Building Resilient Habitats Map

North Dakota: Grassland Preservation

Laden with historical meaning and inherent to the concept of the American West, the grasslands of Central America remain one of the nation's most valued habitats.

The Little Missouri National Grasslands, once an expansive 1.1 million acres of wide open space is now reduced to a mere 234,000 acres thanks to years of housing, industrial, and agricultural development. The remaining land affords beautiful landscapes to view and enjoy. More importantly, the grasslands provide a safe and healthy habitat for a variety of animals including various species of birds, rodents, reptiles, and mammals.

North Dakota's grasslands play a key role in the fight against global warming because healthy grasslands sequester vast amounts of carbon dioxide. However, once the ecological integrity of the grasslands is disturbed by massive oil and gas development, plowing for crops, or overgrazing, carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. The disruptions thereby contribute to global warming and further prevent natural carbon cycling. Continued global warming could then ultimately transform marginal grasslands into dry and barren deserts as rainfall patterns alter, creating an inhospitable habitat for the various wildlife that inhabit the area.

The Dacotah Chapter recently completed a successful campaign to bring Theodore Roosevelt's historic Elkhorn Ranch into public ownership with the U.S. Forest Service's purchase of the ranch. Over 5,200 acres of rolling grasslands and rugged buttes along the State Scenic Little Missouri River are now open for public hunting and recreation.

We are continuing to work with the Boone and Crockett Club, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, North Dakota Wildlife Federation, and other organizations and individuals to ensure that the U.S. Forest Service manages the newly acquired Elkhorn Ranch in a way that protects its historic and ecological values. The Chapter is also campaigning to gain wilderness designation for over 60,000 National Grasslands acres in five areas. If the campaign is successful, these areas will become the first grassland wilderness areas in the National Wilderness Preservation System.

For more information about the Dacotah Chapter in North Dakota, please visit http://northdakota.sierraclub.org/