BCA's Comment Letter on the Dakota Prairie Grasslands Travel Management Plan
Dakota Prairie Grasslands Travel Management Plan
The Forest Service is going through the process of updating the Travel Management Plan for the Little Missouri National Grasslands (LMNG).
The outcome will impact roads and trails within the LMNG. Alongside identifying necessary roads, Travel Management is intended to protect the Grasslands by "safeguarding sensitive areas and cultural resources, enhancing wildlife habitat, and preserving healthy rangelands." It's our mission to restore and preserve the Badlands, so please join us by making our voices heard.
The Forest Service invites public participation through their commenting period.
Your comments matter.
Your input could have a significant impact. We strongly encourage you to submit comments, however brief or extensive. Below, please find an overview of our positions, sample comments, and our comment letter submitted to the Forest Service. Contact us if you have any questions.
Comments are due by midnight on October 15th, 2024.
BCA’s Positions on the Travel Management Plan
Badlands Conservation Alliance supports:
Expanding non-motorized trail networks in areas where wildlife and bird migration disturbance is minimal.
Protecting ‘suitable for wilderness’ areas. We are alarmed that some estimates claim less than 25,000 acres of Little Missouri National Grassland (LMNG) are designated as suitable for wilderness.
Limiting motorized access to designated roads and trails only, particularly in sensitive wildlife habitat and riparian areas. BCA is concerned about the growing use of off-highway vehicles (OHVs) such as four-wheelers or side-by-sides.
The closure of superfluous roads to motorized travel, particularly in areas surrounding Inventoried Roadless Areas (IRAs). These road closures should focus on protecting remote areas that are increasingly rare in North Dakota and that enhance wildlife security.
Improving signage on roads that lead into State Trust Lands.
Enhancing public education efforts to promote responsible land use and conservation.
Badlands Conservation Alliance opposes:
The creation of any additional roads in the LMNG.
The creation of ‘designated areas’ for OHV use in the LMNG and Badlands.
Sample Comments
Not sure what to write in your comments? Here’s a starting point. We encourage you to make your comments unique.
Dear Dakota Prairie Grasslands Management Plan Team,
I support prioritizing the protection of wildlife, suitable for wilderness areas, non-motorized trails, and inventoried roadless areas. No additional roads should be created in the Little Missouri National Grassland, motorized access should be limited, and unnecessary roads should be closed.
Thank you,
[Your Name]
We encourage you to include your name, but your comments may be submitted anonymously if you prefer. All contact information is optional.
If you’d like, tell the Forest Service about your personal connection with the LMNG, or experiences you’ve had as they relate to the issues we’ve raised. Maybe you’re concerned with how many acres no longer qualify as suitable for wilderness: in 1999 it was around 500,000 acres — now, 25 years later, it may be less than 25,000 acres. Or maybe you’ve spent time in the LMNG and you’ve been frustrated with the proximity of traffic while you’ve been hiking. Finally, let them know you’re a member of Badlands Conservation Alliance.
Here’s where to submit your comments electronically.
Here’s more information, including the project-specific web page, as well as a Frequently Asked Questions document.
The Forest Service’s FAQ answers these questions:
What is Travel Management?
Purpose of Travel Management
What is the Product of Travel Management?
What does this mean for the LMNG?
Below, you can read our complete comments submitted to the Forest Service.
BCA’s Comment Letter on the Dakota Prairie Grasslands Travel Management Plan
Oct. 11th, 2024
To: Dakota Prairie Grasslands Management Team
U.S. Forest Service
2000 Miriam Circle
Bismarck, ND 58501
Re: Comments on the Dakota Prairie Grasslands Travel Management Plan
Dear Dakota Prairie Grasslands Management Plan Team,
On behalf of the Badlands Conservation Alliance (BCA), I am writing to provide comments on the Dakota Prairie Grasslands Travel Management Plan. BCA is a Voice for Wild North Dakota Places.
Badlands Conservation Alliance is dedicated to the restoration and preservation of the Badlands and rolling prairie ecosystem comprising western North Dakota’s public lands, both state and federal. We provide an independent voice for conservation-minded North Dakotans and others who appreciate this unique Great Plains landscape.
It is also our mission to ensure that the public lands management agencies adhere to the principles of the laws that guide them and provide for wise stewardship of the natural landscapes with which the citizens of the United States have entrusted them — for this and future generations. We appreciate the opportunity to contribute to the development of a plan that balances access for multi-user groups while ensuring land stewardship for wildlife conservation and recreation enthusiasts alike.
In the early 1970s, five hundred thousand acres on the Dakota Prairie Grasslands’ western-most Little Missouri National Grassland unit qualified for Wilderness designation. By 1977, when the second Roadless Area Review and Evaluation was complete, the number of acres eligible had been cut in half. With the signing in July 2002 of the current Land and Resource Management Plan for the Dakota Prairie Grasslands, less than 40,000 acres are managed by the Forest Service as “Suitable for Wilderness.” Undeveloped wild land is now GONE! Now, in October 2024, BCA is devastated to know that some estimates claim less than 25,000 acres of LMNG are designated as suitable for Wilderness.
