Revision Reporter
Custer National Forest - Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest - Nebraska National Forest
July 1998
Volume 3, Number 2
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AMS is Full
of Facts
and Figures!
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Northern Great Plains national forest and grassland planning
has completed an important stop on the Road to
Revision. Most of the inventories, studies and assessments
to help describe the current resource conditions and uses
have been completed. The information has been summarized in a document called Analysis of the Management
Situation (AMS). This issue of the Revision Reporter
offers some key findings from the AMS.
What is the Analysis of the Management Situation (AMS)?
The AMS is a description of current resource conditions
and uses. The information in the AMS will serve as the baseline conditions (sometimes called “the affected environment”)
in the environmental impact statement. The environmental
impact statement will display the estimated effects on the
current resource conditions and uses as a result of various
management alternatives. The alternatives will include a range
of special area designations (Special Interest Areas, Research
Natural Areas, Wilderness recommendations, Wild and Scenic
River recommendations). Not all areas inventoried will be
included in all alternatives, depending on the theme of the
alternative.
Where did the information for the AMS come
from?
The information in the AMS has come from many sources,
including Forest Service records, monitoring reports, field
surveys, research, contractors, cooperators, and the public.
Inside
• AMS Findings
• Forest Service Web Page
• Planning Unit Contact List
• Update on Process
• Photos from North Dakota
Information Fairs
Revision Reporter
1
What role did the national grassland and forest districts have in gathering the information?
Much of the information came from the individual national grassland and forest districts. The Northern Great Plains
planning team coordinated the information and will perform the analysis, with extensive review by other Forest Service
employees before the public reviews the draft environmental impact statement.
There will be benefits from the information gathered in years to come. The information is useful not only in revising
the management plans but will also be useful in future project-level analyzes. Information will be available to do analysis, create maps, and assist decision making.
When will the draft environmental impact statement and proposed revised management plans be
available?
The draft environmental impact statement (EIS) and proposed revised management plans are due out early 1999. The
public will be invited to review the draft EIS and proposed revised management plans and offer their comments.
Here are
findings
Population Trends
Nineteen counties in the area making up the affected social
and economic area for the Northern Great Plains assessment estimated they had lost population between 1990 and
1996, most of them in eastern Montana, western North
Dakota, and western Nebraska. However, all five states in
the assessment area reported population gains during that
same period--from .7 percent in North Dakota to over 10
percent in Montana (mostly in the mountainous regions).
Public Views
People regard a healthy natural environment as a prominent management goal. Most people agree that grazing can
benefit grassland health; however, ideas differ on the
intensity and methods. Many people believe grazing
should not occur to the detriment of natural resources.
Most people see multiple use as fundamental to Forest
Service management.
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some AMS
Economic Dependency and
Diversity
Livestock grazing, minerals, oil and gas, and recreation on
Northern Great Plains national grasslands and forests are
important to local economies.
A little over 1 percent of the five Northern Great Plains
states’ economy depends on range-fed cattle. Livestock
grazing on the national grassland and forest units accounts
for between 1 to 6 percent of employment linked to
range-fed cattle grazing in 8 counties in the economic
affected area for the Northern Great Plains assessment.
While the livestock grazing on the national grassland and
forest units accounts for less than 1 percent of the employment linked to range-fed cattle in the other counties, it
is important to those people and communities affected.
Employment related to minerals, oil and gas industries was
less than that related to livestock grazing, but income was
much greater.
Livestock Grazing
The Northern Great Plains planning units provide
1,181,000 animal unit months of permitted grazing.
Between 82 and 100 percent of the individual planning
units are physically capable of supporting livestock
grazing.
