News Releases for February 2007
February 23, 2007
For further information, please Contact the Governor's Office
Hoeven Asks Interior Secretary To Assist In Elk Management Plan
Letter to Sec. Kempthorne (73kb pdf)
BISMARCK, N.D. - Gov. John Hoeven yesterday called Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne to urge the U.S. Park Service to adopt an elk management control plan drafted by the North Dakota Game and Fish Department in Theodore Roosevelt National Park's South Unit. The Secretary said he would consult with Park Service officials to give the plan more consideration before a final decision is made. Earlier, the Governor sent a letter to the National Park Service requesting favorable treatment for the state's plan, and followed up with an additional letter to Sec. Kempthorne.
Park Service Officials last week declined to include an alternative favored by the Governor and the NDG&F, which would allow qualified volunteer sportsmen and women to cull the herd. Alternatives advanced by the Park Service include using sharpshooters, euthanasia, fertility control, and relocation of animals to other states.
"Our agencies and our people have been good stewards of this resource in the past, and we will continue that tradition in the future," Hoeven said. "To retain the good will and trust of the people of North Dakota, it is critically important that you seriously allow the evaluation of all reasonable alternatives as a solution is sought."
Hoeven plans to discuss the issue further with Kempthorne in Washington, D.C. next week
E-mail comments to the Governor
