This is the thirty-fourth diary in the 'Expanding the National Parks series. All prior diaries in the series are linked below. This time I'm in North Dakota, the Peace Garden State. North Dakota doesn't have much federal land, only 2.7% of its territory is federal, good for 35th in the country. Currently, North Dakota has 1 national park, 63 wildlife refuges and 7 historic sites and other NPS units. I will propose giving North Dakota its first national monuments since the 1950s.
North Dakota
Total Area 70 698 sq miles
Land Area 69 001 sq miles
Water Area 1 697 sq miles
Coastline 0 miles
Additional monuments-4
ADDITIONAL MONUMENTS-4
* Verendrye
Originally created as a monument in 1917 and unmade by Congress in 1956, Verendrye commemorated the exploration of Pierre De Vallenes and his sons Louis-Joseph and Francois, the latter of which are believed to have been the first Europeans to see the Rocky Mountains. the monument covered about 250 acres, and included Crowhigh Butte, which the sons climbed to view the Little Missouri Valley, as well as lands around it. the monument was abolished after research disputed whether they had actually visited the site, and much of the former monument was inundated by a reservoir called Lake Sakakawea. However research carried out since the decommissioning has re-established the validity of the claims that the Vallenes brothers camped in the area. Re-establishing the monument to correct Congress' mistake and the historical record should be a priority Estimated area 500 acres
* Knife River Indian Villages- Sacagawea
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A rebuilt earthlodge, part of the park, is shown above
Currently an historic site, the area contains remains of three villages- Awatixa,Big Hidatsa and Lower Hidatsa, with Lower Hidatsa considered to be the oldest. Sacagawea (also called Sakakawea) grew up in one of the villages (which one is unclear) after being taken captive by the Hidatsa tribe in her youth. Her presence in the Lewis and Clark expedition along with her son, protected the explorers from possible attacks as an all-male expedition would have been seen as a war party by the tribes and would have resulted in the men being attacked by them, and quite possibly killed. Her presence and negotiations convinced the tribes to let them pass through unharmed. the villages were eventually wiped out through a series of smallpox epidemics which killed 90% or more of those who were infected, of the 1600 or so villagers who were there in 1804 at the start of the early epidemic , only 31 were still around by 1805. today what structures exist in the park are reconstructions. upgrading the area to a monument status would honor Sacagawea and the expedition which shaped so much of the West. Estimated Area 2000 acres
* Fort Union Trading Post
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The Bourgeois (or Manager's) house is seen above
Currently an historic site, Fort Union was one of the first areas to be declared an historic Landmark in 1961. It was built between 1828 and 1829 and was named Fort Floyd or Fort Henry and was an important trading post in the region until 1867. the strictures in the fort today as reconstructions designed to look as they did in 1851. when it was named as an historical landmark it was named to differentiate itself from Fort Union NM in New Mexico. Monument status will keep that differentiation. Estimated Area 500 acres
* Sully's Hill
First set aside in 1904 by President Roosevelt as a national park, Sully's Hill is one of the few national parks to ever be unmade. the reasons for its demotion are pretty clear, it was small (780 acres), remote, unstaffed, unfunded and very poorly visited, in fact Teddy Roosevelt never visited the park himself after he created it. When Congress abolished it as a national park in 1931, it was transferred to North Dakota on condition it be part of a refuge and that hunting was forbidden within the area. today the refuge covers almost 1700 acres and is one of only a handful of refuges to contain both bison and elk, and receives 60000 visitors a year. Sully's Hill was never national park material, but at the time, there were no national monuments because the Antiquities Act hadnt passed yet- it would pass in 1906. Giving it monument status is probably fair, as it is worthy of that status and has enough visitors yearly to justify it. Estimated Area 2000 acres
EXISTING AREAS
NATIONAL PARKS-1
* Theodore Roosevelt Established 1978 Covers 70446 acres
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The Maltese Cross Cabin Built by President Roosevelt is seen above
Set aside to honor Roosevelt's conservation legacy, the park consists of 3 units- Elkhorn Ranch, North and South. after Roosevelt's death in 1919, the Little Missouri badlands was scoped for park sites honoring the popular former president. The CCC created camps in what would later become the park, and roads and structures built then are still used today. Originally called the Roosevelt Recreation Demonstration area in 1935, it became a wildlife refuge in 1946 then renamed a National Memorial Park in 1947 by President Truman. it was expanded and upgraded to national park status in 1978 by Congress, today the park covers more than 70000 acres, 30000 of which are wilderness. it is the only national park in the state and drew 560000 visitors in 2011
WILDLIFE REFUGES-63
* Appert Lake Established 1939 Covers 908 acres
a small refuge located near the border with South Dakota, Appert Lake is managed by staff from Long Lake Wildlife refuge.
