Category: Law, Government, Politics

Just one more reminder: Today, June 22, 2012, is the last day for telling the Federal Highway Administration, the North Dakota Department of Transportation and Billings County Commissioners that putting a new bridge over the Little Missouri River near the Elkhorn Ranch is a really bad idea. I’ve gotten copies of some of the comments … Continue reading The Deadline Is Today

I'm not going to apologize for letting the problems confronting the Elkhorn Ranch Site dominate my blog lately. There's simply no greater priority in my world right now. We're up against another deadline. Comments on the proposed new bridge for oil trucks across the Little Missouri River near the Elkhorn Ranch must be submitted to … Continue reading The Case For Alternative L

The comment period has passed for letting the U.S. Forest Service know what you think of its Draft Environmental Assessment (DEA) of the proposed gravel mining operation near the Elkhorn Ranch. I've written several articles about this issue. But none of my articles is as eloquent and thoughtful as the one I am going to … Continue reading ‘Let Roosevelt Guide You’

IT WAS AN ELKHORN RANCH WEEK Last Sunday, the Dickinson Press carried a story about the proposed new Little Missouri River crossing near the Elkhorn, Theodore Roosevelt’s 1880’s Bad Lands ranch, now a National Park site. It was a precursor to two public hearings scheduled later in the week on the bridge project. In the … Continue reading Weekenders

Do you want to read something really interesting? We live in amazing times. I was looking for a piece of information the other day as I was preparing to write an article on the Elkhorn Ranch. Google. Up popped this Bismarck Tribune article from 2004. I had forgotten some of the modern history behind the … Continue reading Protect It At All Costs

Well, the battle to protect the Elkhorn Ranch from being excavated as a gravel pit (which I wrote about earlier this week) or invaded by an oil transport road (which I will write about next week) has taken on a new dimension. As you can see from the e-mails below, Tweed Roosevelt, the great grandson … Continue reading The Bugle Sounds Again!

Last winter I wrote a series of articles about the outrageous proposal to mine gravel on the ridge above the Elkhorn Ranch site of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, on the banks of the Little Missouri River. The Elkhorn Ranch, you probably know, was the home of President Theodore Roosevelt when he lived and ranched in … Continue reading Elkhorn Ranch Update

A couple months ago, I had occasion to have lunch at the North Dakota Governor’s residence with, among the other assembled dignitaries, the Governor himself. After lunch, the Governor asked those gathered around the table if they had any questions for him. One of the first questions asked was “Governor, is there ever a day … Continue reading Weekenders

A wise friend of mine, the late Rod Tjaden, used to say this about organizations governed by volunteer boards of directors: At any board meeting, there should be just two motions. The first motion is to fire the executive director. If the motion fails, the next motion is to adjourn. Rod’s point was, of course, … Continue reading Best Friends Forever

If you dig deep enough into his FEC reports, you’ll discover that Republican U.S. Senate candidate Duane Sand is running the biggest scam EVER in the history of North Dakota politics. Either that, or he’s the stupidest person ever to run for political office in North Dakota. Read on, and decide. If you read the … Continue reading The Great Duane Sand Political Scam