Management of North Dakota's School Lands

Item Type text; Article

Authors Brand, Michael D.; Moore, Margaret M.; Williams, Richard P.

Citation Brand, M. D., Moore, M. M., & Williams, R. P. (1988). Management of North Dakota's school lands. Rangelands, 10(2), 51-52.

Publisher Society for Range Management

Journal Rangelands

Download date 26/09/2021 18:09:23

Item License http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Version Final published version

Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/640280 Rangelands10(2), April 1988 51

Management of North Dakota's School Lands Michael D. Brand, Margaret M. Moore, and Richard P. WIlliams

North Dakota owns about 708,000acres of land dedicated through foreclosure. The remaining lands were located in to the support of schools and institutions in the state. The scattered tracts, generally 640 acres or less, in the western vast majority of this land (98%) is leased as rangeland.The two-thirds of the state. remainder (2%) is leased as cropland. Little management With an end to land sales in the late 1970's, there was a information was available before 1980, and theland was not realization that active management by the state would be actively managed by the state. Therefore,an inventory pro- necessaryfor the long-term maintenanceand improvement gram was initiated in1980 to serveas abasis for implementa- of school lands. Three professional employees have been tion of the first coordinated land managementprogram. To hired since 1979, to develop and implement a coordinated understand why a management program was not initiated land managementprogram. earlier, it is important to understand the history of school lands. Inventory The earliest inventories of school lands by the State Land Passiveto Active Lessor Department were used only to establish minimum selling Public support of schools in the United States through prices. The North Dakota Game and Fish Departmentcom- grants of land dates back to the colonial period. Tractsof pleted a wildlife habitat and recreational studyin 1970that land were often set aside to be used to fund schools and to rated 418 tracts in satisfactory condition and 1,389 tracts as pay teachers. This philosophy carried through the 1800's overgrazed(Morgan 1971).This rating was more applicable when Congress followed the practice of reserving school to wildlife habitat than range condition. The State Land sections and granting them to states at statehood (Hibbard Departmentlater funded arange condition studyin 1978and 1965). In North Dakota, the Enabling Act of 1889 (the act 1979 with North Dakota State University. Selected tracts which formed North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and were intensively sampled for range site and condition infor- Washington)granted sections 16and 36 in everytownship to mation. This study was limited but it did provide the first the state for the supportof the common schools, a total of indication that school lands were in better condition than 2,523,384 acres. Other sections were granted "in lieu" of commonly believed. sections 16 and 36 when they were unavailablefor reasons The 1978/79study was expanded in 1980, into a 10-year such as previous settlement, rivers, or lakes. In addition, range inventory and analysisprogram. Baselineinformation 668,388acres were granted for the support of universities on range condition (Dyksterhuis 1949), range trend, noxious and other public institutions. These lands are collectively weeds, wildlife habitat, and various managementconcerns known as "schooland institutionlands", or more simply as has beencollected on271,670 acres (38%) ofschool lands in "school lands". School landswere placedunder theadminis- 18 counties from 1980-1985 (Fig. 1). An added advantageof trative authorityof the North Dakota Board of University and Schools Lands and are managed on a day-to-day basis by the State Land Department.The Board includes the Gover- nor, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, Attorney General, and Superintendent of Public Instruction. An early priority was the sale of school lands. The money from land saleswas invested in a permanenttrust fund with the interest to be used to supportschools and institutions. Land managementwas a lowpriority from 1889until the late 1970's, when land salesvirtually ceased.During theland sale period, approximately 74% of the school land acreage was sold.The more productive lands were readily sold whilethe less productive rangeland remained in state ownership. Unsold lands were leased to the highest bidder at public auction, generally for a 5-year term and without management guidelines, in 1985, only657,404 acres remained of the Fig. 1. North Dakota counties inventoriedfrom 1 980-1985. originalgrant along with an additional 50,113acres acquired thisprogram was thatthe lessees were personally contacted For Authors are director, surface management, North Dakota Departmentof by field representativesof the State Land Department. Universityand School Lands.Bismarck 58505; assistantprofessor, School of many lessees, this was the first time thatthey had seen state Forestry, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff 86011; and researchasso- ciate,Animal and RangeScience Department, North DakotaState University, employeeson the lands thatthey leased. Budget constraints Fargo 58105. During this study, MargaretM. Moore was graduate research assistant.Botany Department,North DakotaState University,Fargo 58105. 