TR 's Badlands Legacy Needs Your Help
The attached resolution was passed at the 83rd Annual Meeting of the Board of Trustees
of the Theodore Roosevelt Association in Buffalo, New York on October 19, 2002. The story is this: Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota is in three units. The smallest unit is the Elkhorn Ranch Unit, where TR's Elkhorn Ranch house once stood along the Little Missouri River. The unit consists of 218 acres. The adjoining Blacktail Creek Ranch at 6,600 acres, once part of Roosevelt's range, is up for sale, and we think this land should be acquired by the federal government to protect and enhance the small park unit. It is very likely that Congress will consider this matter before the end of December, and therefore we ask you to forward this resolution, together with your own personal endorsement, to your member of the US House and your Senators. Thank you for your consideration on this matter.
John A. Gable
Executive Director, Theodore Roosevelt Association
A Resolution Urging the President and Congress to Authorize the US Government to Acquire Land Adjoining Elkhorn Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park in
North Dakota
Whereas, the Theodore Roosevelt Association, chartered by Congress in 1920 (41 Stat.691, 1920) “to perpetuate the memory of Theodore Roosevelt for the benefit of the people,” has always, among other objectives, worked to preserve the places, monuments, houses, and sites connected with Theodore Roosevelt and his life;
Whereas, the site of the Elkhorn Ranch, the headquarters of Theodore Roosevelt’s ranching operations in the 1880s, and the setting where TR learned first-hand about the need for conservation of natural resources as well as about the challenging life of Western ranchers, is very important in the history of frontier ranching and of conservation, and the development of Roosevelt’s character and ideals;
Whereas, the Elkhorn Ranch cabin site is now part of the 218-acre Elkhorn Ranch Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota;
Whereas, the ranch of approximately 6,600 acres adjoining said Elkhorn Ranch Unit of TR National Park has been offered for sale, and is land that was part of Theodore Roosevelt’s original Elkhorn Ranch;
Whereas, the acquisition of said adjoining ranch property is crucial to the historical integrity, enhancement, and preservation of the Elkhorn Ranch Unit of TR National Park in North Dakota;
Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Executive Committee and the Board of Trustees of the Theodore Roosevelt Association, with offices in Oyster Bay, New York, that the President and the U.S. Congress are requested and urged to acquire the land noted above for the U.S. Government with the intent of preserving the heritage of Theodore Roosevelt’s ranching experiences in North Dakota; and
Be it further resolved, that multiple uses of the land, specifically for hunting, cattle grazing, camping, or educational programs, may be permissible in the future under proper regulations; however, the Theodore Roosevelt Association strongly recommends that to preserve the natural landscape, there be no further surface interruptions.
Be it further resolved, that the President and the U.S. Congress be requested to direct the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service to study the rest of the original ranching property of Theodore Roosevelt in North Dakota to determine through public input, and expert advice, what is the most appropriate use of this land to commemorate TR’s experiences in the West, his contributions to conservation, and his establishment of the U.S. Forest Service; and to report to Congress a recommended course of action no later than February 1, 2005, the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the U.S. Forest Service by President Theodore Roosevelt.
Resolution offered by Mark Ames; passed by the Executive Committee of the Theodore Roosevelt Association on October 17, 2002 and by the Board of Trustees of the Theodore Roosevelt Association October 19, 2002.
[PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION]
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