DOCSLIB.ORG

Chapter 3, District Resources and Description

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Chapter 3, District Resources and Description CHAPTER 3— District Resources and Description Bridgette Flanders-Wanner / USFWS / Bridgette Flanders-Wanner Grasslands in the Millerdale Waterfowl Production Area. The three wetland management districts manage smaller temporary and seasonal wetlands that draw thousands of noncontiguous tracts of Federal land breeding duck pairs to South Dakota and other parts totaling 1,136,965 acres: 100,094 acres of WPAs and of the Prairie Pothole Region. 1,036,871 acres of conservation easements. This chap­ ter describes the physical environment and biological CLIMATE CHANGE resources of these district lands, as well as fire and In January 2001, the Department of the Interior is­ grazing history, cultural resources, visitor services, sued Order 3226, requiring its Federal agencies with socioeconomic environment, and district operations. land management responsibilities to consider potential climate change effects as part of long-range planning endeavors. The U.S. Department of Energy’s report, “Carbon Sequestration Research and Development,” 3.1 Physical Environment concluded that ecosystem protection is important to carbon sequestration and may reduce or prevent loss The districts are located in central and eastern South of carbon currently stored in the terrestrial biosphere. Dakota from west of the Missouri River to the Minnesota The report defines carbon sequestration as “the capture state line, and from the North Dakota border roughly and secure storage of carbon that would otherwise be two-thirds of the way south to the state line of Nebraska. emitted to or remain in the atmosphere.” The increase The prairies of South Dakota have become an eco­ of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the earth’s atmosphere has logical treasure of biological importance for water­ been linked to the gradual rise in surface temperature fowl and other migratory birds. The prairie potholes commonly referred to as “global warming.” of the Dakotas support a wide diversity of wildlife, In the context of comprehensive conservation plan­ but they are most famous for their role in waterfowl ning for the districts, the strategies that manage and production. Although the Prairie Pothole Region oc­ increase grassland vegetation contribute to the se­ cupies only 10 percent of North America’s waterfowl questration of carbon, constituting a primary climate- breeding range, it produces approximately 50 percent related effect. Large, naturally occurring communities of the continent’s waterfowl population. Complexes of of plants and animals that occupy major landscapes wetlands scattered throughout the three districts at­ (for example, grasslands, forests, wetlands, tundra, tract breeding duck pairs. While semipermanent and and desert) are effective both in preventing carbon permanent wetlands provide brood-rearing habitat emission and in acting as biological “scrubbers” of and migratory stopover habitat, respectively, it is the atmospheric CO2. 28 Comprehensive Conservation Plan, South Dakota Wetland Management Districts One Service activity in particular—prescribed temperatures average 3.4°F in Mobridge and 2.9°F in burning—releases CO2 directly to the atmosphere Sioux Falls, while July maximum temperatures aver­ from the biomass consumed during combustion; yet age 85.4°F in Mobridge and 85.6°F in Sioux Falls. A it results in no net loss of carbon sequestration capac­ bigger difference is evident comparing southwest to ity because new vegetation quickly germinates and northeast. January minimum temperatures average sprouts to replace the consumed biomass. This veg­ 7.7°F in Pierre versus –0.5°F in Clear Lake, while etation sequesters an approximately equal amount July maximum temperatures average 89.2°F in Pierre of carbon as was lost through the prescribed burning compared to 81.6°F in Clear Lake. The record low (Dai et al. 2006). temperature in the three-district area was –48°F at Interestingly, the U.S. Environmental Protection Miller on January 12, 1912, while the record high was Agency’s (EPA’s) 1998 publication, “Climate Change 120°F at Gann Valley on July 5, 1936. in South Dakota” (EPA 236-F-98-007x) directly ad­ Normal annual precipitation (1971–2000) averaged dressed Service interests in the State: 24.69 inches in Sioux Falls in the southeast, decreas­ “Based on model projections, national