The North American Prairie was once this continent’s largest continuous ecosystem, covering 400 million acres of America’s heartland, stretching from Mexico to Canada .  A blanket of prairie grasses and forbs supported a great diversity of wildlife, from species as inconspicuous as the American burying beetle to those as prominent and symbolic of the prairie as the bison.  Much of the prairie has been converted to farmland.  Today, the prairie is the rarest and most fragmented ecosystem in North America . 

In recent years a second threat to the remaining native prairie has emerged, invasive species.  Native plant communities are being replaced by plant communities dominated by exotic species.  The result is a loss of biodiversity in the native flora and habitat for dependent native wildlife species.  This project is designed to reduce the dominance of exotic species and then recover and or restore native prairie ecosystems.   

Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Theodore Roosevelt National Park is located in western North Dakota .  The park is composed of eroded badlands landscapes, composed on prairie, woody draws and lush riparian vegetation along the streams.  Over the past two decades, the rapid invasion and expansion of leafy spurge has disrupted the complex and delicate badlands ecosystem.  Leafy spurge has become the dominate species on rangelands across North Dakota .  It has displaced much of the native flora, including rare plant species.  In addition to destroying the rich species diversity unique to the badlands, the habitat loss to the park’s wildlife species is of increasing concern (Trammell and Butler 1995).  Lym and Messersmith (1987) reported that leafy spurge infestations can reduce carrying capacities for livestock by 50-75%.

Most of this loss can be attributed to decreased forage production and avoidance of infested sites (Lym and Kirby 1987, Hein and Miller 1992).  Trammell and Butler (1995) reported biomass of key forage species averaged 77% of total biomass on noninfested sites and decreasing to only 4% of total biomass on heavily infested sites.  Similar changes in habitat capability can be found in wild ungulate species.  Bison pellet-group densities in spurge-infested silver sagebrush-western wheatgrass habitats were 69 and 89% less than in non-infested sites (Trammell and Butler 1995).  Elk pellet-group densities averaged 81% lower in infested when compared to noninfested sites with needle-and-thread-threadleaf sedge habitats.

Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site

The Knife River Indian Villages N.H.S. is located in central North Dakota, at the confluence of the Knife and Missouri Rivers .  It was established to preserve the rare historic and archaeological remnants of the Northern Plains Indians.  The goal of the park is to conserve and display the culture and lifestyles of the indigenous peoples, in the natural environment in which they lived. 

The Park lands are capable of supporting native prairie and riparian systems.  Most of these native ecosystems have been modified or lost to past cultivation and overgrazing.  The park is dedicated to restoring the native prairie.  Restoration is dependent on prescribed fire, control of exotic plants and seeding of native species.  Restoration of these areas are particularly important because energy development, dam building and intensive agriculture have either replaced or modified similar ecosystems along the Missouri River .

The Indian inhabitants of the villages were reliant on the surrounding native vegetation.  Exotic plants are replacing the native vegetation and changing the historic context of the site.  Exotic plant management has become the park’s number one natural resource management priority.

Northern Great Plains Exotic Plant Management Team 

Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site

Fire Effects Monitoring Crew

USDA/NRCS Plant Materials Center ( Bismarck, ND)

Pheasants Forever

Montana Conservation Corp.

Private landowner

Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site

The Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site was dominated by three exotic plants, smooth brome, crested wheatgrass and Kentucky bluegrass.  The site was prepared for reseeding to native species with a prescribed fire in April of 2004.  The fire was followed by two herbicide applications in May and September 2004, with some areas retreated in May of the 2005.  By June 2005, over 110 acres were seeded with a mixture of native grasses, forbs.  In order to ensure establishment of the native plant community these areas will be hayed in 2006, 2007 and 2008.  Prescribed fire will be used periodically to maintain and favor native species.  Park Superintendent Cheryl Schreier has said, “This project is a tremendous accomplishment that will provide visitors with a more accurate presentation of Knife River ’s 19^th century landscape.”