calls for a reduction in horse numbers. Then he said.
Wild horses stand in a herd along a hiking trail in Theodore Roosevelt National Park near Medora on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023. NDUS Sen. John Hoeven, RN.D., said Thursday, April 25, 2024, “We have secured the horse.” The National Park Service has made good on its promise to maintain the approximately 200 horses that roam the South Unit of the park. In 2022, the Park Service began a process that included a proposal to remove the horses beloved by park visitors. (AP Photo/Jacques Duras)
“They assured me that we would have a thoughtful and comprehensive discussion about the number of horses we would have in the park,” Hoeven told The Associated Press. There’s no schedule for that, he said.
The park said in a statement that the decision to close the review “was made after careful consideration of the information and public comments received during the (environmental assessment) process.” Park officials acknowledged in a text message that they had received an email seeking comment, but did not immediately provide comment.
Park visitors will be happy to drive and hike through the rugged, colorful wilderness where a young President Theodore Roosevelt hunted and ranched in what was then Dakota Territory in the 1880s. I often meet horses when I’m there.
“People love horses,” Hoeven said. “So where do you go to see wild horses? I mean, it’s not easy. Most people don’t have horses, but they love the idea of wild horses. They love it. We consider it part of our heritage.” America. “
Earlier Thursday, Hoeven’s office said in a statement that the decision “maintains a healthy herd of wild horses within the park, supports genetic diversity among herds, and protects the park’s natural resources in a manner that… It will be possible to manage it.”
Horses roam the park’s southern unit near the western tourist city of Medora. In 2022, park officials began the process of developing a “stocking plan” for horses and about nine longhorn cattle in the park’s northern unit near the city of Watford. Park officials said the process is consistent with policies to remove invasive species that pose a potential risk to the resource.
“Horse herds in the South region, especially as herds get larger, can damage fences used for wildlife management, trample and overgraze vegetation used by native wildlife species, and cause erosion and may have soil-related impacts…and may compete with food and water resources,” according to a September 2023 Park Service environmental assessment.
Suggestions included removing the horses quickly or in stages, or taking no action. Park Director Angie Richman said that even if the horses eventually remained, under a 1978 environmental assessment, the number would need to be reduced to between 35 and 60. Hoeven’s office said the park will continue to manage the longhorns as before.
Thousands of people provided public comments during the Park Service’s review, with the majority supporting keeping the horses. North Dakota’s Republican-controlled Legislature formalized its support in a resolution last year. Gov. Doug Burgum offered state aid to maintain the horses.
The Park Service contacted North Dakota’s five tribal nations and asked if each tribe wanted to be involved in horse management, Hoeven said. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe is reportedly interested.
The senators’ announcement came after Congress passed and President Joe Biden recently signed a spending bill that included Hoeven’s provisions that strongly encourage the Park Service to maintain horses. The legislation suggests that funding to remove horses may be denied.
Chris Kman, president of Chasing Horses Wild Horse Advocates, said he cried when he read Hoeven’s announcement. She said she plans to pursue federal protections for horses and consider possible state laws.
“If they don’t have federal protection, they’re going to be at the mercy of the next administration and the next policy they want to pull out and cite and try to remove the horse again.” said Kman. Call from the park.
Castle McLaughlin, who studied horses as a graduate student while working for the North Dakota State Parks Department, said horses come from Native American tribes, local ranch horses, and domestic stallions introduced to the park in the late 20th century. They are said to be descendants. 1980s.
