A Letter from the Executive Director
Badlands Conservation Alliance’s 2024 annual meeting was held in Bismarck at the Bismarck Veterans Memorial Public Library on Saturday, November 16th. The event celebrated BCA’s 25th anniversary and featured speaker Michael Barthelemy, Director of Native American Studies at Nueta-Hidatsa-Sahnish College. Photo by Shawna Schill.
A Letter from the Executive Director
I work for you, the BCA membership. As the Executive Director of BCA, I understand the extremely strong headwinds, not just against the preservation and conservation of the Badlands and grasslands, but also to grow our small nonprofit through member donors, and to secure sustainable funding. Our work to benefit the Badlands landscape is the toughest job I’ve ever done.
Resource Management Plan
For the past year, BCA has tracked changes to the Bureau of Land Management Natural Resource Management Plan that would force oil and gas companies to have stronger bonding requirements to drill for oil and gas. Why is this important? Because in 2020, North Dakota spent more than $30 million of Covid relief funds to clean up and cap orphaned oil wells.
Even in boom times, when we have a tremendous amount of oil and gas revenue in North Dakota’s Legacy Fund—currently over $10 billion—companies are not held accountable. If North Dakota is not setting aside a portion of the Legacy Fund for cleanup efforts, what will happen when the revenue goes away? North Dakota taxpayers will be asked to foot the cleanup bill and federal dollars probably won’t be available.
Unless we can make a change, future generations will be forced to address today’s bad decisions.
Reclamation
BCA is going to learn more about reclamation efforts and monies set aside for oil and gas cleanup. In late January 2025, I met with Little Missouri National Grassland Forest Service staff to better understand their reclamation work and issues addressing the cleanup left behind by the oil and gas industry. In March 2025, BCA will attend an upcoming reclamation conference in Watford City, ND.
BCA must be proactive for the restoration of the landscape we’re passionate to conserve and protect.
Public Lands Rule
The Bureau of Land Management proposed a rule change that would have elevated conservation as an acceptable use like extractive industries such as oil and gas or grazing on public land. BCA joined the Western Environmental Law Center to defend the federal government’s Public Lands Rule change.
The State of North Dakota sued the federal government to stop the change. Now, the Trump Administration is in office and former North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum will lead the Interior Department that oversees BLM. The Public Lands Rule change will probably go away, much like the additional bonding requirements for oil and gas companies. These issues matter to you and me.
Maah Daah Hey National Monument
Throughout 2024, BCA, along with our coalition partners, advanced the Maah Daah Hey National Monument to preserve and protect the Badlands and grasslands of western North Dakota. This work was done collaboratively, but out of the public eye. Today, BCA is better known for what we stand ‘for.’
Recently, I attended a Billings County Commission meeting to defend the monument proposal. In doing so, I opened some eyes and challenged preconceived notions of who BCA is working to benefit. Numerous people have told me that they appreciate what BCA is attempting to do, but won’t stand up in support or stand next to me at public meetings. This is our local challenge.
Celebrating the launch of the Maah Daah Hey National Monument campaign on Nov. 22, 2024 at the North Dakota Heritage Center. Back row, from left: Michael Barthelemy (Director of Native American Studies at Nueta, Hidatsa, Sahnish College), John Bradley (North Dakota Wildlife Federation Exec. Dir.), Shannon Straight (BCA Exec. Dir.); front row, from left: Walter DeVille, North Dakota state Rep. Lisa Finley-DeVille, Nicole Donaghy (North Dakota Native Vote Exec. Dir.), Scott Skokos (Dakota Resource Council Exec. Dir.).
Federal Impacts
BCA is monitoring the federal actions that will greatly impact Theodore Roosevelt National Park and the Little Missouri National Grassland, as well as the impacts and threats to our public lands of western North Dakota. A federal hiring freeze is in effect and firings of staff at both Theodore Roosevelt National Park and the Forest Service will impact your experience this summer.
Currently, we know of two firings of Theodore Roosevelt National Park rangers. Before the firings, BCA was aware that the seasonal campgrounds could potentially be closed for the summer, and that seasonal hires were most certainly going to be eliminated.
As sad as this is for some of us, others rejoice and loathe the Forest Service, National Park Service, and federal government in general. They feel their land was taken to create the Theodore Roosevelt National Park or Little Missouri National Grassland. This has struck me because they didn’t show the same outrage or support for our indigenous partners as we publicly advocated for their ancestral land through the Maah Daah Hey National Monument Proposal.
I personally want to thank all of you for your support during our national monument campaign. Our coalition partners couldn’t get the monument created. Still, BCA is focused on being proactive to solutions during these uncertain times.
Collaboration with the National Park Service and Forest Service
BCA has strengthened relationships with National Park Service and Forest Service staff, and we’re committed to collaboration.
Alongside the Maah Daah Hey Trail Association, BCA has been working with Theodore Roosevelt National Park to establish and plan community service trail improvement projects on the Maah Daah Hey Trail within the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park on National Trails Day, June 7th, 2025. We await word from our friends at Theodore Roosevelt National Park to see if this is still possible.
Simultaneously, four Little Missouri National Grassland Forest Service staffers have been fired. Still, BCA is working with Little Missouri National Grassland Forest Service staff to coordinate summer 2025 trail repair projects on both the Maah Daah Hey and Cottonwood Trails. BCA has bigger visions and needs your continued involvement and support.
Badlands Conservation Corps
BCA has hired an Americorps volunteer coordinator through Strengthen ND to create the Badlands Conservation Corps (BCC).
The BCC crew will work with our federal partners to address the growing needs in western North Dakota—such as deferred trail repair projects—and to collaborate with our conservation partners to work on short-term conservation projects in the Badlands and on the Little Missouri National Grassland. One such project could be removing older barbed wire fence to be replaced with a smoother fence that allows for greater wildlife migration in McKenzie County on private ranch lands.
This conservation corps will be geared towards North Dakota residents aged 18 to 22, and whose living allowance will be paid by Americorps. At the end of either a two- or three-month term of service, the Americorps member will earn an educational award. Please join us for these initial service projects in the Badlands and on the grasslands in 2025!
BCA is also inviting you to join us as we hike North Dakota’s highest point, White Butte, on Saturday, April 26th to celebrate Earth Day.
Celebrating Earth Day 2024 on the Maah Daah Hey Trail. Photo by Spring Bakke.
Your Voice Matters
Finally, BCA will continue to monitor the various threats from oil and gas development, air quality issues around Theodore Roosevelt National Park, water extraction from the Little Missouri Scenic River, and the potential of rare earth mineral mining. You as BCA members are more critical than ever. Your voice matters and this is the time to stand and have it heard!
I’d like to personally thank outgoing BCA Board of Directors member, Laura Anhalt. Laura’s energy and passion will be missed.
Brandy Chaffee brings similar passion and energy to the BCA Board. Thanks also to Jennifer Morlock, Dakota Cyclery in Medora, for joining the BCA Board. Jennifer is on the ground in the Badlands and her insights and perspective are critical to our work and relationship building.
The Maah Daah Hey National Monument wasn’t created by President Biden, but will forever be a great idea for future generations of North Dakotans. I stand proud of BCA and I’m grateful for having been a part of this historic work. I hope you’re proud to be a member of BCA and I encourage you to ask friends or family members to consider joining the Badlands Conservation Alliance in 2025.
I’m grateful for your support and I’m always available for feedback.
With gratitude,
Shannon Straight
BCA Executive Director