wildlife refuges ing to 16.94 inches in Mobridge. Sioux Falls receives in South Dakota appear to be among the most vulner­ an average of 41 inches of snow per year. able in the United States to changes in climate. The region’s national wildlife refuges and prairie pothole PHYSIOGRAPHY, GEOGRAPHY, AND SOILS systems appear to be especially sensitive to changes Physiography in precipitation and temperature. Sixty percent of the Because districts cover such a large geographic area, annual variation in the number of these wetlands can the physical environment and biological resources are be explained by year-to-year changes in temperature described here in the context of level III and level IV and precipitation. Smaller wetlands may be particu­ physiographic regions (Bryce et al. 1996). Four physio­ larly vulnerable to climate change. Projections show graphic regions (ecoregions) occur in the three-district that warmer annual temperatures affect wetlands by area: Northwestern Glaciated Plains, Northwestern reducing open water and increasing vegetation cover, Great Plains, Northern Glaciated Plains, and Western independent of precipitation. Rising temperatures, if Cornbelt Plains (figure 8). continued for several years, may decrease breeding Level III ecoregions are distinguished by patterns bird density and diversity in this critically important of biotic and abiotic phenomena: vegetation, climate, waterfowl habitat. Major additional threats to eco­ soils, land use, wildlife use, and hydrology. Local bi­ systems include habitat loss and species extinction, otic and abiotic factors are used to further subdivide increased fire frequency, and increased vulnerability the level III ecoregions into level IV ecoregions—the to invasive plant and insect species.” finest level in the hierarchy (Bryce et al. 1996). The The three wetland management districts, through descriptions below of the ecoregions that constitute the Small Wetlands Acquisition Program in South the three-district area are adapted from “Ecoregions Dakota, contribute to the protection and sustenance of North Dakota and South Dakota” (USGS 2006). of migratory and resident wildlife populations by re­ storing and conserving native grassland and wetland Northwestern Glaciated Plains—Ecoregion 42 (Level III) habitats throughout northeastern South Dakota. This Portions of the Huron and Sand Lake WMDs are in preservation of grassland vegetation helps to sequester this ecoregion. The Northwestern Glaciated Plains carbon and reduce the levels of greenhouse gases in ecoregion marks the westernmost extent of continen­ the atmosphere. Such endeavors, together with other tal glaciation. The youthful morainal (ridges of rock Service conservation efforts in South Dakota (such as debris at the margins of glaciers) landscape has sig­ the Dakota Grassland Land Protection Plan), as well nificant surface irregularity and high concentrations as the creation of land conservation cooperatives by of wetlands. The rise in elevation along the eastern the Department, inevitably lead to the trapping of boundary defines the beginning of the Great Plains. carbon that would otherwise combine with other at­ Land use is transitional between the intensive dry- mospheric gases thought to be causing a greenhouse land farming in the level IV Drift Plains ecoregion to effect and consequently leading to possible acceler­ the east and the predominance of cattle ranching and ated climatic changes. farming in the Northwestern Great Plains ecoregion to the west. CLIMATE South Dakota’s interior continental climate exhibits Missouri Coteau—Ecoregion 42a (Level IV) an extreme range of temperatures between summer Like closely spaced ocean swells, the rolling mounds and winter, common high winds, and cyclic wet/dry of the Missouri Coteau enclose countless wetland de­ periods. Normal temperatures (1971–2000) vary sur­ pressions, or potholes. During its slow retreat, the prisingly little between the northwest and southeast Wisconsinan glacier stalled at the Missouri escarp­ corners of the three-district area. January minimum ment for thousands of years, melting slowly beneath a 29 CHAPTER 3—District Resources and Description Figure 8. Draft Level III and IV Ecoregions of South Dakota. 