North Dakota
Medora businesses, statewide tourism could suffer without wild horses
MEDORA, N.D. — These equine influencers go by names like Grizz, Arrowhead, Flax, Little Bear. They’re neither pets, nor livestock, and they roam wild in North Dakota’s only national park.
That may change pending an anticipated 2024 management decision by Theodore Roosevelt National Park staff to remove the nearly 200 horses, or cull to a greatly reduced number.
The decision is being closely watched by many who’ve followed and named the horses on social media posts over the years and by owners of businesses in and around Medora, the gateway town synonymous with the park.
“Everyone has their favorites,” said Christine Kman, owner of a shop called Chasing Horses in Medora. She sells horse- and badlands-themed merchandise, and she and her husband, Gary, host tours so visitors can see horses, bison and other wildlife in the park.
Kman, like other merchants in Medora, is concerned about the economic impact of the National Park Service’s plans.
While the business would survive the hit if horses were removed or their numbers reduced, they’re “definitely a draw,” she said. On top of the economic impact is one without a price tag. It saddens her and others that horses they’ve come to know and love may soon disappear.
“There were a lot of people who came last year because they were afraid maybe there wouldn’t be any horses after this year,” said Kman, who also co-founded
Chasing Horses Wild Horse Advocates,
a nonprofit fighting to keep the park’s horses.
Mary Griffin, owner of Medora’s Custer’s Cottage, has a better idea of the impact on her business. She estimates she could lose at least one-fifth of her income if the horses are removed from the park.
“I have customers that come in the spring and the fall, solely because of the horses,” she said. “That’s the only reason they are here. I’m a small lodging business, so I personally visit with people and know why they’re here.”
Contributed / Christine Kman
Most businesses, whether in Medora, Dickinson or Watford City, find it hard to tally income specifically related to the iconic horses. Statewide tourism impacts from the horses are equally tough to parse out. It’s intangible, but it’s also grounded in visitor experience.
“Business owners I’ve spoken to almost always talk about how the customers that come into their businesses talk about the joy of having horses in the park and how much they enjoy seeing them along with the rest of the wildlife,” said Clarence Sitter, president of the Medora Chamber of Commerce.
“I think as a community, we certainly would like to see the National Park Service do everything they can to keep them,” he said.
Former mayor Doug Ellison, who operates the Amble Inn & Western Edge Books in town, said that over the years Medora has become synonymous with the national park and the park so synonymous with the horses that changing the status quo could be detrimental all around.
“If you take that away, it’s really going to have a negative impact,” he said. Ellison said he continues to hear from people who say they won’t return to the park or visit nearly as often if the horses are removed.
“If they’re gone, a lot of people aren’t going to return, which translates obviously into an economic impact, and that’s a very important part of this,” Ellison said.
Kaelee Wallace is the marketing and communications director at the
Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation,
which facilitates the Medora Musical and other properties in the area. She said that although it is hard to gauge the economic value of the horses to the community, “their value to the visitor experience is definitely felt every day in our conversations with them.”
What is known is that an average of 700,000 visitors come to the park each year.
Park service data from 2021 estimated that 796,000 visitors spent over $56 million visiting the park, directly supporting at least 675 jobs through tourism in Medora and communities closest to the park. An additional $62 million in economic activity is also generated in nearby communities directly from those visits, either through hotel, restaurant or other activity, the park service estimated.
Sara Otte Coleman, director of tourism for the State Department of Commerce, said the state has tried to calculate visitor spending directly related to the wild horses but hasn’t come up with good numbers since so many factors are involved in a decision to visit the park.
“We do know that our visitors enjoy the uniqueness of the horses in our national park and it improves their experience,” she said. “That said, it also is the sole motivator for some, we just can’t measure that efficiently.”
According to the park service, nearly 90% of park visitors surveyed from 2016 to 2018 supported maintaining wild horses at the South Unit. The North Unit is a separate section of the park and does not host horses.
An environmental assessment released by the park in September outlining options for maintaining, reducing or removing the horses, incorrectly stated that only 49% of those surveyed favored maintaining the herd but was citing the same survey.
That assessment stated that “the phased removal of horses from the South Unit would have little to no incremental impact on regional economic conditions given the other visitor opportunities available at the Park.”
Superintendent of the park Angie Richman declined an interview for this story, but did comment that park staff are reviewing comments from the public received last November, and will be producing a comment analysis report after the review.
“We are also separately and concurrently assessing the applicability of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act,” Richman said in an emailed response, adding that decisions will not be made until all those processes are complete.
