Elk Management Presentation Being Hosted by Friends of Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Date: April 4, 2011
Contact: Valerie Naylor, 701-623-4466

Friends of Theodore Roosevelt National Park to Host Elk Management Presentation

The Friends of Theodore Roosevelt National Park invite the public to a presentation on the recent elk population reduction effort in the park’s South Unit on Saturday, April 9 at 3 pm CDT. The presentation, by park Superintendent Valerie Naylor and staff, will be held in the Basin Electric Auditorium in the National Energy Center of Excellence at Bismarck State College. Theodore Roosevelt Scholar Clay Jenkinson will moderate the event.

"Theodore Roosevelt National Park is the crown jewel of the Little Missouri River badlands," said Jenkinson, Friends Group President. "We are so fortunate to have this National Park in our midst. Roosevelt was the greatest conservationist in Presidential history, and many of his conservation principles were formulated during his sojourn in western Dakota Territory."

Superintendent Naylor will report on the success of the park’s elk reduction efforts. After several years of planning (and some controversy) the 2010-11 elk reduction efforts were a remarkable success. Volunteers from throughout the United States participated in the reduction program.

Many of America’s National Parks have "friends" groups — volunteers who engage in fundraising for park projects, call attention to park activities and help the public understand park management practices, galvanize support for the National Park System, and arrange educational activities in and around the parks.

The mission of Friends of Theodore Roosevelt National Park is to support the natural, cultural, and scenic resources, and the spirit and sense of place of the three units of Theodore Roosevelt National Park and the Little Missouri River that unites them in the badlands of North Dakota. This will be accomplished by advocating for the park, raising public awareness, engaging youth, and raising funds for projects that support the park’s mission and Theodore Roosevelt’s conservation legacy.

"We are grateful to the park’s Friends Group and to Bismarck State College for hosting this event," said Park Superintendent Valerie Naylor.

Friends of Theodore Roosevelt National Park has recently developed a website, www.friendsoftr.org. Videos of Jenkinson and well known North Dakotan Sheila Schafer are featured along with videos from park visitors. Park enthusiasts are encouraged to submit their own videos about the park for posting on the website.