Bismarck - U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan and Governor John Hoeven announced today the National Park Service (NPS) and the state of North Dakota have reached an agreement in principle for qualified volunteers to help thin the elk herd in Theodore Roosevelt National Park and allow the hunters to keep the meat.

To force the Park Service to address the issue, in July, Senator Dorgan included a provision in the Interior Appropriations bill that required the Park Service to use qualified volunteers to thin the elk herd and allow volunteers to keep some of the meat, consistent with an alternative proposed by Gov. Hoeven, Sen. Dorgan and the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. Previously, the Park Service was considering a number of alternatives including using professional sharpshooters and helicopters ? at significant cost to American taxpayers ? to cull the elk.

After Dorgan included this provision, the National Park Service proposed to use volunteers, under supervision, to thin the elk herd, which is growing too large and threatening to damage park habitat. While the Park Service is prohibited from providing the meat directly to North Dakota hunters, it could provide the meat to the state of North Dakota, which could then transfer the meat to the volunteers. The Park Service sent a letter to Dorgan confirming that after the elk carcasses have been harvested by volunteers, ownership of the meat would be turned over to the state of North Dakota or another approved organization. ?If the state then wanted to give some of the meat to the volunteers that helped in the removal effort, that would be their decision,? wrote the Park Service.

Gov. Hoeven, Senator Dorgan, and the North Dakota Game and Fish Department wanted to ensure that the her reduction would be organized in a workable format for volunteers, and that they would be able to keep a share of the meat. At a meeting in his Bismarck office, Senator Dorgan brought together representatives from Gov. Hoeven?s office, the North Dakota Game and Fish Department and Dan Wenk, the acting Director of the National Park Service, along with other park officials, to resolve any outstanding issues. At that meeting, the Park Service was able to clarify many of the details that would allow the state to turn the meat over to the hunters, as well as other details about potential qualifications of volunteers.

Gov. Hoeven and Game and Fish Department officials, who have pressed for a volunteer effort, refused to approve the National Park Service?s request to assign the state with ?cooperating agency? status until the NPS proposed viable terms for the culling. That meant volunteers would be able to participate in an authentic outdoor experience under reasonably natural conditions and keep some of the meat, as proposed by the Game and Fish Department. Now that the Park Service has agreed to manage the hunt in a way that will respect those concerns, Hoeven and state officials have provided their approval to assign the Game and Fish Department cooperating agency status.

With today?s announcement that all of the parties involved have come to agreement, the path is clear for the NPS to develop a volunteer program to thin the elk herd.

?This is good news for North Dakota hunters who want to volunteer to do their part to help reduce the number of elk in Theodore Roosevelt National Park,? said Senator Dorgan. ?It will save the taxpayers? money, give North Dakota hunters an opportunity to volunteer their time and effort, and I?m pleased that we were able to reach an agreement between the National Park Service and the state on the details of a common-sense plan that will allow these volunteers to help thin the herd and keep the meat.?

?This has been a long process, but throughout, our experts at Game and Fish have worked to help the Park Service arrive at a reasonable management plan that includes a viable volunteer effort,? Hoeven said. ?Based on our discussions we?ve had with National Park Service officials, we believe they are now proposing an approach that will both help to cull the herd and include a role for North Dakota citizens.?

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