Senate committee hears months of testimony on bill to create Theodore Roosevelt National Park wild-horse working group

The Senate State and Local Government Committee on Thursday heard more than two hours of testimony on Senate Bill 2331, a proposal to create a North Dakota working group to consult with Theodore Roosevelt National Park on management of its wild-horse herd.

Sponsor State Senator Josh Bauscher, the bill’s primary sponsor, told the committee that “Senate Bill 23 31 is the result of work of many people throughout the state,” and said the group is intended to give the state a formal entity to consult with the park and federal representatives before certain actions regarding the herd. Bauscher said the measure is intended to preserve the horses “for generations to come.”

Proponents — including Chasing Horses Wild Horse Advocates and representatives of Colorado’s Wild Horse Working Group — described long-term state involvement and urged the committee to advance the bill. Christine Kammann, co-founder and president of Chasing Horses Wild Horse Advocates, said the park has previously offered to transfer the animals to state control and that the park has a “clear history of trying to eliminate the wild horses,” testimony that proponents used to argue for state oversight and a companion federal resolution (SCR 4006) seeking federal protections.

Colorado lobbyist Sandra Hagen Solon, appearing virtually as a participant…