30 Comprehensive Conservation Plan, South Dakota Wetland Management Districts mantle of sediment to create the characteristic pothole Missouri Plateau—Ecoregion 43a (Level IV) topography of the coteau. The wetlands of the Missouri The Missouri Plateau typifies the “wide open spaces” Coteau and the neighboring Prairie Pothole Region of the American West. The topography was largely contain the majority of the WPAs in North America. unaffected by glaciations, retaining its original soils Land use on the coteau is a mixture of tilled agricul­ and complex stream drainage pattern. The historic ture in flatter areas and grazing on steeper slopes. shortgrass prairie is now a mosaic of wheat, alfalfa, and grazing land. Missouri Coteau Slope—Ecoregion 42c (Level IV) The Missouri Coteau Slope ecoregion declines in el­ River Breaks—Ecoregion 43c (Level IV) evation from the Missouri Coteau ecoregion to the The River Breaks form broken terraces and uplands Missouri River. Unlike the Missouri Coteau ecoregion,
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Pleistocene Geology of Eastern South Dakota
    Pleistocene Geology of Eastern South Dakota GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 262 Pleistocene Geology of Eastern South Dakota By RICHARD FOSTER FLINT GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 262 Prepared as part of the program of the Department of the Interior *Jfor the development-L of*J the Missouri River basin UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1955 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Douglas McKay, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY W. E. Wrather, Director For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office Washington 25, D. C. - Price $3 (paper cover) CONTENTS Page Page Abstract_ _ _____-_-_________________--_--____---__ 1 Pre- Wisconsin nonglacial deposits, ______________ 41 Scope and purpose of study._________________________ 2 Stratigraphic sequence in Nebraska and Iowa_ 42 Field work and acknowledgments._______-_____-_----_ 3 Stream deposits. _____________________ 42 Earlier studies____________________________________ 4 Loess sheets _ _ ______________________ 43 Geography.________________________________________ 5 Weathering profiles. __________________ 44 Topography and drainage______________________ 5 Stream deposits in South Dakota ___________ 45 Minnesota River-Red River lowland. _________ 5 Sand and gravel- _____________________ 45 Coteau des Prairies.________________________ 6 Distribution and thickness. ________ 45 Surface expression._____________________ 6 Physical character. _______________ 45 General geology._______________________ 7 Description by localities ___________ 46 Subdivisions. ________-___--_-_-_-______ 9 Conditions of deposition ___________ 50 James River lowland.__________-__-___-_--__ 9 Age and correlation_______________ 51 General features._________-____--_-__-__ 9 Clayey silt. __________________________ 52 Lake Dakota plain____________________ 10 Loveland loess in South Dakota. ___________ 52 James River highlands...-------.-.---.- 11 Weathering profiles and buried soils. ________ 53 Coteau du Missouri..___________--_-_-__-___ 12 Synthesis of pre- Wisconsin stratigraphy.
    [Show full text]
  • Earth Sciences: Two-Ice-Lobe Model for Kansan Glaciation James S
    University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies 1982 Earth Sciences: Two-Ice-Lobe Model For Kansan Glaciation James S. Aber Emporia State University Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/tnas Aber, James S., "Earth Sciences: Two-Ice-Lobe Model For Kansan Glaciation" (1982). Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies. 490. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/tnas/490 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Nebraska Academy of Sciences at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. 1982. Transactions a/the Nebraska Academy a/Sciences, X:25-29. EARTH SCIENCES TWO-ICE-LOBE MODEL FOR KANSAN GLACIATION James S. Aber Geoscience Department Emporia State University Emporia, Kansas 66801 The Kansan glaciation should be representative of Early Pleisto­ western source area, the so-called Keewatin Center, in the cene glaciations in the Kansas-Nebraska-Iowa-Missouri region. It is region west of Hudson Bay. Frye and Leonard (1952: 11) often assumed the Kansan ice-sheet advanced as a single, broad lobe supported this concept on the basis of distribution of the coming from somewhere in Canada. This simple view contrasts with the known complexities of the younger Wisconsin glaciation, and indeed Sioux Quartzite, a common erratic derived mainly from east­ there is much evidence that the Kansan glaciation was equally complex.
