Keeping All the Pieces

Keeping All the Pieces was an outreach campaign that produced a 15-minute documentary film that promotes conversations about the public lands of western North Dakota known as the Badlands. The campaign raised awareness about the impacts of oil and gas development while inspiring further self-education and advocacy. The future of the Badlands should be a decision made by the people, not by the oil industry.

What is the best way for North Dakota to wisely develop our oil and gas resources while maintaining the environmental health of our deeply valued natural and agricultural landscapes? This is the question Keeping All the Pieces seeks to answer by forming a partnership between residents of North Dakota and advocates of conservation and wildlife. North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources Director Lynn Helms has predicted that the land in western North Dakota won’t be fully restored to pre-boom conditions until the turn of the 22nd century. Thoughtful planning that takes the entire landscape into consideration must be a priority —  otherwise, future generations will have no likelihood of successfully reclaiming the land. These decisions cannot wait. They must be made now.

Keeping All the Pieces is inspired by the land ethic of wildlife conservationist and author Aldo Leopold’s Round River, published in 1953:

The last word in ignorance is the man who says of an animal or plant, "What good is it?" If the land mechanism as a whole is good, then every part is good, whether we understand it or not. If the biota, in the course of aeons, has built something we like but do not understand, then who but a fool would discard seemingly useless parts? To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering.

Leopold is known worldwide for his 1949 publication of A Sand County Almanac.

Keeping All the Pieces was a collaboration of Badlands Conservation Alliance and the ND Wildlife Federation, with additional support from the Lewis and Clark Wildlife Club, ND Natural Resources Trust, the ND Chapter of the Wildlife Society and World Wildlife Fund. During the campaign, Mike McEnroe and Jan Swenson gave 26 presentations of Keeping All the Pieces, initiating an open dialog and public participation all across the state.

Since the Keeping All the Pieces campaign wrapped up, BCA continued to combine issue education with good clean fun by visiting areas like Magpie, the Ice Caves, China Wall, the Petrified Forest, and Bullion Butte, all of which are part of the wild badlands in western North Dakota, including areas that are Roadless or Suitable for Wilderness. The collective knowledge of BCA members has continued to make these outings possible and each time we draw new participants seeking to learn more about the area on the ground with us while also enjoying camaraderie around our campsites. More outings to come in 2023!

Talk to your family, friends and neighbors about what pieces of North Dakota you want to protect for future generations.

Visit Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Stop by the Visitor Center to learn about the wildlife, geology and history of the land and pick up a park map. TRNP has day hikes, wheelchair-accessible hikes, and is one of many entry points for the 144-mile Maah Daah Hey trail system.

Explore the wild beauty of the Little Missouri National Grassland. Managed by the US Forest Service, ninety-five percent of the Grassland’s one million acres of public land are currently open to oil and gas development. Our self-guided Southern Badlands Adventure is a great way to get an overview of the Grassland for both new and return visitors.

The Prairie Legacy Wilderness proposal is a foundation of Badlands Conservation Alliance. The United States Forest Service manages less than 40,000 acres of the one-million-acre Little Missouri National Grassland as Suitable for Wilderness where oil and gas development is currently not allowed. The only avenue for permanent protection of these last remaining gems is through Wilderness designation by the US Congress.

Go to Watford City and see a Bakken boomtown. The cities and towns of western North Dakota have changed drastically since the beginning of the boom, and continue to change in both positive and negative ways.

Join us on a BCA outing. We combine issue education with good clean fun by visiting areas like Kendley Plateau and Twin Buttes, both of which are managed as Suitable for Wilderness. We’ve visited the site of proposed new oil and gas development in the southern Badlands, and a proposed river crossing of the Little Missouri State Scenic River. United States Forest Service personnel gave our group a tour to learn about the 5400-acre Magpie wildfire. We hiked, we camped, we howled at the moon!

Keep Up on Evolving Issues

These current issues require comments from you, the public. This is an excellent way for you to become more involved. We will update you on the issues and on opportunities for participation as they occur. Becoming a member is the best way to ensure that you’ll receive the latest information.

You can learn more about each of these topics on our current issues page.

Fracking Water Permits. Withdrawal from the Little Missouri State Scenic River.

Expansion of HWY 85. A proposed four-lane divided highway through the Little Missouri State Scenic River Valley and trespassing on the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

Industrial Park or National Park? Meridian Energy Group is proposing to build a refinery next to Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

Billings County Bridge. Proposal near Elkhorn Ranch Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

Explore articles, reports and websites.

• High Country News: "A tale of two parks: How the Bakken boom transformed a landscape" by Emily Guerin
   
• Harper's: "Bakken Business: The price of North Dakota’s fracking boom" by Richard Manning
   
• North Dakota Game and Fish Department: Potential Impacts of Oil and Gas Development on Select ND Natural Resources – May 2011
   
• Covenant Consulting Group: Stakeholder Assessment of the North Dakota Badlands and Little Missouri River Valley
   
• North Dakota Game and Fish Department: Recommended Management Practices for Reducing Oil/Gas Impacts to Wildlife
   
• North Dakota Department of Health: Environmental Division Spill Reporting
   
• Bibliography for Keeping All the Pieces Outreach

North Dakota Industrial Commission

The North Dakota Industrial Commission (NDIC) is the state entity in charge of oil and gas development.

• North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources Oil and Gas Division

  • Check out the Map Server – play with the tools and layers

  • Check out the Information Center. There is a wealth of information under Recent Presentations
     

• NDIC Areas of Interest Policy

• North Dakota Pipeline Authority Maps