* Ardoch Established 1939 Covers 2696 acres
Located near the border with Minnesota , Ardoch is managed as part of a refuge complex with several other refuges including Lake Alice, Kelly Slough, and Sully Hill Game Preserve
* Arrowwood Established 1935 Covers 15934 acres
the sixth largest refuge in the state at nearly 16000 acres, Arrowwood is part of the Arrowwood WR Complex which includes several easement refuges- which are refuges on lands the Fish and Wildlife Service does not own, and protected solely though easement agreement with private owners. 14500 people visited the refuge in 2004.
* Audubon Established 1955 Covers 14739 acres
Originally set aside as Snake Creek WR in 1955, the refuge was renamed in 1967 for John James Audubon who was famous for painting and illustrating birds. the refuges consists largely of Audubon Lake, which contains 100 islands which are used as nesting habitat for the over 200 species of birds that have been identified at the refuge.
* Bone Hill Creek Established 1939 Covers 640 acres
Located in the Southeastern part of the state, Bone Hill Creek is one of the smaller refuges in the state at 640 acres or 1 square mile in size. it is an easement refuge , meaning the land is private and thus the refuge is closed to the public.
* Brumba Established 1939 Covers 1977 acres
Located near the border with Canada, Brumba is managed by the Devils Lakes Wetland Management District or WMD. the districts manages 13 refuges, 9 of them easement.
* Buffalo Lake Established 1939 Covers 1564 acres
Located in the north-central part of the state, the refuge is managed by J Clark Salyer WR as part of its complex.
* Camp Lake Established 1939 Covers 585 acres
under a square mile in size, Camp Lake is an easement refuge managed bu Audubon WR.
* Canfield Lake Established 1939 Covers 313 acres
the fifth-smallest refuge in the state (only Stump Lake (27 Acres), Halfway Lake(160),Rabb Lake (261) and Wood Lake (280) are smaller), Canfield Lake is managed by Long Lake WR.
* Chase Lake Established 1908 Covers 4385 acres
The third-oldest refuge in the state behind Sully's Hill and Stump Lake, Chase Lake is home to more white pelicans than other other protected area in the country, 30000. it also contains one of the states 3 wilderness areas- Chase Lake, which covers 4100 acres The others being Theodore Roosevelt (part of the national park, with 30000 acres) and Lostwood, part of the Lostwood refuge which covers 5500 acres.
* Cottonwood Lake Established 1939 Covers 1013 acres
located in the northern part of the state, Cotton Wood Lake is managed by J Clark Salyer WR as part of its complex.
* Dakota Lake Established 1939 Covers 2784 acres
located near the border with South Dakota, Dakota Lake is home for thousands of shorebirds and migrating birds. as a easement refuge , it is closed to the public.
* Des Lacs Established 1935 Covers 19500 acres
one of the largest refuges in the state, it was set aside as a CCC project in order to conserve the waterfowl populations, which today number in the tens of thousands.
* Florence Lake Established 1939 Covers 1888 acres
Consisting of a small lake and 1000 acres of mixed grass prairie that is frequented by grassland birds, Florence Lake is managed by Long Lake WR.
* Halfway Lake Established 1939 Covers 160 acres
The second-smallest refuge in the state, the refuge is an easement refuge and it closed to the public, it is part of the Arrowwood WR Complex.
* Hiddenwood Established 1939 Covers 568 acres
an easement refuge, Hiddenwood is closed to the public and managed by Audubon WR.
