North DakotaParks&RecreationDepartment & RecreationDepartmentduring2002. and summarizesthemajoractivitiesofNorthDakotaParks This specialreportprovidesanoverviewofagencyfunctions

n n n n Year in reviewn n n n n n n

Completed flood damage repairs at Turtle River, Devils Lake. Hosted over 60 special park events. Assisted in fire-fighting efforts in southwestern . Lewis & Clark Bicentennial projects. Debut of Dakota Explorers children's program. Volunteer hours–32,099hours. expenditures). $47,222,939 ($41/visitor Direct economicimpact– 2002 Visitation-1,151,779. ing buildings assets–$30,058,189, includ- Value ofParkSystemfixed 17,002 totalacresmanaged. natural areas. sonal parksand5historicor 10 year-roundparks,7sea- State ParksDivision AT AGLANCE andinfrastructure.

Highlights of therelocationFEMAcost-shareprojects.Over$1.8millionworth completed. AtGrahamsIsland,a50-unitcampgroundwasfinished,thelast State ParkonDevilsLakeandTurtleRivernearArvillawas Williston. vation system.Thesystemismanagedbyaprivatetelemarketingfirmin vations, thehighestlevelsincedepartmentinstitutedacentralizedreser- Lake, aswellFt.AbrahamLincolnandLakeSakakawea. level since1995.AmajorfactorwasincreaseduseofstateparksonDevils state parksduringtheyear,upabout8percentfrom2002andhighest Major Accomplishments State ParksDivision FEMA FloodRecovery Centralized ReservationSystem Park visitation state visitorstoNorthDakota. at Ft.AbrahamLincolnhelped drawout-of- Stevenson, andtheAmerican LegacyExpo Ranch, CANDISCBike TouratFt. tivities suchastheBluegrass FestivalatCross with thesupportofcommunitygroups.Ac- 60 specialeventsduringthesummer,many Ready Mix&ConcreteProductsAssociation. State ParkwonanAwardofGrandPrizefromthe NorthDakota on flood-relatedrepairsatTurtleRiver. Woodland Lodge,wascompleted.Over$1.3million werespent ing in2000,thefinalproject,reconstructionof historicCCC the pastfiveyears.AtTurtleRiverStatePark,damagedbyflood- facilities andinfrastructurehavebeenrelocatedinthisparkover Special Events Bridge Award –An estimated1,151,779peoplevisitedNorthDakota's –Flood recoveryworkatbothGrahamsIsland –A bridgereplacementprojectatTurtleRiver –The parkshostedover cent fortheyear,comparedto2001.Based on campingpermits,61percentofpark visitors werefromNorthDakota;32per- travel safetyandbordercrossings. cent wereout-of-statetourists;and7per- cent wereCanadians.Useofparksbyour from lastyear,fueledbyconcernsabout Canadian neighborswasdown1percent Campsite use –4,311 peoplemadecampsitereser- 2002 –Campsite userose8per- Raptor Program,Lake Metigoshe StatePark u Wildfire Emergency–In response to a request by Governor John Hoeven, ten park employees and park equipment were reassigned to south- western North Dakota to assist with firefighting efforts. Year-round State Parks Lewis & Clark Bicentennial Projects–In preparation for the upcom- Cross Ranch, Center ing bicentennial celebration, outdoor amphitheatre projection buildings were constructed and equipped at the three state parks on Lake Sakakawea. In Ft. Abraham Lincoln, Mandan addition, a second campground at Lake Sakakawea State Park was reno- vated with new water and electrical service. Water service at the Ft. Abraham Ft. Ransom, Ft. Ransom Lincoln State Park campground was also renovated, and construction of a new comfort station got underway. Ft. Stevenson, Garrison Volunteers–Volunteers worked an estimated 32,099 hours during the Grahams Island, Devils Lake year, including Campground Hosts, individuals and park support groups. Their efforts had an estimated value of over $200,000 to the park system. Some Icelandic, Cavalier of the projects made possible through volunteer support include the con- struction of new corrals at Little Missouri State Park; special events such as Lake Metigoshe, Bottineau the Bluegrass Festival at Cross Ranch, Sodbuster Days at Ft. Ransom and Lake Sakakawea, Pick City Ft. Stevenson's Beach Party, staffing and exhibits at 's Pioneer Heritage Center, and trail construction and maintenance projects at Lewis & Clark, Williston Turtle River and Ft. Ransom state parks. On-A-Slant Village–Exhibits interpreting the Mandan lifestyle were in- Turtle River, Arvilla stalled in the earthlodges at Ft. Abraham Lincoln State Park. Park historians Seasonal Park & Rec Areas implemented a new guided walking tour of the village. A fifth earthlodge Beaver Lake, Napoleon was constructed this past fall and will display information and exhibits on the archeology of this historic site. Black Tiger Bay, Devils Lake Ft. Stevenson Guardhouse–A replica of the original Ft. Stevenson Doyle Memorial, Wishek guardhouse was dedicated in June. Construction was funded by the Ft. Stevenson Foundation with a matching TEA-21 grant. Indian Hills, White Shield Cabins–A second log cabin was built at . At , three additional group cabins were renovated into Little Missouri, Killdeer duplex units. Nearly 5,000 people made use of cabin facilities, now avail- Shelvers Grove, Devils Lake able in nine state parks. Beaver Lake State Park–The division resumed direct operation of Bea- Sully Creek, Medora ver Lake State Park near Napoleon, hiring a seasonal ranger and staff to bring the facility up to system standards. The park had been managed under Historic/Natural Areas a concessionnaire lease agreement for the past four years. Butte St. Paul, Bottineau Education–The division continued with its goal of enhancing educa- Crow Flies High, New Town tional opportunities in state parks with the introduction of the new Dakota Explorers Program. This hands-on children's program, offered in all parks, Elmwood Historic Home, Grafton helps foster a greater appreciation for North Dakota's historical, cultural and natural resources. Head of the Mountain Nature Preserve, Rutland Sunne Historic House–Work began on renovating the his- toric Sunne House at Ft. Ransom State Park. The Sentinel Butte Nature Preserve, Sentinel Butte house will be used for the park's living history pro- gram, with an emphasis on homesteading life in the early 20th century.