The proliferation of roads now estimated at over 2,800+ miles in the LMNG have had a devastating impact on the western ND way of life, wildlife habitat, and the fragile, yet disappearing iconic grasslands. A more harmonious balance must be struck to support oil and gas development while recognizing the growing, diversified role that wildlife habitat and recreation play in the North Dakota economy. We hope the Forest Service considers the following comments to strike the now critical balance.
1. OHV Use Concern in the Badlands
Badlands Conservation Alliance is concerned about the growing use of off-highway vehicles (OHVs) in the Dakota Prairie Grasslands and the Badlands region. An estimated 30-40k OHVs are permitted in North Dakota, and BCA recommends that OHV use be directed to designated main roads only, with clearly signed restrictions for off-road travel. BCA does not support the creation of ‘designated areas’ for OHV use in the LMNG and Badlands.
The Badlands that encompass the Dakota Prairie Grasslands are crucial to North Dakota’s outdoor heritage, and unregulated or extensive OHV use can not only disturb wildlife and fragment habitat, but also erode soil necessary for preserving a way of life in western ND.
2. Protection of Wildlife Habitat and Support for Non-Motorized Recreation
BCA continues to support restrictions to additional motorized access in the LMNG. With an estimated 2,800+ miles of roads within the LMNG, BCA would oppose the creation of any additional roads. The Forest Service plays a vital role ensuring non-motorized areas remain havens for wildlife and outdoor enthusiasts who simply want to avoid the noise and congestion of modern life. BCA supports the multi-users who wish to access our public lands and supports restricting motorized access and promoting non-motorized recreation to also preserve and protect the dwindling grasslands necessary for our ranchers and the grazing community.
Badlands Conservation Alliance supports:
Limiting motorized access to designated roads and trails only, particularly in sensitive wildlife habitat and riparian areas.
Expanding non-motorized trail networks in areas where wildlife and bird migration disturbance is minimal.
Enhancing public education efforts to promote responsible land use and conservation.
3. Closing Superfluous Roads, Especially Around Inventoried Roadless Areas
BCA supports the closure of superfluous roads to motorized travel, particularly in areas surrounding Inventoried Roadless Areas (IRAs). These road closures should focus on protecting remote areas that are increasingly rare in North Dakota and that enhance wildlife security.
BCA understands and respects the importance of allowing ranchers with grazing leases to maintain vehicle access to necessary areas for managing their livelihood. We support a system that ensures ranchers’ needs are met while closing unnecessary roads that fragment habitat and disturb wildlife.
4. “Access To, Not Access Through” Public Lands
BCA supports an approach to public land management that emphasizes “access to, not access through.” The principle ensures multi-use groups can reach and enjoy these lands, but without compromising their ecological integrity. North Dakota wildlife habitat is essential to our way of life, and opportunities for quiet, non-motorized recreation, and we believe these values should be prioritized over expanding motorized road access.
5. Improved Signage for Roads Leading to State Trust Lands
One of our concerns is the potential for recreationists and sportsmen to unknowingly violate State Trust Land rules due to insufficient signage. To avoid such situations, BCA would like to see the US Forest Service and State Trust Lands Department work together to improve signage on roads that lead into State Trust Lands. Clear identification of open and closed roads would help inform the public and reduce unintentional infractions that ultimately could lead to the creation of additional two track roads. Engaging user groups to assist with posting signage could be considered.
6. Ongoing Monitoring, Adaptive Management and Public Collaboration & Outreach
Lastly, BCA encourages the Forest Service to establish a framework for ongoing monitoring and adaptive management of the Travel Management plan. This will ensure the Plan can respond to changing conditions and new conservation challenges over time such as increased traffic from the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library once open in July of 2026, or if/when a reservation system to visit Theodore Roosevelt National Park is implemented. Public outreach meetings similar to the recent open houses to discuss Travel Management could be considered to educate user groups and the public on OHV use, habitat protection, and to promote non-motorized recreation.
Badlands Conservation Alliance is willing to collaborate with the Forest Service to develop outreach initiatives and educational programs that foster greater understanding of the ecological value of the Dakota Prairie Grasslands.
In closing, BCA supports a Travel Management Plan that better strikes a balance between public access and the conservation of North Dakota’s unique western ND landscape. By closing superfluous roads and limiting unnecessary road construction, and prioritizing non-motorized recreation, we send a strong message that the Badlands and Little Missouri National Grasslands are open, accessible and enjoyable for future generations.
Thank you for considering BCA’s comments. We look forward to working together in the interest of preserving and protecting the Little Missouri National Grasslands and Badlands of western ND.
Sincerely,
Shannon Straight
Executive Director
Badlands Conservation Alliance
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