[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 28 (Tuesday, February 11, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S986-S987]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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           BIGHORN SHEEP RETURN TO FORT BERTHOLD RESERVATION

 Mr. CRAMER. Madam President, it has been 150 years since 
bighorn sheep have roamed the Tribal lands of the Fort Berthold 
Reservation in northwestern North Dakota. At the end of January, the 
sheep returned.
  Their re-introduction to lands they had inhabited for centuries was a 
long-held goal of many tribal leaders and state wildlife professionals. 
Their dream was realized when the Mandan Hidatsa and Arikara Nation and 
the North Dakota Game and Fish Department worked out a cooperative 
agreement, which they signed last month.
  Thirty bighorn sheep from the Rocky Boy Reservation in north central 
Montana were brought to Fort Berthold and released near Mandaree and 
Twin Buttes on reservation habitat known to be ideal for the sheep. 
Their management and maintenance will be shared between the state and 
tribe.
  The rarest big game species in my state, bighorn sheep are found only 
on steep terrain near the North Dakota Badlands. With these new sheep, 
their total population in the state is now approximately 360.
  Bighorn sheep are historically significant to the Mandan Hidatsa and

[[Page S987]]

Arikara Nation. Hunted with bow and arrows and used in traditional 
ceremonies for years, they were recorded as being seen in what is 
present-day North Dakota in scientific journals of the Lewis and Clark 
Expedition of 1804-1806. Paintings by well-known artists like Karl 
Bodmer depict tribal chiefs, including the prominent Mandan Chief Four 
Bears, wearing their valued hides.
  The return of the bighorn sheep to native habitat honors the past and 
enriches the future of the residents of Fort Berthold. It is a 
remarkable example of the profound impact a collaboration of like minds 
can have on a mutual goal.
  I have long admired the rugged beauty of the bighorn sheep and am 
among many North Dakotans who appreciate their historical significance 
in my state. I applaud all who had the vision to bring the bighorn 
sheep back to the Fort Berthold Reservation and wish them every success 
in ensuring they thrive in this new habitat.

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