    [Show full text]
  • A Preliminary Survey of the Bird Life of North Dakota
    UNIVERSITY OP MICHIGAN MUSEUM OF ZOOLOGY Miscellaneous Publications No. 10 A Preliminary Survey of the Bird Life of North Dakota BY NORMAN A. WOOD ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN PUBLISHED BY THE UNIVERSITY JULY 2, 1923 OUTLINE MAP OF NORTH DAKOTA UNIVERSI'rY OF hlICHIGAN MUSEUM OF ZOOLOGY Miscellaneous Publications No. 10 A Preliminary Survey of the Bird Life of North Dakota RY NORMAN A. WOOD ANN ARBOR, MICIIIGAN PUBLISHED BY THE UNIVERSITY JULY 2, I923 The publications of the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigart, consist of two series-the Occasional Papers and the Miscellaneous PubK- cations. Both series were founded bv Dr. Bryant Walker, Mr. Bradsl~aw I-I. Swales and Dr. W. W. Newcomb. The Occasional Papers, publication of which was begun in 1913, j-rve as a medium for the publication of brief oriqinal papers based principally upon the collections in the Museum. The papers are issued separately to libraries and specialists, and, when a sufficient nu~uberof pages have l~crn printed to make a volume, a title page, index, and table of contents are sup- plied to libraries and individuals on the mailing list for the entire series. The Miscellaneous Publications include papers on field and museum technique, monographic studies and other papers not within the scope of the Occasional Papers. The papers are published separately, and, as it is not intended that they shall be grouped into volumes, each number has a title page and, when necessary, a table of contents. ALEXANDERG. RUTHITEN, Director of the Museum of Zoology, [Jniversity ~f Michigan. A PRELIMINARY SURVEY OF THE BIRD LIFE OF NORTH DAKOTA The field studies upon which this paper is largely based were carried on during the summers of 1920 and 1921.
    [Show full text]
  • GEOLOGY and GROUND WATER RESOURCE S of Stutsman County, North Dakota
    North Dakota Geological Survey WILSON M. LAIRD, State Geologis t BULLETIN 41 North Dakota State Water Conservation Commission MILO W . HOISVEEN, State Engineer COUNTY GROUND WATER STUDIES 2 GEOLOGY AND GROUND WATER RESOURCE S of Stutsman County, North Dakota Part I - GEOLOG Y By HAROLD A. WINTERS GRAND FORKS, NORTH DAKOTA 1963 This is one of a series of county reports which wil l be published cooperatively by the North Dakota Geological Survey and the North Dakota State Water Conservation Commission in three parts . Part I is concerned with geology, Part II, basic data which includes information on existing well s and test drilling, and Part III which will be a study of hydrology in the county . Parts II and III will be published later and will be distributed a s soon as possible . CONTENTS PAGE ABSTRACT 1 INTRODUCTION 3 Acknowledgments 3 Previous work 5 GEOGRAPHY 5 Topography and drainage 5 Climate 7 Soils and vegetation 9 SUMMARY OF THE PRE-PLEISTOCENE STRATIGRAPHY 9 Precambrian 1 1 Paleozoic 1 1 Mesozoic 1 1 PREGLACIAL SURFICIAL GEOLOGY 12 Niobrara Shale 1 2 Pierre Shale 1 2 Fox Hills Sandstone 1 4 Fox Hills problem 1 4 BEDROCK TOPOGRAPHY 1 4 Bedrock highs 1 5 Intermediate bedrock surface 1 5 Bedrock valleys 1 5 GLACIATION OF' NORTH DAKOTA — A GENERAL STATEMENT 1 7 PLEISTOCENE SEDIMENTS AND THEIR ASSOCIATED LANDFORMS 1 8 Till 1 8 Landforms associated with till 1 8 Glaciofluvial :materials 22 Ice-contact glaciofluvial sediments 2 2 Landforms associated with ice-contact glaciofluvial sediments 2 2 Proglacial fluvial sediments 2 3 Landforms associated with proglacial fluvial sediments 2 3 Lacustrine sediments 2 3 Landforms associated with lacustrine sediments 2 3 Other postglacial sediments 2 4 ANALYSIS OF THE SURFICIAL TILL IN STUTSMAN COUNTY 2 4 Leaching and caliche 24 Oxidation 2 4 Stone counts 2 5 Lignite within till 2 7 Grain-size analyses of till _ 2 8 Till samples from hummocky stagnation moraine 2 8 Till samples from the Millarton, Eldridge, Buchanan and Grace Cit y moraines and their associated landforms _ .