Last April, North Dakota legislators passed a resolution urging the Secretary of the Interior and the director of the NPS to modify its plan related to the removal and “continue to allow for interpretative, cultural, and historical purposes” both the wild horse herds in the South Unit and of longhorn steers in the North Unit.
Besides potentially utilizing the National Historic Preservation Act, the possibility of emulating actions at other federally administered lands with wild horses surfaced repeatedly in interviews. Examples are protections placed on herds on coastal islands in Maryland and North Carolina.
“I’m thinking that unless Congress gets involved with the National Park Service’s plan, the park service will do what they decide they want to do,” said Griffin, of Custer’s Cottage. “I think it’s going to take those higher powers to enter into the conversation.”
According to a statement from the office of U.S. Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., discussions with the park service about maintaining the horses at the park are ongoing.
With Department of Interior funding extended through Feb. 2, and fiscal year funding underway, “We are working to ensure the appropriations legislation passed by Congress includes our measure calling on Interior to keep wild horses in the park,” Hoeven’s spokesman Alex Finken said in a statement.
Spokesman Mike Nowatzki said Gov. Doug Burgum has made it clear that he is willing to support the park’s horse management program if necessary. Relocating the horses is not a viable option since the horses are such a draw for visitors to the park, and the office is in ongoing discussions with the park superintendent about specific areas of support, Nowatzki said.
“We agree that the economic impact of the wild horses to the region is hard to quantify. However, based on the tremendous outpouring of support from across the nation for keeping the horses, it’s clear that they are a significant attraction and play an important role in generating economic activity for Medora and the surrounding area,” he said.
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www.newscoopnd.org.
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“The LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.” Genesis 12:7
These verses have been used to justify all kinds of land disputes in the Middle East. Indeed, I have heard people in Christian circles in our own country use this verse to justify their support for Israel in wars to preserve “their” God-given land, because the Israelites were the children of Abram (later called Abraham).
While that is true, Abraham was the father of two sons: Ishmael and Isaac. Jewish and Christian believers consider themselves descendants of Abraham through Isaac. Muslim believers consider themselves descendants of Abraham through Ishmael. Therefore, the land God gave to Abraham, and his descendants is not Jewish land, Muslim land or Christian land. It belongs to all of these “cousins” who believe in God/Yahweh/Allah (etc.….).
One of the most alarming trends in the world of faith is the rise of religious nationalism. According to Wikipedia, “religious nationalism is the fusion of national identity with religious beliefs, where a nation is defined by a shared faith, and religion serves as a central pillar of its political and social life. It seeks to align government policies and laws with religious doctrines.” This happens among all of the cousins of Abraham’s descendants. There are Islamic nationalists, Jewish Zionists, and Christian nationalists, and they are all dangerous.
In the same way Zionists will claim the Middle East as given to them by God, religious nationalists use the beliefs and texts (Bible, Koran) out of context to rationalize their political views, policies and even wars. They attempt to convince people that one political viewpoint supports their faith, and others do not. In the United States, Christian nationalism is on the rise. Politicians repeatedly use scripture to support their policies and ideals, attempting to convince us that what they are doing is the “Christian” thing to do, when, in fact, quite often these policies and ideals not only have nothing to do with the Christian faith, but they also occasionally go completely against it.
I once heard a state politician say, “It’s my God-given right to carry a gun.” Say WHAT??? God did not give anyone the right to carry a gun. Period. That’s just foolishness. And nobody even commented about it, which tells me it doesn’t bother us to hear people say things like that.
Our faith in God, no matter which branch of the family tree we come from, should “inform” our political and ethical views, but we cannot become like other countries and base our laws on one religious belief or another. Especially in a country where we are diverse in our religious beliefs. This is not a “Christian” nation, a “Muslim” nation or a “Jewish” nation. It is a nation of people who come from all kinds of faith traditions, and we are promised the freedom to practice our religion, no matter what it is.
God gave the descendants of Abraham – all of the descendants of Abraham — blessings too numerous to mention. We can be grateful for those blessings without trying to claim all of them as our own.
Rev. Janel F. Kolar is the pastor at First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ in Dickinson, North Dakota.
BISMARCK — Fargo Shanley shined in a battle of unbeatens Saturday afternoon at Sanford Sports Complex, while unseating the defending state champion.
The Deacons got goals from Carly Hulstein, Emma Rohrich and Annie Yablonski to earn a 3-0 victory against Mandan for the North Dakota girls soccer state championship.
Shanley completed its unbeaten season, while shutting out defending champ Mandan for the first time this spring.
“The girls were excited to play Mandan, two undefeated teams and someone had to come out as the winner,” Deacons head coach Ryan Christianson said. “Whoever worked the hardest was going to come out champions, our girls were hungry.”
