8/7/2007

Game and Fish Prepared to Rejoin Discussions on Elk Management in TRNP

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is prepared to rejoin discussions concerning the elk management in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, following a National Park Service’s decision to include using qualified volunteers as a viable management option to reduce elk numbers.

As a result of a recent meeting between Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne and North Dakota Governor John Hoeven, the NPS decided that the use of qualified volunteers is an option that will be fully evaluated. Originally, the park service did not include qualified public volunteers as one of the final alternatives for elk management within the park.

Game and Fish Department Director Terry Steinwand has sent a letter to the National Park Service offering to reengage in discussions concerning TRNP alternatives, specifically those options concerning qualified public volunteers.

“We view the willingness of the National Park Service to fully and fairly evaluate this option as a viable alternative to be a positive and necessary step forward for a long-term solution to elk management in Theodore Roosevelt National Park,” Steinwand said.

In a letter sent to the National Park Service in February, Steinwand said the department withdrew its support and would no longer participate as a cooperating agency because it could not support the alternatives the park service was considering to address elk population concerns in the park’s south unit.

Steinwand suggests that discussions regarding details of a management option involving qualified volunteers begin as soon as possible, so there is adequate time to develop a well-thought-out alternative for the Preliminary Draft Environmental Impact Statement that is due in December.