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A coalition of conservation groups and Tribal representatives is calling on President Joe Biden to designate nearly 140,000 acres of Badlands as North Dakota’s first national monument. The proposed Maah Daah Hey National Monument would include 11 non-contiguous units along the popular Maah Daah Hey trail system between the north and south sections of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The Spirit Lake Nation, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, and the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation have all passed resolutions supporting the proposal, which would preserve Indigenous heritage in the area and protect it from future oil and gas development. The proposed monument area has no active oil and gas leases and would not affect current grazing access.
If President Biden doesn't act on the monument before leaving office, the coalition would attempt to work with the Trump administration. “We believe this is a good idea regardless of who’s president,” said Dakota Resource Council Executive Director Scott Skokos.
The proposed monument would be the first national monument in the home state of Secretary of the Interior nominee Doug Burgum, who responded to the proposal stating that “North Dakota is proof that we can protect our precious parks, cultural heritage and natural resources AND responsibly develop our vast energy resources.” If designated, the monument would be managed by the U.S. Forest Service, which is not within the Interior Department.
What the results of the election mean for public lands
In a new episode of The Landscape, Kate and Aaron are joined by CWP Executive Director, Jennifer Rokala, and Curtis Hubbard, a political consultant based in Colorado, to break down the what the results of the 2024 election mean for public lands.
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It means not just protecting the environment and putting a big gate around it, but it’s inviting the community and the world to come and look at what is possible when you look at preservation [as] a way for welcoming people back into what used to be.”
