This is the twenty-seventh diary in my expanding the National Parks System. Prior diaries are listed at the bottom of the diary. This week I'm visiting Nebraska the Cornhusker State. Nebraska only has 1.4% of its territory protected federally, good for 44th in the country, slightly ahead of Kansas and slightly behind Ohio. Currently, Nebraska has 3 national monuments, 2 national forests, 9 wildlife refuges, and 3 historic sites and other NPS Units. I will propose adding 4 additional monuments to Nebraska's tally.
Nebraska
Total Area 77348 sq miles
Land Area 76824 sq miles
Water Area 524 sq miles
Coastline 0 miles
Additional monuments-4
ADDITIONAL MONUMENTS-4
* Sandhills
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The Sandhills in Hooker County, Nebraska, are shown above
A large area of sand dunes and grass prairie covering much of western Nebraska, the Sandhills was declared a National Natural landmark in 1984 and currently over 100000 acres is protected in wildlife refuges and by groups like the Nature Conservancy. However, the fight over the Keystone pipeline shows how fragile this region is, and stronger protections for the region are needed. only by declaring a large portion of the Sandhills a national monument, will the area be secure for future generations. Approximate area 4,000,000 acres- or 6250 sq miles- 3 times the size of Delaware
* George Norris
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the home of Senator Norris is seen above, with a statue of Norris in front of it
Would conserve the home of George W Norris, a five term senator from Nebraska who staunchly supported the New Deal and sponsored the bill that created the Tennessee Valley Authority. estimated area 20 acres
* Oglala
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Toadstool Park, part of the grassland, as seen in 2008
Would upgrade and expand the existing Grassland to conserve areas within the grassland like Toadstool Geologic Park Estimated area 150000 acres
* Crescent Lake
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A pronghorn is seen in Crescent Lake WR in the above photo
Would upgrade and expand the existing refuge in order to preserve the sand dunes within the refuge, which are the largest continuous dunes in the US. Estimated area 60000 acres
EXISTING AREAS
NATIONAL MONUMENTS-3
* Agate Fossil Beds Established 1997 Covers 11617 acres
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University and Carnegie Hills Fossil beds, part of the monument, are shown above
The Largest of Nebraska's three existing national monument, Agate Fossil Beds was authorized by Congress in 1965 but was not formally established until 1997 the monument contains fossils from the Miocene era,roughly 20 million years ago. fossil include Miohippus, an ancestor of the modern horse and Menoceras, a rhino-like creature that was the size of a modern pony. the monument includes Agate Springs ranch, which is still private property. Nearly 12000 people visited the monument in 2012.
* Homestead Established 1936 Covers 211 acres
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The Freeman school, the longest-used one-room school in Nebraska, is shown above and is part of the monument
Established to honor the passage of the Homestead Act in 1862, the monument conserves land connected to the first homestead established under the act by Daniel Freeman in 1863. the Homestead act granted 160 acres of federal land to citizens in exchange for that citizen residing on the property for 5 years and making improvements on it. 270 million acres - an area roughly the size of California and Texas combined- was transferred to private hands over the course of the program. the monument also contains 100 acres of restored prairie, and the Freeman School, a one story school that was in active use from 1872-1967. Homestead was selected as Nebraska's representative the National Parks quarters series, it will be the first quarter released in 2015. Nearly 70000 people visited the monument in 2011
* Scotts Bluff Established 1919 Covers 3005 acres
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Scotts Bluff, as viewed from its summit
The oldest monument in the state, Scotts Bluff served as an important landmark on both the Oregon Trial and Mormon Trial . the bluff was named after Hiram Scott, a fur trader who died near the bluff in 1828. the formation and several neighboring formation were set aside as a monument by President Wilson in 1919. Nearly 130000 people visited the monument in 2011
NATIONAL FORESTS-2
* Nebraska Established 1908 Covers 141864 acres
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The Bessey Ranger District of the NF is seen from the top of Scotts Tower in the above photo
The Older and larger of Nebraska's national Forests, Nebraska is divided into two sections- Bessey and Pine Ridge. the forest was formed from the merging of the Dismal River, Niobrara and North Platte NFs. Bessey is named after Charles Bessey who started a experiment in planting trees in the area in 1902 believing that the area had once been forested. the experiment was tremendously successful, with the resulting forest covering 20000 acres, the largest human-planted forest in the country. today this section contains the nursery Bessey founded, and it continues to produce seedlings for tree planting , 2.5-3 million a year. the Pine Ridge section of the forest was added in the 1950s. nearly 8000 acres of the forest is wilderness.
* Samuel R McKelvie Established 1971 Covers 116079 acres
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a view of part of the forest is shown above
First set aside as part of a Forest Reserve in 1902, the forest is named after former Nebraska Governor Samuel McKelvie. most of the forest was planted by hand , dating from the Depression onward. Both Forest are managed as a single unit, along with Oglala National Grassland and South Dakotas Buffalo Gap and Fort Pierre Grasslands.