Coulter Log Cabin, Cross Ranch State Park Water Levels–Low water levels on Lake Sakakawea continued to In addition to over 60 special impact use of both Ft. Stevenson events, state parks hold and Lewis and Clark state parks. At campfire and educational Ft. Stevenson, concerns about the programs. Left, Greg amount of water in the marina kept Brooks (Gilby, ND) and his over 70 percent of the boat slips raptor program delighted visitors at Lake Metigoshe from being used. The marina at State Park in July. Lewis and Clark State Park was closed for the year, due both to low water and siltation. In contrast, boat- ers headed for Lake Sakakawea State Park, where access to the lake re- mains good. Administration Building–The staff at Lake Sakakawea State Park Historic Woodland Lodge at moved into a new administration Turtle River State Park, building this past spring. Located near damaged during flooding in the park entrance road and visitor 2000, was dismantled and contact station, the building provides reconstructed on higher ground. better opportunities for visitor ser- vices, fee collection and safety for entrance station workers. The move also provided the opportunity for the maina concessionnaire to take over the entire concession building to en- large his operation. Pembina County Museum– The new Pembina County Museum near Cavalier was completed and a ribbon-cutting ceremony held. The Exhibits interpreting the Mandan lifestyle were completed in the On-A-Slant Indian museum is located on state park land Village earthlodges at Ft. Abraham Lincoln just south of Icelandic State Park's State Park. main entrance. This project is an ex- ample of joint state/local coopera- tion to bring tourism to the area. Playground Equipment–Using a federal matching grant, playground structures were installed at Ft. Abraham Lincoln, Cross Ranch, Lake Metigoshe, Icelandic, Ft. Ran- som and Grahams Island state parks. Park staff and equipment were assigned to southwest North Dakota to assist in fighting wildfires caused by extreme dry conditions.