Custer National Forest Units
Cedar River National Grassland
100% capable
Grand River National Grassland
97% capable
Little Missouri National Grassland/
McKenzie
85% capable
Medora
82% capable
Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest Unit
Thunder Basin National Grassland
91% capable
Nebraska National Forest Units
Bessey District
90% capable
Samuel R. McKelvie National Forest
98% capable
Buffalo Gap National Grassland/
Fall River
98% capable
Wall
90% capable
Fort Pierre National Grassland
98% capable
Pine Ridge District/
Oglala National Grassland
85% capable
Oil and Gas
All of the units in the planning area are available for oil
and gas leasing except for 24,931 acres on the Little
Missouri National Grassland (Custer National Forest) and
14, 353 acres on the Pine Ridge District (Nebraska
National Forest). In 1995, there were over 860 producing
oil and gas wells on the planning units.
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The diversity of the economy in 19 counties in the
affected economic area for the Northern Great Plains
assessment was in a downward trend between 1990-93.
Generally, Nebraska and Wyoming counties were up, and
South Dakota, North Dakota, and Montana counties were
down.
Recreation and
Travel Management
An average of 567,600 recreation visitor days occur
annually on the planning units. The combined developed
recreation facilities on the planning units have the capacity
to accommodate 2,120 people at one time. About 4,600
miles of Forest Service roads occur within the planning
area.
Inventoried
Roadless Areas
A total of 33 areas, about 315,000 acres, were identified
as roadless. These areas will be evaluated for Wilderness
capability. A range of Wilderness recommendations will
be considered in the draft environmental impact statement.
Custer National Forest Units
Medicine Bow-Routt
National Forest Unit
Nebraska National Forest Units
25 areas
240,100 acres
3 areas
5 areas
22,400 acres
52,900 acres
Wild and Scenic Rivers
Five rivers and streams are potentially eligible for
inclusion into the National Wild and Scenic River
System. A total of 25,081 acres of National
Forest System lands are within the eligible river
corridors. A range of Wild and Scenic River
recommendations will be considered in the draft
environmental impact statement.
Custer National Forest Units
Little Missouri River
Sheyenne River
Nebraska National Forest Units
Middle Loop River
Cheyenne River
Rapid Creek
20,710 acres
620 acres
151 acres
3,080 acres
520 acres
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Fifty areas, or about 208,000 acres, have been identified
as potential special interest areas. These areas with
unusual characteristics are managed to protect or enhance
them, and, where appropriate, develop and interpret for
public education and recreation. A range of Special
Interest Area designations will be considered in the draft
environmental impact statement.
Custer National Forest Units
Medicine Bow-Routt
National Forest Unit
Nebraska National Forest Units
19 areas
14,500 acres
3 areas
33 areas
11,600 acres
181,900 acres
Research Natural Areas
Nineteen areas, totalling 31,700 acres, are nominated for
inclusion in the national network of ecological areas.
Research Natural Areas are permanently protected for the
purposes of maintaining biological diversity, conducting
nonmanipulative research, monitoring to determine the
effects of management on similar ecosystems, and fostering education. A range of Research Natural Area designations will be considered in the draft environmental impact
statement.
Custer National Forest Units
Medicine Bow-Routt
National Forest Unit
Nebraska National Forest Units
10 areas
22,400 acres
3 areas
6 areas
1,900 acres
7,400 acres
Noxious Weeds and
Exotic Plants
Canada and musk thistle, leafy spurge, and
spotted knapweed are just some of the noxious
weeds replacing native plants on public and
private lands in the Northern Great Plains.
Leafy spurge is of great concern, with infestation levels as
high as 16 percent on the Sheyenne National Grassland.
Exotic plants are also invading rangelands, such as smooth
brome, downy brome, Kentucky bluegrass, resulting in
losses of quality livestock forage and wildlife habitat.
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Special Interest Areas
Intact Natural
Grassland Areas
Through a partnership with The Nature Conservancy
(TNC), TNC commissioned Augustana College and
Hughes STX Corporation, both in Sioux Falls, SD, to
delineate all “intact” natural grassland areas larger than 50
square miles in the U.S. Northern Great Plains and to make
a visual assessment of the composition, integrity and
quality. Three levels of quality (high, moderate and low)
were assigned based on observed historic or current landuse management. The following broadscale findings were
taken from interpretations of the Northern Great Plains
Steppe Assessment Map.