    [Show full text]
  • Red River Valley Water Supply Project Class I Cultural Resources Inventory and Assessment, Eastern North Dakota and Nortwestern Minnesota
    RED RIVER VALLEY WATER SUPPLY PROJECT CLASS I CULTURAL RESOURCES INVENTORY AND ASSESSMENT, EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTWESTERN MINNESOTA Michael A. Jackson, Dennis L. Toom, and Cynthia Kordecki December 2006 ABSTRACT In 2004-2006, personnel from Anthropology Research, Department of Anthropology, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, conducted a Class I inventory (file search) for the Red River Valley Water Supply Project (RRVWSP). This work was carried out in cooperation with the USDI Bureau of Reclamation, Dakotas Area Office, Bismarck, ND. The file search dealt with hundreds of cultural resource sites across much of eastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota. Archeological sites, architectural sites, site leads, and isolated finds were examined for 14 North Dakota counties and four Minnesota counties. Five different action alternatives were investigated to determine the number and types of previously recorded cultural resources located within each. Each alternative was ranked in terms of its potential to cause impacts to cultural resources, both known and (presently) unknown. Analysis indicated that the Red River Basin Alternative (#3) has the largest potential for cultural resource site impacts. From a least-impact cultural resources perspective, the other four alternatives represent the best, least-impact options for construction of the RRVWSP. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................................................ii
    [Show full text]
  • Comprehensive Conservation Plan Huron Wetland Management District Madison Wetland Management District Sand Lake Wetland Management District South Dakota
    Comprehensive Conservation Plan Huron Wetland Management District Madison Wetland Management District Sand Lake Wetland Management District South Dakota January 2012 Approved by Stephen D. Guertin, Regional Director Date U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 6 Lakewood, Colorado Prepared by Huron Wetland Management District Room 309 Federal Building 200 Fourth Street SW. Huron, South Dakota 57350 605 / 352 5894 Madison Wetland Management District 23520 SD Highway 19 Madison, South Dakota 57042 605 / 256 2974 Sand Lake Wetland Management District 39650 Sand Lake Drive Columbia, South Dakota 57433 605 / 885 6320 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Region 6, Mountain–Prairie Region Division of Refuge Planning 134 Union Boulevard, Suite 300 Lakewood, Colorado 80228 303 / 236 8145 CITATION for this document: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2012. Comprehensive conservation plan: Huron Wetland Management District, Madison Wetland Management District, and Sand Lake Wetland Management District, South Dakota. Lakewood, CO: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 260 p. Comprehensive Conservation Plan Huron Wetland Management District Madison Wetland Management District Sand Lake Wetland Management District South Dakota Submitted by Concurred with by Clarke Dirks Date Richard A. Coleman, Ph.D. Date Project Leader Assistant Regional Director Huron Wetland Management District U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 6 Huron, South Dakota National Wildlife Refuge System Lakewood, Colorado Natoma Buskness Date Paul Cornes Date Project Leader Refuge Supervisor Madison Wetland Management District U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 6 Madison, South Dakota National Wildlife Refuge System Lakewood, Colorado Harris Hoistad Date Project Leader Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge Complex Columbia, South Dakota Contents Summary .....................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • North Dakota State Research Guide Family History Sources in the Peace Garden State
    North Dakota State Research Guide Family History Sources in the Peace Garden State North Dakota History The first Europeans in the area arrived the last part of the eighteenth century and were fur traders employed by the Missouri Fur Company. The peopling of the area quickly followed the first exploration with settlements in Selkirk Colony, on the Red and Assiniboine rivers, and the Pembina settlement. Both were established in 1812, but conditions were so difficult that by 1823 Selkirk had become part of the Hudson Bay Company settlement and Pembina had been abandoned. The indigenous tribes of the Dakotas were the Mandans and Arikaras. Eastern tribes that were moved into the area included