* Hobart Lake Established 1939 Covers 2077 acres
Divided by Interstate 94 into sections, the refuge is also divided into lands owned outright by the Fish and Wildlife Service and lands managed as easement, less than 300 acres is owned by the FWS, 1800 is easement. the refuge is part of the Arrowwood WR Complex.
* Hutchinson Lake Established 1939 Covers 479 acres
One of the smaller refuges in the state at under 500 acres, Hutchison Lake is managed as part of the Long Lake WR Complex.
* J Clark Salyer Established 1935 Covers 58693 acres
The largest refuge in the state at nearly 60000 acres, the refuge was originally called the Lower Souris WR, when it was set aside in 1935 then renamed in memory of J Clark Salyer who was chief of the FWS Division of Refuges from 1934-61 . During his tenure the acreage covered by refuges increased from 1.5 million acres to 29 million, and the number of refuges increased by well over 100. the refuge was listed as a Globally Important bird area in 2001, and was one of 10 refuges highlighted in a exhibit marking the centennial of the refuge system at the Smithsonian museum of Natural History in 2003-04.
* Johnson Lake Established 1939 Covers 2002 acres
an easement refuge, and thus closed to the public, Johnson Lake is part of the Arrowwood WR Complex.
* Kellys Slough Established 1936 Covers 1270 acres
Established to conserve wildlife habitat and wetlands unique to the Red River Valley, Kellys Slough covers almost 1300 acres.
* Lake Alice Established 1935 Covers 12179 acres
Originally set aside as an easement refuge in 1935, the Fish and Wildlife Service bought 8600 acres of the refuge in 1972, and gradually bought more of the refuge until today it covers more than 12000 acres.
* Lake George Established 1939 Covers 3119 acres
Part of the Long Lake WR Complex, Lake George is located in in the south-central part of the state and covers over 3000 acres
* Lake Ilo Established 1939 Covers 4034 acres
created after the building of a dam in the area in 1938, Lake ilo has been a protected refuge since then. archaeological work undertaken between 1989 and 1994- during which the lake was lowered for replacement of the dam uncovered thousands of Paleo Indian artifacts dating back 11000 years, making it one of the longest inhabited regions in the country. the refuge is part of the Audubon WR Complex
* Lake Nettie Established 1939 Covers 3055 acres
Located in the central part of the state, the refuge consists of mostly FWS-owned land with about 600 acres being easement. its part of the Audubon WR Complex
* Lake Otis Established 1971 Covers 320 acres
One of the younger refuges in the state, Lake Otis is an easement refuge and thus closed to the public. It is managed by Audubon WR.
* Lake Patricia Established 1939 Covers 800 acres
An Easement refuge, Lake Patricia is managed by the Audubon WR Complex and is closed to the public.
* Lake Zahl Established 1939 Covers 3823 acres
Located near the Montana border, the refuge consists mostly of Lake Zahl, As an easement refuge, it is closed to the public.
* Lambs Lake Established 1939 Covers 1318 acres
Located in the north-eastern part of the state, Lambs Lake is managed as part of the Devils Lake WMD.
* Little Goose Established 1939 Covers 359 acres
Located near the Minnesota border, Little Goose is managed as part of the Devils Lake WMD.
* Long Lake Established 1932 Covers 22300 acres
one of the largest refuges in the state, Long Lake was set aside by President Hoover in 1932. Consisting mostly of a large shallow salt water lake called Long Lake, the refuge was recognized as a Globally Important Birding Area in 2001.
* Lords Lake Established 1939 Covers 1915 acres
Located near the Canadian border, the refuge consists of parts of Bottineau and Rolette counties and is managed by J Clark Salyer WR.
* Lost Lake Established 1939 Covers 960 acres
Managed by Audubon WR Complex, Lost Lake is an easement refuge and is closed to the public.
* Maple River Established 1939 Covers 1120 acres
An easement refuge managed by the Kulm WMD, the refuge is closed to the public.
