North Dakota legislators are considering a bill, Senate Bill 2331, that would create an advisory group to work with officials at Theodore Roosevelt National Park to manage the wild horse herd, including issues like birth control and removals. The bill would establish a working group or executive committee of 10 members to issue two annual reports with recommendations during the 2025-27 biennium. The legislation aims to give the state a role in important management decisions for the herd, which is considered an important historic legacy and tourist attraction.
The bill has bipartisan support and includes members from various organizations such as the National Park Service, state parks, state Indian Affairs Commission, and more. The bill’s sponsors believe that the state has a vested interest in the horses and want the park to do what’s best for the horses. Additionally, there is a push for a resolution from the North Dakota Legislature that would call for federal protection of the wild horses in the park and require park officials to cooperate with the working group.
The park’s move to eliminate the horse herd and aggressive use of GonaCon, a birth control drug, has sparked backlash from horse advocates. Concerns have been raised about the potential for the herd to become nonreproductive due to repeated injections of the drug. The park has defended its use of GonaCon, stating that it is a safe, long-term contraceptive vaccine. The bill includes an appropriation of $50,000 to the North Dakota Department of Commerce to administer the working group.