• Few large grassland landscapes--areas greater than 50
square miles of non-intensively managed grasslands-exist in the eastern half of the Northern Great Plains.
The Sheyenne National Grassland is one of the few
remaining and is considered to be of moderate quality.
Generally, native grasslands in the eastern half of the
Northern Great Plains are small “postage stamp”
prairies.
• In North Dakota, the Little Missouri National Grassland
and the Theodore Roosevelt National Park represent
the largest intact natural grassland areas in the state.
Large grassland patches north of this area, including the
Northern Great Plains area in Canada, are not present
due to small-grain farming.
• In South Dakota, the Missouri River is the dividing line
between two major land-use practices--cropping in the
east and livestock grazing in the west. About one-third
of all high-quality grassland landscapes in the Northern
Great Plains exist in western South Dakota.
• Nebraska’s high-quality grassland landscapes exist in the
Sandhills region. East of the Sandhills, cropping practices are common, while livestock grazing predominates
to the west.
• While Wyoming has the fewest grassland landscapes in
the Northern Great Plains, it also has the largest,
approximately 11,600 square miles of good quality with
90 percent of it in grass and shrubland. The Thunder
Basin National Grassland lies within this landscape.
Rangeland and
Forest Hydrology
Vegetation Composition
and Structure
Rangeland professionals generally agree
that these grasslands are in better
condition today than at the turn of the
century--when unregulated grazing and drought caused
extensive rangeland degradation. However, improvement
may still be needed. While rangeland management in the
past focused on forage production, achieving forage for
livestock may not be consistent with the desired future
conditions for the rangelands.
Although riparian and wooded draw conditionshave
improved in many areas on the planning units, trees and
shrubs are not regenerating in a lot of areas.
High-structure grasslands (dense, high grass that is left
after the growing season), which are important to diversity,
are scarce on some planning units.
Numerous impaired rivers flow through National Forest
System units in the planning area, as classified by the
Environmental Protection Agency and associated state
reports.
Black-tailed Prairie Dog
Colonies
Black-tailed prairie dog ecosystems have
been substantially reduced on most National
Forest System units.
Less poisoning of black-tailed prairie dogs on National
Forest System lands over the last several years has
reversed the overall downward trend of prairie dog
populations on the planning units.
Livestock grazing management has reduced grassland
structural diversity (short, medium, and high) of some
planning units, while it has increased it on others.
Species at Risk
Forest Health
Reductions in fires have resulted in large areas of ponderosa pine and rocky mountain juniper savannah converting
to thick coniferous forests and have also created unnaturally high fuel loads.
National grasslands and forests in the planning area can
play significant roles in the conservation and restoration of
numerous species at risk.
Black-footed ferrets have been reintroduced on the
Buffalo Gap National Grassland (Wall Ranger District) and
are being evaluated for possible reintroduction on Thunder
Basin National Grassland.
There are several species at risk associated with prairie dog
colonies, high-structure grasslands, or riparian and wetland
habitats.
Check out the
Forest Service
Web Page
If you haven't already, take a look at the
Forest Service Web Page.
http://www.fs.fed.us/
The page contains information
on many of the national forests
and grasslands, as well as
national news, issues and
activities. Northern Great Plains
planning has an entry under the
Forest Service homepage that
can be reached by clicking on
"LINKS" , then clicking on the
Northern Great Plains entry
under the Region 2 list (Rocky
Mountain Region), or accessing it
directly by typing in
http://www.fs.fed.us/
ngp/
We've recently discovered a
problem with our electronic
response form, which we hope to
fix soon. Thank you for your
patience.
Revision Reporter
5
Where do we go
from here?
The next stop is the draft EIS--draft
environmental impact statement--that
is. The information in the Analysis of
the Management Situation will be
used to describe current resource
conditions and uses and form the
"affected environment" in the draft
EIS.