Guardhouse, Ft. Stevenson State Park Thistle, anoxiousweed n n n n n Natural ResourcesDivision Conservation education Land stewardship Heritage Inventory Nature preserves&Natural Natural resourceplanning. major constructionprojects. Park maintenanceand AT AGLANCE Planning & lets forthechildren'sDakotaExplorerProgram,and thedistributionofcon- bution ofplantchecklistsforallmajorparks,development ofactivitybook- areas atLakeSakakaweaandFt.StevensonState Park. out nativespecies,isbeingremovedmechanically fromthepark. continued atFt.RansomStatePark.Buckthorn,an exoticshrubthatcrowds noxious weednewtoNorthDakota.Inaddition,abuckthornremovalproject parks, andCrowFliesHighIndianHillsweresurveyedforsaltcedar,a shorelines ofLewisandClark,LakeSakakaweaFt.Stevensonstate Lake andIndianHills.The conducted atElmwood,Stormy In addition,weedsurveyswere ious weedsonstateparklands. ongoing projecttocontrolnox- treated in2002aspartofan acres ofnoxiousweedswere ing &Control visitors. StaffservesonthestateGISHUBTeam. map brochures,whichwillenhancerecreationaluseofstateparktrailsby through thefederalRecreationTrailsProgram,willbeincorporatedintotrail tions andstateparktrailsystems.Themappingdatacollection,funded was collectedtocreatemapsofnoxiousweedinfestations,rarespeciesloca- Major Accomplishments Planning &NaturalResourcesDivision servation trunksandfilmstoparksforuseinvisitor education. Education &Outreach Prairie Restoration Noxious WeedMonitor- Construction activities tabase system. Information isenteredinto thedepartment'sbiologicalconservationda- plant communitysurveywork continuedinGriggsandNelsoncounties. funding fromtheU.S.Fish &WildlifeService.EPA-fundedecological orchid monitoringproject intheSheyenneNationalGrasslands,with Nature PreservesAct agers inmakingdecisionstoensureappropriateparkstewardship. plans areworkingdocumentsthatprovideguidancetoparkman- part ofanongoingprocesstodevelopplansforallstateparks.The agement planwasdevelopedforFt.AbrahamLincolnStatePark, ter. damage repairattheFt.AbrahamLincolnStateParkVisitorCen- efficiency buildingprojectsatLakeMetigosheStatePark,andflood admininistration buildingatLakeSakakaweaStatePark,energy at DevilsLakeandTurtleRiverStateParks,constructionofan critical projectscompletedincludedFEMAfloodrecovery staff, departmentcarpentersandparkpersonnel.Someofthemore pervision andmanagementoftheprojectssharingbyplanning projects werecompletedinthestateparksduring2002,withsu- GPS &GISTechnology Resource ManagementPlanning –Over 572 –Long-term projectscontinuedonrestoringprairie –Over 50cyclic,generaloremergencyrepair –Projects includedthedevelopmentanddistri- –The divisioncontinued itsprairiefringed

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Flood Recovery Project Management . Natural Resource Management Plans.

Noxious weed control. –Using GISandGPStechnology,data GIS/GPS Support.

Highlights –A naturalresourceman- u Recreation & Grants Division Major Accomplishments SCORP–The 2003-08 State Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP) was compiled. The plan is a guide for managing and developing North Dakota's recreation needs and is used in the awarding of federal Land & Water Conser- Highlights vation Fund grants. The plan also looked at state trail needs. n SCORP Completed n Sheyenne Valley Declared National Scenic Byway. uLand & Water Conservation Fund– 29 n Nearly $2 million in federal recreation & trails grants awarded. communities were awarded matching grants from the federal Land & Water Conservation Fund for community outdoor recreation projects. North Dakota's share of the fund was $1.2 million. Communities receiving grants State Recreation Priorities included Watford City, Williston, Tioga, Crosby, Stanley, Bottineau, Mohall, Identified in SCORP Devils Lake, Cavalier, Walhalla, Grafton, Northwood, Horace, Ft. Ran- Land Acquisition som, Mapleton, Finley, Cooperstown, Valley City, Napoleon, Ashley, Sanborn, Beulah, Bismarck, Hazen, Dodge, Belfield, Regent and Mountrail Trails and Sheridan counties. The program also funded projects by the State Historical Society of North Dakota and in various state parks. Sports Courts

Recreational Trails Program–Over $625,000 was distributed to Playground & Picnic Areas communities and trail groups through the federal Recreational Trails Pro- gram for the development and maintenance of public motorized and non- Pools & Beaches motorized trails. Major projects undertaken by the division included the development and printing of a Little canoeing map. Golf Courses