52 Rangelands 10(2), April 1988 havecaused the program to be extendedto 15years with an stocking rates, and total range rest have been used in a anticipated completion date of 1995. cooperative effort with lesseesto improve range condition and production on numerous tracts. As range condition Condition and Management improves, stocking rates can be adjusted. Additional man- Approximately 73%of therangeland was Ingood to excel- agement problems included noxious weeds, clubmoss,cul- lent conditionon a scale of poor-fair-good-excellent (Table tivation of marginal lands, illegal trash dumping, lack of 1). The remaining 27%was in lowgood to poorcondition and adequate stockwater facilities, and deterioration of woody should be Improved.This contradicts the common miscon- habitat. A program has been successfully implementedfor ception thatschool lands are generally abused.The majority controlling noxious weeds. Leafy spurge, a perennial noxious weed, is the most severe rangeland weed problem in Table 1. P•rcent (%) of grasslands In various range condition North Dakota and infests more than 11,000 acres of school class.s In •Ight..n North Dakota countie. as d.t.rmlned in land. This weed is difficult to eradicate and 1980-1985. very severely reduces forage production on infested rangelands. Leafy spurge is sprayed by lesseeson a 50%cost share basis with Condition Acres theState Land Department.Approximately 4,500acres were Poor!- Low Good/- Crop- Grass- sprayed in 1985, which was a 20% increase from the 1984 County Fair Good Excellent land land level. The amount of control has been steadily increasing — -16 each year since 1981. Benson 7 16 77 789 10,201 Erosion controland reclamation also have been emphas- 4 771 202 Bottlneau 19 2,552 ized on marginalcropiand, gravel pits, pipelines,powerlines, Burlelgh 5 16 79 1,486 26,486 leases acresof Dunn 8 10 82 0 25,977 and roads. The StateLand Department 17,099 Eddy 8 23 69 652 9,640 cropland including numerous highly erodible tracts. About Emmons 13 23 64 442 13,261 300 acres of marginal cropland were seeded with grass by Grant 14 21 65 598 32,886 lessees in 1984and 1985. This should provide erosion con- KIdder 10 20 70 273 28049 trol and increase Surface disturban- McHenry 14 12 74 230 21,915 long-term production. McLean 11 14 75 608 20,429 ces such as gravel pits, and pipeline and road construction Mercer 0 6 94 242 14,825 also are actively being reclaimed. Morton 17 24 59 374 17,301 Oliver 5 16 79 163 7,677 Plansfor the Future PIerce 8 18 74 963 13,354 North Dakota'sschool lands are avaluable public resource Ramsey 5 13 82 1,095 962 if can and Renville 34 8 58 25 1,886 which, managed wisely, provide continuing Ward 0 22 78 0 11,039 increasing supportfor schools and institutions in the state. Wells 14 27 59 242 4,846 These lands also provide forage for livestock, wildlife habi- Average 10 17 73 tat, sources of minerals, and contain examples of unique areas. has beenmade in 'includes 1,120 acresof woodland. natural Significant progress manag- ing these resourcessince the late 1970's and further refine- of the lessees have taken good care of the land. However, ments will be made as the range inventory and analysis is there were asignificant number ofabused tracts which sub- completed. The recent shift from an active sale policy to stantiated a need for active managementby the state. active resourcemanagement should enhancethe long-term There were two basic reasons for the misuse of school value and productivity ofthese lands forthe people ofNorth lands: (1) lackof management knowledge by thelessees and Dakota. Intentional to (2) mismanagement discourage competition Literature Cited forthe lease. Lack of managementknowledge was probably the most common cause of misuse. To overcome this prob- Dykst.rhuls, E.J. 1949. Condition and managementof rangeland lem, theState Land abiannual based on quantitativeecology. J. Range Manage. 2:104-115. Departmentbegan publishing H. 1985. A ofthe land The lessee Hibbard,Benjamin history public policies. newsletterin 1983on management and policy informa- Univ. ofWisconsin Press. Madison. tion. Morgan, Robert L. 1971. Wildlife, environmental,and recreatIonal The improvement of school lands has required direct aspects of university and school lands. NorthDakota Outdoors managementInput. Changes in the season of use, reduced 33(1 0):1 -7.