Hidatsas, Crows, Cheyennes, Creeks, Assiniboines, Yanktonai Dakotas, Teton Dakotas, and Chippewas. The smallpox epidemics in 1782 and 1786 wiped out three-fourths of the Mandans and half of the Hidatsas. The epidemic of 1837, probably introduced by the white fur traders, also had a devastating effect on the native population. Composing the largest settlement at the Red River were the “half-breeds” (called métis) who were the offspring of European fathers (French, Canadian, Scottish, and English) and Native American mothers (Chippewa, Creek, Assiniboine). Many area residents claimed French-Chippewa ancestry. By 1850 more than half of the five to six thousand people living at Fort Garry were métis, with a large percentage being Canadian- born. Settlers began moving into the region in 1849 with the organization of Minnesota Territory and the settlement of Iowa and Minnesota. This immigration brought a number of settlers to southeastern Dakota. Dakota Territory was created by an act of Congress on 2 March 1861 from the area that had previously been Nebraska and Minnesota territories.
    [Show full text]
  • Meandering Water in the Prairie Pothole Region of South Dakota and Its Economic Impact
    Meandering water in the prairie pothole region of South Dakota and its economic impact Matthew Elliott South Dakota State University [email protected] Tong Wang South Dakota State University [email protected] Selected Paper prepared for presentation at the 2016 Agricultural & Applied Economics Association Annual Meeting, Boston, Massachusetts, July 31st-August 2nd Copyright 2016 by Matthew Elliott and Tong Wang. All rights reserved. Readers may make verbatim copies of this document for non-commercial purposes by any means, provided that this copyright notice appears on all such copies. Abstract This study estimates the economic impact of surface water changes in the prairie pothole region (PPR) of South Dakota. Flooding of wetlands and the formation of larger lakes has been documented in this region after 1993. To analyze the land cover change related to climate, or drainage, we examine Landsat 5 satellite data, 30 meter digital elevation model (DEM), the National Hydrology Dataset (NHD), the National Land Cover Database (NLCD), and the NRCS soil survey (SSURGO) using linear discriminant analysis. The changes in surface water, cropland, and grassland acres for 5 counties will be measured in northeast South Dakota between 1990 and 2010. These measurements will identify the area lost and gained for potential agriculture revenue given soil types, historical weather, topography, management characteristics, etc. The agriculture production potential will be estimated by simulation given the location and characteristics of the lost or gained acres utilizing the APEX model. Findings include the net acres lost/gained from cropland and grassland production, and the estimated average revenue potential of grassland and cropland acres inundated, or drained, during the period.
    [Show full text]
  • Fishes of the Dakotas
    South Dakota State University Open PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 Fishes of the Dakotas Kathryn Schlafke South Dakota State University Follow this and additional works at: https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/etd Part of the Aquaculture and Fisheries Commons, and the Biology Commons Recommended Citation Schlafke, Kathryn, "Fishes of the Dakotas" (2020). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 3942. https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/etd/3942 This Thesis - Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by Open PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Open PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FISHES OF THE DAKOTAS BY KATHRYN SCHLAFKE A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Science Major in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences Specialization in Fisheries Science South Dakota State University 2020 ii THESIS ACCEPTANCE PAGE Kathryn Schlafke This thesis is approved as a creditable and independent investigation by a candidate for the master’s degree and is acceptable for meeting the thesis requirements for this degree. Acceptance of this does not imply that the conclusions reached by the candidate are necessarily the conclusions of the major department. Brian Graeb, Ph.D. Advisor Date Michele R. Dudash Department Head Date Dean, Graduate School Date iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would first like to thank my advisors throughout this project, Dr. Katie Bertrand and Dr. Brian Graeb for giving me the opportunity to work towards a graduate degree at South Dakota State University.
