MEDORA, ND ( KXNET ) — On April 25, Senator John Hoeven announced that a commitment was made by the National Park Service (NPS) to keep the wild horses at Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP).

For years now, there’s been a battle over the future of the wild horses at Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

Now, the NPS is going to immediately cancel the proposed removal of the horses under the environmental assessment (EA) process that was started in 2022.

As a result, the current management plan for the horses will stay in place.

This will allow for a healthy herd to be kept at the park and managed to support genetic diversity among the horses and preserve the park’s natural resources.

“If you’re going to make a change and/or reduce numbers out there, you better have a very inclusive, thoughtful, careful process,” said Senator Hoeven. “You take input, you work with everybody, you make sure there’s enough horses there for genetic diversity, you make sure there’s enough horses so people can see them when they come out to the park, and that it’s based on science.”

This comes after Hoeven’s successful efforts to:

• Pass a provision in annual funding legislation directing NPS to maintain “the historic scene commensurate with the historic herds during the period when President Theodore Roosevelt was a rancher in the area.”
• Secure a 30-day extension of the public comment period of the agency’s proposed options for managing the herd, giving additional time to submit feedback.
• Advance the priority with NPS, including the Director, Midwest Regional director, and TRNP Superintendent.
  • Hoeven repeatedly pressed NPS to consider the public support expressed for maintaining the horses.

“These wild horses are emblematic of President Theodor Roosevelt’s time in North Dakota, a formative experience that shaped his presidency and lasting legacy,” Senator Hoeven said in a press release. “Given the broad public support for maintaining the wild horses at Theodore Roosevelt National Park, as well as the measure we passed through Congress, this is the right call by NPS. We appreciate Director [Charles] Sams, Regional Director [Bert] Frost, and Superintendent [Angie] Richman for working with us on this priority and being responsive to the input we and the public provided.”

Senator Hoeven says if the parks service needs any assistance in managing the herd, the state will be able to provide that help.

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