Tanner Ecker / Bismarck Tribune
The Deacons (13-0-4) won their first state crown since 2019 and third overall. Mandan (17-0-1) fell one win shy of a repeat.
“Tough game, I felt like we controlled the game, to be honest,” Mandan head coach Aaron McElwee said. “We knew they would be dangerous on set pieces and that’s what they created.”
Shanley converted on a corner kick in the opening half for what proved to be the game-winning goal. Hulstein got a late head touch on a corner off the foot Rohrich, giving the Deacons a 1-0 lead with 16 minutes remaining until halftime.
“The first goal in the first half, that sparked momentum,” Christianson said. “Coming off of last year, we scored a bunch of corners, but this year I think we only had one or two. To make it count in the state championship game, I’ll take it.”
Tanner Ecker / Bismarck Tribune
The first insurance goal for the Deacons came with less than 18 minutes left in the second, as Rohrich scored off a rebound.
“That second goal was a hustle effort by Emma with an awesome finish,” Christianson said. “Emma was locked in from yesterday’s game, two goals sparked the fire and led into today. She deserved that one.”
Yablonski, a freshman, scored her first varsity goal for a 3-0 lead with 1 minute, 31 seconds remaining, as Mandan tried to apply pressure late.
“Annie with the cherry on top with the deep ball after the goalie was pushed up to help her team,” Christianson said. “That’s a way to start off your varsity career. She was close earlier in the game with a shot that went wide of the post, but that was a heads-up play by her, noticing the goalie was out.”
Tanner Ecker / Bismarck Tribune
Mandan’s best chance came from senior Sarah Helderop, off a corner kick in the second half, but Shanley goalkeeper Kailey Ottmar knocked the ball down and grabbed the rebound before any Braves players could arrive.
“Kailey was focused from the beginning of the game, usually I talk to her a bit, but she wanted to be by herself,” Christianson said. “She didn’t have to do too much, but there was a corner, a free kick. She was heads-up and had a good handle on the ball.”
Ottmar finished with six saves to earn the shutout. Gabby Frohlich had three saves for Mandan.
“Congrats to Shanley,” McElwee said. “We were close.”
Tanner Ecker / Bismarck Tribune
Filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court
North Dakota
Shelly Frances, Minot, Chapter 7
Garrett Joseph Farnsworth, Bismarck, Chapter 7
Aaron James Goette, Horace, Chapter 13
Destinee L. Reed, Grand Forks, Chapter 7
LaWayne and Ruthanna Smith, Surrey, Chapter 13
Sabrina Marie Odegaard, formerly known as Sabrina Marie Wagner, Dickinson, Chapter 7
Krysti Mae Bench, formerly known as Krysti Mae Gainey, Fargo, Chaper 7
Tera Carleen Geyer, formerly known as Tera Dutchak, Dickinson, Chapter 7
Heath Alan Schaffer, LaMoure, Chapter 7
Nicholas Duane Noel, Fargo, Chapter 13
Jason Walter Lautt, Jamestown, Chapter 7
Bryan Lee Drinkman, Grand Forks, Chapter 7
Melia Kay Thompson, Grand Forks, Chapter 7
Roger Pelzer, Minot, Chapter 13
Jason Valentine and Amy Marie Keller, Bismarck, Chapter 13
Jaden Allen McGregor, Horace, Chapter 13
Rodney John and Jennifer Rebecca Brown, Williston, Chapter 13
Kayden Michelle Pavlicek, Dunn Center, Chapter 13
Minnesota
Bankruptcy filings from the following counties: Becker, Clay, Douglas, Grant, Hubbard, Mahnomen, Norman, Otter Tail, Polk, Traverse, Wadena and Wilkin.
Tyler Erick Nelson and Lisa Ann Nelson, formerly known as Lisa Costello, Dilworth, Chapter 13
Ethan Kenneth Edwards and Katherine Elizabeth Edwards, formerly known as Katherine Thornsburry, Park Rapids, Chapter 7
Amber Rae Durkin, formerly known as Amber O’Beirne, and James Robert Durkin, Bemidji, Chapter 13
Sierra Jade Ileene Isum, East Grand Forks, Chapter 7
Elizabeth Charlotte Smith, also known as Betsy Smith, Ogema, Chapter 7
Rebecca Lacey and Matthew Ian Angell, Alexandria, Chapter 7
Chapter 7 is a petition to liquidate assets and discharge debts.
Chapter 11 is a petition for protection from creditors and to reorganize.
Chapter 12 is a petition for family farmers to reorganize.
Chapter 13 is a petition for wage earners to readjust debts.
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