* McLean Established 1939 Covers 760 acres
Originally named Lake Susie when established in 1939, the name of the refuge was changed in the 1990s to McLean. An easement refuge managed by Audubon WR Complex, most of the refuge is closed to the public.
* North Dakota Established 2010 Covers 45493 acres
the newest refuge in the state, the refuge is in the process of acquiring land and is not yet open to the public, at its full size it will cover over 45000 acres and will be the second largest refuge in the state.
* Pleasant Lake Established 1939 Covers 1020 acres
Located in the northern part of the state, Pleasant Lake is managed by the Devils Lakes WMD.
* Pretty Rock Established 1941 Covers 800 acres
An easement refuge and management by Audubon WR Complex, the refuge is closed to the public.
* Rabb Lake Established 1948 Covers 261 acres
The Third-smallest refuge in the state, Rabb Lake is managed by J Clark Sayler WR.
* Rock Lake Established 1939 Covers 5587 acres
Located near the border with Canada, Rock Lake is managed by the Devils Lake WMD.
* Rose Lake Established 1948 Covers 1280 acres
Located in the northeastern part of the state, Rose Lake is managed by the Devils Lake WMD.
* School Section Lake Established 1948 Covers 680 acres
Located near the border with Canada, School Section Lake is managed by the J Clark Sayler WR.
* Shell Lake Established 1939 Covers 1835 acres
an easement refuge, Shell Lake is closed to the public.
* Sheyenne Lake Established 1948 coves 800 acres
an easement refuge, Sheyenne Lake is managed by Audubon WR Complex and is closed to the public.
* Sibley Lake Established 1939 Covers 1077 acres
an easement refuge, Sibley Lake is managed as part of the Arrowwood WR Complex and is closed to the public.
* Silver Lake Established 1948 Covers 3348 acres
Located in the central part of the state, Silver Lake is managed by Devils Lake WMD.
* Slade Established 1941 Covers 3000 acres
Named after G T Slade, an executive with the Northern Pacific Railroad who donated the land for a refuge. the refuge is managed by Long Lake WR.
* Synder Lake Established 1941 Covers 1550 acres
Located in Towner County, near the border with Canada Synder Lake is part of the Devils Lake WMD.
* Springwater Established 1941 Covers 640 acres
Located near the border with South Dakota, Spring Lake is managed by Long Lake WR.
* Stewart Lake Established 1941 Covers 2230 acres
Consisting most of private land (1600 acres are private), only the portion of the refuge owned by the FWS is open to the public. the refuge is part of the Audubon WR Complex.
* Stoney Slough Established 1941 Covers 2000 acres
Located in the eastern part of the state, close to half of the refuge is easement, meaning that part is closed to the public. roughly 1100 acres is open for public use.
* Storm Lake Established 1941 Covers 686 acres
Located near the South Dakota border, the refuge is managed by Tewaukon WR.
* Stump Lake Established 1905 Covers 27 acres
The second-oldest protected area in the state after Sully's Hill, Stump Lake is the oldest and smallest refuge in the state. it is closed to the public and managed by Devils Lake WMD.
* Sully Hill National Game Preserve Established 1904 Covers 1674 acres
Originally set aside as a national park in 1904, Sully Hill was abolished by Congress in 1931 and returned to the state of North Dakota as a game preserve, the Fish and Wildlife Service have manged the refuge ever since.
* Sunburst Lake Established 1941 Covers 495 acres
Locate near the border with South Dakota, the refuge is managed by Long Lake and is part of its Complex.
* Tewaukon Established 1945 Covers 8363 acres
Located in the southeastern part of the state, the refuge was started with 500 acres of land bought from sellers in 1945, over the years since the refuge is grown in size to over 8000 acres, making it one of the bigger refuges in the state. the wild Rice River flows through the refuge and into Lake Tewaukon.
* Tomahawk Established 1941 Covers 440 acres
An easement refuge, Tomahawk is managed by the Arrowhead WR Complex and is closed to the public.
