BISMARCK, N.D. (KFGO) – The National Park Service announced last year it was looking into a long-term plan for managing the wild horse population at Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP) in western North Dakota in order to address impacts from the animals on the state’s landscape and native ecosystems.
The proposed plan has prompted an outcry from wild horse advocates and others, and on Monday Gov. Doug Burgum joined the chorus of those urging that NPS maintain the herd, noting its significance to tourism, the local economy, and the history of the park.
Burgum was joined by tourism officials, state legislators and other stakeholders during a press conference at the Capitol to discuss the NPS’s preferred plan for managing the wild horses, which involves gradually reducing the herd of approximately 200 horses to zero.
“For decades upon decades, these horses have coexisted peacefully with the national park and, in the process, have become a hugely popular attraction and an indelible symbol of the untamed character of the Badlands,” Burgum said.
He added the horses “are a major tourist attraction treasured by hundreds of thousands of visitors and social media followers from near and far. Removing these horses from the park, or reducing the herd size to a level that fails to support genetic diversity and longevity, would strike a blow not only to park visitation but also to the economic vitality of Medora, nearby communities including Dickinson, and our entire state.”
Burgum urged the NPS, which is part of the U.S. Department of the Interior, to find a way to manage the wild horses in a manner and herd size that supports genetic diversity and protects the environmental integrity and capacity of the park for current and future visitors. He offered to explore opportunities for collaboration between NPS and the state to help maintain the herd and urged the federal government to provide NPS with the resources necessary to manage the herd.
The public comment period on the NPS management plan closes Tuesday, Jan. 31. Comments may be submitted online here or by writing to: TRNP Superintendent, P.O. Box 7, Medora, ND 58645.
The North Dakota legislature also is considering a resolution that urges the National Park Service to preserve the wild horses and longhorn steers residing within TRNP and the U.S. Congress to assist with preserving the historic herds.
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