The Forest Service will examine
several management approaches,
called "alternatives" in the draft
EIS. The physical, biological,
social, and economic effects and
trade-offs associated with the
alternatives will be estimated and
displayed in the draft EIS.
When do we
get there?
One of the alternatives described in the draft EIS will be identified as the Forest Service's "preferred" alternative. That
alternative will form the basis for the "proposed" revised
management plans.
These documents are called "draft" and "proposed"
because you and others will have the chance to review
them, ask questions and offer comments about the
analysis before they become final. The next stop
on the Road to Revision (release of the "draft" EIS
and "proposed" revised management plans)
is scheduled for early in 1999.
Final Environmental Impact Statement
and revised Management Plans
Planning Unit Contact List
Custer National Forest Units:
Supervisor’s Office
1310MainStreet
POBox50760
Billings,MT 59105
Telephone: (406)248-9885
FAX: (406)248-3302
North Dakota Coordinator
1511EastInterstateAvenue
Bismarck,ND58501
Telephone: (701)250-4443
FAX: (701)250-4454
Grand River National Grassland
PO Box 390
Lemmon,SD57638
Telephone: (605)374-3592
FAX: (605)374-5575
McKenzie Ranger District
HC02,Box8
WatfordCity,ND 58854
Telephone: (701)842-2393
FAX: (701)842-3008
Medora Ranger District
16121stStreetWest
Dickinson,ND58601
Telephone: (701)225-5151
FAX: (701)225-8634
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Sheyenne Ranger District
700MainStreet
Lisbon,ND58054
Telephone: (701)683-4342
FAX: (701)683-5779
Medicine Bow-Routt National
Forest Units:
Supervisor's Office
2468JacksonStreet
LaramieWY 82070
Telephone: (307)745-2300
FAX: (307)745-2398
Thunder Basin National Grassland
2250EastRichardsStreet
Douglas,WY 82633
Telephone: (307)358-4690
FAX: (307)358-1616
Nebraska National Forest Units:
Supervisor's Office
125NorthMainStreet
Chadron,NE 69337
Telephone: (308)432-0300
FAX: (308)432-0319
Bessey Ranger District/Nursery
StateSpur86B,Box39
Halsey,NE69142-0039
Telephone: (308)533-2257
FAX: (308)533-2213
Fall River Ranger District
209NorthRiver
HotSprings,SD57747-1625
Telephone: (605)745-4107
FAX: (605)745-4179
Ft. Pierre National Grassland
124SouthEuclidAvenue
Box417
Pierre,SD 57501-0417
Telephone: (605)224-5517
FAX: (605)224-6517
Pine Ridge Ranger District
16524Highway385
Chadron,NE69337-7364
Telephone: (308)432-4475
FAX: (308)432-0375
Samuel R. McKelvie National Forest
HC74,Box10
Nenzel, NE 69219
Telephone: (402)823-4154
Wall Ranger District
708MainStreet
Box425
Wall,SD57790-0425
Telephone: (605)279-2125
FAX: (605)279-2725
photos from
North Dakota
information
fairs
Revision Reporter
7
Northern Great Plains Planning
Revising Management Plans
for the following units:
Custer National Forest Units
• Cedar River National Grassland
• Grand River National Grassland
• Little Missouri National Grassland
• Sheyenne National Grassland
Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest Unit
• Thunder Basin National Grassland
Nebraska National Forest Units
• Charles E. Bessey Tree Nursery
• Buffalo Gap National Grassland
• Fort Pierre National Grassland
• Nebraska National Forest
• Oglala National Grassland
• Samuel R. McKelvie National Forest
"The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all of its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender,
religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with
disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audio tapes, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET
Center at 202-720-2600 (Voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write the USDA, Director of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building,
14th and Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call (202) 720-5964 (Voice or TDD). USDA is an equal employment opportunity provider
and employer."
Return Service Requested
USDA Forest Service
125 North Main Street
Chadron, NE 69337
BULK RATE
POSTAGE & FEES PAID
Forest Service, USDA
Permit No. G-40
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