State Snowmobile Trails Program–Lack of snow last winter ham- Sports Fields pered the opening of North Dakota's state snowmobile trails. The pro- gram, administered under a contract with Snowmobile North Dakota, Campgrounds encompasses over 3,600 miles of trails on public and leased private land. Support Facilities Scenic Byways Program–Two additional state sce- nic byways–the Standing Rock Historical Scenic Byway Historic Parks along Highways 24 and 1806 and the James River Scenic Byway and Backway near Lamoure–were designated dur- Recreation & Grants Division ing the year. The joint DOT/NDP&RD program recog- AT A GLANCE nizes highways and roadways which feature unique scenic, natural, historic, cultural, archeological and recreation quali- n Federal Recreation Grant ties. The routes are signed and shown on the official state Programs. highway map. n Snowmobile & All-Terrain National Scenic Byway Designation–The Sheyenne Vehicle Programs. River Valley State Scenic Byway and Backway was desig- n Scenic Byways Program. n Outdoor Recreation Plan- nated a National Scenic Byway. This 63-mile-long route in ning. southeastern North Dakota along the Sheyenne River was n Trails Coordination. the first state byway to apply for and receive national rec- n Prairie Rose State Games. ognition. Prairie Rose State Games–Nearly 3,500 state resi- dents participated in the 2002 Prairie Rose State Games, held in Fargo. The games return to Bismarck in 2003. This pro- The Maah Daah Hey gram is managed through a contract with the host city, with over- Trail is funded in part sight and direction from a board of directors and the department. through the Recre- ational Trails Program. Administrative Support Division Major Accomplishments Base Budget Research–Work continued on compiling base budget re- search. When completed, the research will provide a detailed look at the complexity of all state parks, staffing and operation needs and minimum park standards. Risk Management Audits–Risk audits were completed for Ft. Ran- som, Beaver Lake, Lake Metigoshe, Lewis and Clark, Doyle Memorial u and Crow Flies High. Information Technology–Pilot DSL (digital subscriber line) Highlights projects were initiated at Lake Sakakawea and Lewis and Clark state parks. DSL lines will improve information sharing between headquar- n Improved computer connectivity. n Parks promoted on the web. ters and the parks and eventually will allow the department to begin Base budget research. using e-commerce applications for campsite and facility reservations n Web Site Use–Nearly 90,000 people visited the department's public web site, www.NDparks.com, with a total of 1.1 million page “hits.” New features on the web site include application forms for the L&WCF, Recreational Trails Program and the Campground Host program. Recreation One-Stop–The depart- Administrative Division ment became one of the first state park AT A GLANCE systems to add its data to recreation.gov, a federal initiative to expand and improve n Information Technology. on-line access to government information n Accounting. and services. The initiative is developing n Personnel. a data exchange “architecture” so data can n Public Information. be exchanged seamlessly over the Internet. n Marketing & Promotion Marketing & Promotion–State resi- dents were encouraged to visit North Dakota's historic sites and state parks through a joint State Historical Soci- ety and Tourism Division ad campaign. In addition, staff promoted the state park system at both the Winnipeg and Bismarck winter sports shows, and helped fund a traveling display with MIND (Museums in ND). Public Information–In addition to more than 50 press releases and ar- ticles, nearly 30,000 state residents were sent the spring and winter issues of the department's Discover newspaper. The division also produced new full- color park brochures for Icelandic and Ft. Abraham Lincoln state parks. Awards–Henry Duray, Icelandic State Park manager, was awarded the department's Cal Renner Award of Excellence. The award, the department's highest honor, recognizes individuals whose ef- North Dakota Parks & forts have contributed to the mission of the ND Recreation Department Parks & Recreation Department. 1835 Bismarck Expressway Bismarck, ND 58503 Twelve seasonal employees were recognized Ph. 701-328-5357 for their long-term employment. Special merit Fax 701-328-5363 awards were presented to former Theodore [email protected] Roosevelt National Park Superintendent Noel Poe, www.ndparks.com for his work in enhancing interagency coopera- tion, and to Ron Luethe for enhancing mountain biking opportunities in North Dakota.