Recreation and Travel Management Introduction The Northern Great Plains offers a variety of recreational experiences and unique grassland and forest settings. Use and interest in recreating and travelling on public lands are increasing. Mixing recreational use with other public desires, such as livestock grazing, coal, oil and gas production and the needs of wildlife, is a continuing challenge for Forest Service managers. Direction for recreation, public access and travel would be provided in the three revised management plans. In addition, a new method for describing scenic quality, called the Scenery Management System (SMS), has been applied to these public lands as a way of developing landscape character goals and scenic integrity objectives. Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (ROS) designations have been determined for units where they are not currently available. Travel is associated with nearly every activity on National Forest System (NFS) lands. Travel management is a tool that facilitates the movement of people and products. As use of NFS lands increases, travel management will become more complex and important as a tool to mitigate impacts on various resources and to coordinate uses. The Forest Service works closely with all user groups to maintain multiple travel and recreation opportunities and to identify where these activities can continue. Laws, Policy and Direction Forest Planning Regulation 36 CFR 219.21 requires evaluation of the recreation resource including ROS, supply of developed recreational facilities, off-highway vehicle-use opportuni- ties and scenic integrity objectives (SIO). Scenic integrity objectives are a part of the new SMS and similar to Visual Quality Objectives (VQOs), which were formerly used. Key Indicators • Acres by Recreation Opportunity Spectrum • Acres by scenic integrity objective • Capacity levels at developed recreation sites • Change in opportunity for dispersed recreation activities • Acres available by permitted travel type. Recreation Affected Environment In the current management plans, ROS is addressed in general terms in the goal statements of management area prescriptions. Little to no specific analysis exists concerning what the best mix of ROS classification should be to serve the public need. Except for some management areas on the Dakota Prairie Grasslands, there are no specific decisions concerning what the ROS class should be in each management area. Chapter3: Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences 3- 193 The current management plans generally address scenic integrity objectives in each management area prescription as an objective that can not be exceeded. Except in a few cases, no specific SIO is assigned to areas. The Custer and Nebraska National Forest Land and Resource Management Plans provide for additional trail construction. The Medicine Bow Land and Resource Management Plan also provides for additional trail construction, although no trails are planned for construction on the Thunder Basin National Grassland. No additional developed recreation sites are identified in the three management plans. The Nebraska National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan was amended in February 1988 to include management of the Congressionally designated Soldier Creek Wilderness and Pine Ridge National Recreation Area. In August 1988, the Nebraska National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan was again amended to provide additional emphasis on the recreation program. This amendment identified a priority on developing a grassland interpretive center at Wall, South Dakota, construction of developments near unique areas, increasing the number and quality of day-use and camping facilities, and a need for barrier-free facilities. Although the Medicine Bow Land and Resource Management Plan did not do so, the other two management plans did identify areas where motorized vehicle use is restricted. See the Travel Management section for further information on current travel restrictions. Developed and Dispersed Recreation Opportunities (Information in this section comes from A Summary of the Northern Great Plains Recreation Market Assessment, 1997, (1-8). This document is on file in at the Forest Supervisor's Office in Chadron, Nebraska.) Introduction and Overview None of the units under review are nationally significant recreational destinations. However, many do receive significant visitation, often from people in nearby states or Canadian provi- nces. Some units attract many visitors travelling to other primary destinations. Often these units lie near or within major highway corridors. For instance, the Buffalo Gap National Grassland, with Interstate 90 near its northern boundary, lies adjacent to both Badlands National Park and the Black Hills of South Dakota. Travellers often visit the Buffalo Gap National Grassland on their way to South Dakota's badlands or Black Hills, or major attractions, such as Yellowstone National Park, farther west. The same can be said about the Little Missouri National Grassland. Interstate 94 crosses that unit near Medora, North Dakota. Other major highways traversing the planning area units include Highway 83 going through the Fort Pierre National Grassland, Highway 85 through the Little Missouri National Grassland and Highway 2 through the Nebraska National Forest. Also used is a generalized north-south travel corridor, referred to as a Heritage Corridor, from Interstate 80 in Nebraska to Interstate 90 in South Dakota. Facilities, such as trails and trailheads, campgrounds and picnic grounds, continue to be built or improved on the units under review. These facilities will likely increase recreational use, especially from people living within short driving distances of the facilities. Presently there is little outfitter guide activity on any of the planning units, although in recent years several inquiries have been received requesting information about outfitter guiding on the grasslands. 3-194 Chapter3: Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences Dakota Prairie Grasslands Grand River and Cedar River National Grasslands The Grand River and Cedar River National Grasslands comprise about 162,000 acres in northwestern South Dakota and southwestern North Dakota. Although these units contain no developed campgrounds, camping and picnicking do occur. Autumn finds a fair number of hunters in search of wild game, including pronghorn antelope, sharp-tailed grouse and deer. Prairie dog viewing and shooting are also popular. Some warm-water fishing is available on small reservoirs on the units, and limited river floating is available during high-water seasons. Shadehill Reservoir, managed by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, lies adjacent to Grand River National Grassland, and offers camping, picnicking and fishing opportunities. On average, about 14,700 Recreation Visitor Days occurred on these two grassland units each year between 1992-96, with hunting at the top of the list of activities. Little Missouri National Grassland The Little Missouri National Grassland is the largest national grassland in the country. It contains rugged badlands topography, which attracts tourists. Tourists especially visit Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The three units of this national park lie within the boundaries of the Little Missouri National Grassland. Nearby Medora, North Dakota, an historic, recreated cowboy town, is a major regional tourist attraction. The large Missouri River dam, Lake Sakakawea, a major recreational resource, lies nearby to the north and east. The unit is named after the Little Missouri River, one of the longest undammed rivers in the United States. It provides scenic canoeing opportunities in the spring when water flows are up. In the winter, snowmobiling is popular on and along the river. The Little Missouri River is a state designated scenic river. Mixed-grass prairie dominates the region, although other interes- ting plant communities thrive in isolated locations, including ponderosa and limber pine, cottonwood draws and riparian forests, and upland woodlands. Fossils and geologic formations are common. Wildlife, which attracts hunters and others, abounds, including prairie dogs, falcons, eagles, deer and bighorn sheep. The Little Missouri National Grassland offers the only elk and bighorn sheep hunting in the state. Camping is spread across the unit. Three developed campgrounds and three picnic grounds are maintained. By 1998, the Maah Daah Hey Trail stretched more than 120 miles. Other shorter trails include the Summit (4.5 miles long), the Long X (8.5 miles long) and the Little Missouri Snowmobile (22 miles long). Large, remote, unroaded tracts can still be found on the Little Missouri National Grassland, although oil and gas explora- tion has resulted in many roads advancing into previously unroaded areas over the past 25 years. Motorized Travel/Viewing Scenery is the single most popular recreation category on the unit, including travel on I-90 and Highway 85 through the grassland. Hunting categories (Big Game, Upland Game, Small Game and Waterfowl), added together, are more popular than Motorized Travel/Viewing Scenery. Camping and Hiking/Horseback Riding are also quite popular. This grassland experienced on average about 95,900 Recreation Visitor Days each year between 1992- 1996. Chapter3: Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences 3- 195 Sheyenne National Grassland The Sheyenne National Grassland comprises about 70,000 acres in southeastern North Dakota. It is a remarkable unit if only because it represents