WILDLIFE REFUGES-9
* Boyer Chute Established 1992 Covers 4040 acres
First cut off from the main Missouri River channel in the 1930s by the Corp of Engineers, the area now in the refuge was cultivated and later ignored, restoration and reconnection came after the area became a refuge. the refuge was hit very hard by the Missouri Floods of 2011, and repairs are still ongoing.
* Crescent Lake Established 1931 Covers 45818 acres
The second-largest refuge in the state at over 45000 acres, Crescent Lake protects a large section of sand dunes. About half of the refuge-24000 acres- is wilderness-Crescent Lake manages North Platte WR as part of its complex.
*DeSoto Established 1058 Covers 8362 acres (In IA and NE)
located on the Missouri River bordering Iowa, slightly more than half the refuge lies in Nebraska. DeSoto Lake, which the refuge drives its name from, makes up a good portion of the refuge. it was created as a result of an Army Corp of Engineers project to reroute the Missouri River. the refuge also contains the remains of the steamboat 'Bertrand" which sank en route to Montana in 1865. the site of the wreck was rediscovered in 1968 by salvagers, thanks to the Antiquities Act, everything they salvaged was turned over to the government, more than half a million artifacts.30 species of mammals and several bird species live in the refuge , including bald eagles, red-headed woodpeckers and cardinals, and it is part of the Central Flyway.
* Fort Niobrara Established 1912 Covers 19131 acres
Located on the grounds of the former Fort Niobrara, which stood from 1880-1906 the refuge was set aside by President Taft. in addition to the 16000 acres set aside by Taft, more than 3000 acres have since been added.
*John and Louise Seier Established 1999 Covers 2400 acres
Named after the siblings (John and Luoise Seier) who donated the area to the government in 1999, the refuge is located in the Sandhills region and is part of the Fort Niobrara/Valentine WR Complex. It is currently closed to the public.
* Karl E Mundt Established 1974 Covers 1085 acres (in NE and SD)
Located mostly in South Dakota, the refuge, named after former South Dakota Senator Karl Mundt, who was a avid supporter of the Endangered Species Act, is home to the largest collection of bald eagles in the country outside of Alaska, with more than 200 birds seen each winter. to protect the birds and their habitat, the refuge is closed to the public.
* North Platte Established 1916 Covers 5047 acres
The second-oldest refuge in the state behind Fort Niobrara, North Platte is divided into 4 sections-Lake Alice, Lake Minatare, Stateline Island, and Winters Creek Lakw- of which Lake Alice at 1500 acres , is the largest. Portions of Lake Alice and Winters Creek Lake are closed to the public. the refuge is part of the Crescent lake WR Complex.
* Rainwater Basin Established 1963 Covers 22864 acres
Located on the central Flyway, the Management district consists of 61 separate parcels of land. Currently the WMD is undergoing expansion, with an approved boundary of over 38000 acres. the additional land will join the currently split portions of the the district into one contiguous area.
* Valentine Established 1935 covers 71516 acres
The largest refuge in the state, Valentine was declare a National Natural Landmark in 1976, and lues ibn the middle of the Sandhills region. Nearly 16000 acres of the refuge is managed as wilderness, although Congress has not yet designated the area officially. the CCC had a camp in the refuge from 1935-39 and employed 200 men. efforts are ongoing to increase the refuges size
HISTORIC SITES AND OTHER NPS UNITS-4
* Missouri WSR Established 1978 Covers 33800 acres (in NE and SD)
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a map of the Scenic River is shown above
Consists of portions of the Missouri River along the border of Nebraska and South Dakota, the Wild and Scenic River designation ensures that these sections of the river are undammed and can flow naturally. the first portion of the river was set aside in 1978, addition area was set aside in 1991.Most of the area designated lies in South Dakota.
* Niobrara WSR Established 1991 Covers 23074 acres
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the River, as seen in 2003
Set aside by Congress in 1991, the Scenic River designation protects 76 miles of the river , split into two sections. the last portion of the river is protected by the Missouri WSR. Over 50000 people visited the area in 2004.
* Oglala NG Established 1960 Covers 94250 acres
Managed as part of the national forests in the state, Oglala is the 11th largest grasland in the sysem at just under 100000 acres, and is home to Toadstool Geologic Park and the Hudson -Mend Bison kill archeological site.
* Pine Ridge NRA Established 1986 Covers 6600 acres
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Part of the recreational area is seen above
Managed by the Pine Ridge district of the the Nebraska NF, Pine ridge conserves nearly 7000 acres and is managed by the Forest Service. it was established by Congress in 1986 andis one of several NRAs across the country.
This concludes my study of Nebraska. next Time I'll be in Nevada, wandering around the vast expanses of federal territory, and seeing if I don't go broke on the slots in Vegas. As Always, Comments and imput are welcome.
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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