* Upper Souris Established 1935 Covers 32092 acres
Conserving part of the Souris Valley in far northwestern North Dakota, the refuge contains Lake Darling, a lake created from damming two streams to create habitat for birds in both Upper Souris and then -Lower Souris refuges (now J Clark Salyer WR), Upper Souris was declared a Globally Important Birding area by the American Bird Conservancy.
* White Lake Established 1941 Covers 1040 acres
Located in the southwest corner of the state in Slope County, White Lake is managed as part of the Audubon WR Complex and is closed to the public.
* Wild Rice Lake Established 1941 Covers 779 acres
Located in the southeast corner of the state Wild Rice Lake is managed from Tewaukon WR.
* Willow Lake Established 1948 Covers 2848 acres
Part of the J Clark Salyer WR Complex, the refuge is located close to the border with Canada.
* Wintering River Established 1941 Covers 399 acres
Located in the north-central part of the state, the refuge is managed by the J Clark Salyer WR Complex.
* Wood Lake Established 1948 Covers 280 acres
one of the smallest refuges in the state, ood Lake is managed as part of the Devils Lakes WMD Complex.
HISTORIC SITES AND OTHER NPS UNITS-7
* Cedar River NG Established 1998 Covers 6717 acres
The smallest of the three grasslands in North Dakota, Cedar River covers portions of Sioux county and Grant county, with the Sioux county portion being on the tribal lands of the Standing Rock Indian Reservation.
* Dakota Prairie NG Established 1998 Covers 1,265,217 acres (in ND and SD)
created in 1998 out of lands formerly in Custer National Forest, Dakota consists of three grasslands in North Dakota (Cedar River, Little Missouri and Sheyenne) and one in South Dakota(Grand River). the combined grasslands are managed from Bismarck, North Dakota
* Fort Union Trading Post NHS Established 1966 Covers 444 acres
one of the most important trading posts in the Upper Missouri for decades until after the Civil War. the parts of the fort that stand today are reconstructions designed to look like the fort did in 1851. Nearly 17000 people visited in 2005.
* International Peace Garden Established 1932 Covers 2336 acres ( in ND and Canada)
Set aside by the two countries in 1932 as a symbol of the peaceful relationship between the two, the park include a floral clock display , a pair of concrete towers (set to be torn down due to erosion), and is one of a number of peace parks between the countries where you can cross the border freely(but still have to go through customs once you leave the park)
* Knife River Indian Villages NHS Established 1974 Covers 1758 acres
Conserving the remains of 3 Indian Villages , the site has been restored to what it looked like at the time the villages were active (1700s-1800s) and is home to 200 different species of wildlife.Over 30000 people visited the site in 2005.
* Little Missouri NG Established 1960 Covers 1,028, 784 acres
the largest of North Dakotas grasslands and the largest protected area in the state at over 1 million acres, Little Missouri is also the largest grassland in the country and makes up most of the area of Dakota NG. it includes both Theodore Roosevelt NP, and White Butte, the highest point in North Dakota, in its borders. the grassland was first set aside in 1960.
* Sheyenne NG Established 1960 Covers 70446 acres
The second largest of North Dakotas grasslands, Sheyenne was established alongside Little Missouri NG in 1960 and today makes up part of Dakota NG. named after the Sheyenne River which flows through the grasslands, the grassland is home to the largest number of greater prairie chickens in the state.
This concluded my virtual trip to North Dakota. Next Time I'll be in Ohio, riding doing the Cuyahoga River and checking out the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton. As always comments, input and feedback are welcome. See you in the comments!
Prior Diaries
1.Alabama
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2 Alaska
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3 Arizona
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4 Arkansas
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5 California
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6 Colorado
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7 Connecticut
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8 Delaware
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9 Florida
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10 Georgia
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11 Hawaii
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12 Idaho
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13 Illinois
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14 Indiana
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15 Iowa
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16 Kansas
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17 Kentucky
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18 Louisiana
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19 Maine
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20 Maryland
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21 Massachusetts
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22 Michigan
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23 Minnesota
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24 Mississippi
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25 Missouri
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26 Montana
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27 Nebraska
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28 Nevada
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29 New Hampshire
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30 New Jersey
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31 New Mexico
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32 New York
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33 North Carolina
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