    [Show full text]
  • Hod Chapter 1
    The Grassland Setting 1 CHAPTER 1 The Grassland Setting THE STORY OF NORTH DAKOTA begins with geology. Invasions of a great salt sea laid down the strata in which oil and other mineral deposits are found, and, later, fresh-water rivers formed strata containing lignite beds. Erosion, caused by wind, water, and glacial ice sheets, shaped the surface of the land, leaving what is now North Dakota as part of two significant physiographic provinces of North America: the Central Lowlands and the Great Plains. Within the state, the Central Lowlands Province is subdivided into the Drift Prairie and the Red River Valley and is separated from the Great Plains Province by the Missouri Escarpment. Thus divided into three distinct regions, North Dakota is a rather 2 History of North Dakota large state, a rectangle some 335 miles from east to west and 210 miles north to south, with an area of 70,665 square miles. It is located at the center of the continent, roughly 1,500 miles from the Atlantic Ocean and also from the Pacific, and about the same distance from the Gulf of Mexico and the Arctic Archipelago. GEOLOGY The Williston Basin, a saucer-like depression in the igneous granite crust of the earth's surface, had its origin half a billion years ago when the granite crust began to sink, a process which continued several million years. It now extends over some 130,000 square miles, about 50,000 square miles of which underlie North Dakota. The basin reaches from eastern North Dakota (Devils Lake and Jamestown are near its eastern edge) into Montana, and from northwestern South Dakota into Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
    [Show full text]
  • The Souris River Study Unit
    The Souris River Study Unit.................................................................................11.1 Description of the Souris River Study Unit ......................................................11.1 Physiography ................................................................................................ 11.6 Drainage ....................................................................................................... 11.6 Climate.......................................................................................................... 11.7 Landforms and Soils..................................................................................... 11.8 Floodplains ............................................................................................... 11.8 Terraces .................................................................................................... 11.9 Valley Walls.............................................................................................. 11.9 Alluvial Fans........................................................................................... 11.10 Upland Plains ......................................................................................... 11.10 Flora and Fauna ......................................................................................... 11.10 Other Natural Resource Potential............................................................... 11.11 Overview of Previous Archeological Work .....................................................11.12 Inventory
    [Show full text]
  • Ndstudies.Gov
    Volume 11, Issue 1 NORTH DAKOTA STUDIES A Program of the State Historical Society of North Dakota • Winter 2019 Speaking of History By Barbara Handy-Marchello, Ph.D. sing maps to teach North Dakota Studies is one of the best ways to Uenable students to fully understand concepts related to geography and major historical events. Because geography has often been neglected in elementary and high school curricula, many students in college classes can seldom identify even the most basic geographic sites. Many students cannot identify significant geographic locations relevant to their own local and state history, yet they are expected to know global sites. NORTH DAKOTA STUDIES Using Maps To Teach North Dakota Studies There are many types of maps including political, physical, topographic, resource, and road maps. For the purposes of this article, the emphasis will be on political and physical maps. Political maps primarily focus on the state, territory, and national boundaries of a place, but also have historical value. Physical maps document landscape features of a place and generally show things like mountains, rivers, and lakes. In the classroom, maps are found in standard texts or projected from support technology. In teaching about the settlement of North Dakota, for example, teachers can use maps found at ndstudies.gov to demonstrate how the railroads impacted where immigrants settled in In 1801, a Blackfoot named Ac ko mok ki drew a map in the snow or dirt for Peter Fidler of the Hudson’s Bay Company. Hudson’s Bay Company Archives, T11048 North Dakota. When teaching about North Ac ko mok ki Map—1801 One of Fidler’s mapmakers was a Dakota’s geography and history, When the United States acquired the Blackfoot named Ac ko mok ki, or maps enhance student activities Louisiana Purchase, few people knew “The Feathers” in English.
    [Show full text]