Date: January 14, 2011
Contact: Eileen Andes, 701-623-4466
The Friends of Theodore Roosevelt National Park (FTRNP) invites the public to attend a seminar on the recent elk population reduction effort in the park’s South Unit on Saturday, January 22 at 3:00 pm MST. The presentation will be given by park staff and held in the park visitor center in Medora.
“This will be an opportunity for the public to learn more about this year’s complex elk reduction effort which will have just ended,” said Superintendent Valerie Naylor. “People who attend this seminar can be the first to hear the results. We are grateful to the park’s Friends Group for hosting this event and providing refreshments.”
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 FTRNP 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.
“The upcoming presentation on elk management is the first in a series of educational events to be hosted by the Friends Group,” said Naylor. “Through the Friends Group, we will be able to accomplish more than the park can do alone.”
Friends of Theodore Roosevelt National Park has recently developed a website, www.friendsoftr.org,featuring videos of local residents and park visitors. Videos of well known North Dakotans Clay Jenkinson and Sheila Schafer are also featured. Park enthusiasts are encouraged to submit their own videos about the park for posting on the website.
“The website presents a fun opportunity for people from all over the country to get involved in Theodore Roosevelt National Park,” said FTRNP interim president David Nix. “We hope people will check it out and be inspired to develop and submit their own videos.”
