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Welcome to the Mountain-Prairie Region
The Mountain-Prairie Region consists of 8 states in the heart of the American west including Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming.
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Science
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has a long tradition of scientific excellence and always uses the best-available science to inform its work to conserve fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitat for the benefit of the American public.
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National Wildlife Refuges
Where Wildlife Comes First
Created in 1903 by President Theodore Roosevelt, today's National Wildlife Refuge System protects habitats and wildlife across the country, from the Alaskan tundra to subtropical wetlands. Managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Refuge System's 560-plus refuges cover more than 150 million acres and protect nearly 1,400 species of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and fish.
While national wildlife refuges were created to protect wildlife, they are for people too. Refuges are ideal places for people of all ages to explore and connect with the natural world. We invite you to learn more about and visit the national wildlife refuges and wetland management districts in Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. - Visit a Refuge or District
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Ecological Services
The Mountain-Prairie Region's Office of Ecological Services (ES) works to restore and protect healthy populations of fish, wildlife, and plants and the environments upon which they depend. Using the best available science, ES personnel work with Federal, State, Tribal, local, and non-profit stakeholders, as well as private land owners, to avoid, minimize, and mitigate threats to our Nation's natural resources.
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Migratory Birds
Providing leadership in the conservation of migratory bird habitat through partnerships, grants, and outreach for present and future generations. The Migratory Bird Program is responsible for maintaining healthy migratory bird populations for the benefit of the American people.
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Fish and Aquatic Conservation
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Fish and Aquatic Conservation Program in the Mountain-Prairie Region helps conserve, protect, and enhance aquatic resources and provides economically valuable recreational fishing to anglers across the country. The program comprises 12 National Fish Hatcheries.
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Law Enforcement
Law enforcement is essential to virtually every aspect of wildlife conservation. The Office of Law Enforcement contributes to Service efforts to manage ecosystems, save endangered species, conserve migratory birds, preserve wildlife habitat, restore fisheries, combat invasive species, and promote international wildlife conservation.
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External Affairs
External Affairs staff in the Mountain-Prairie Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provides support to the regional office and field stations to communicate and facilitate information about the Service's programs to the public, media, Congress, Tribes, partners, and other stakeholders in the 8-state region.
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Land Protection Plan
Dakota Grassland Conservation Area—North Dakota, South Dakota

The Service has established the Dakota Grassland Conservation Area and will work with private landowners to accelerate the conservation of native prairie — both wetland and grassland habitats — within the Prairie Pothole Region in the eastern parts of North Dakota and South Dakota.
The conservation area is an easement program that will be part of a landscape-scale, strategic habitat conservation effort. The focus is to conserve populations of migratory birds by protecting the unique, highly diverse, and endangered ecosystem known as the Prairie Pothole Region.
- Land protection with conservation easements bought from willing sellers — 240,000 acres of wetland habitat — 1.7 million acres of critical grassland habitat
- Project area map (5 MB PDF)
The overall purpose of the proposed Dakota Grassland Conservation Area is to preserve, at a landscape scale, the ecological integrity of the area’s mixed-grass prairie, tallgrass prairie, prairie pothole wetlands, and riparian woodlands with the support of the associated ranching culture. More specifically, the project is designed to do the following:
- Maintain and enhance the historical native plant, migratory bird, and other wildlife species.
- Preserve working landscapes based on ranching and livestock operations that support a viable livestock industry.
Completed Plan Contacts
The Service completed this plan in 2011.
Landowners interested in easements may contact these offices.
NORTH DAKOTA
Bismarck
Wetlands Acquisition Office
3425 Miriam Avenue
Bismarck, North Dakota 58501
701 / 250 4415
Minot
Wetlands Acquisition Office
2001 6th Street Southeast, Suite 5
Minot, North Dakota 58701
701 / 852 0318
SOUTH DAKOTA
Huron
Wetlands Acquisition Office
200 4th Street Southwest, Room 307
Huron, South Dakota 57350
605 / 352 7014
Sand Lake
Wetlands Acquisition Office
39650 Sand Lake Drive
Columbia, South Dakota 57443
605 / 885 6357
WYOMING
BRANCH OF LAND PROTECTION PLANNING
134 Union Boulevard, Suite 300
Lakewood, Colorado 80228
303 / 236 4378
- Support the recovery and protection of threatened and endangered species and reduce the likelihood of additional listings under the Endangered Species Act.
- Prevent further habitat fragmentation.
- Protect an intact north–south migration corridor for grassland-dependent wildlife.
- Provide a buffer against climate change by providing resiliency for the mixed-grass and tallgrass prairie ecosystems and associated prairie pothole wetlands.
- Use this ecosystem resiliency to climate variability to ensure the continuation of wildlife habitat in the face of the uncertain effect of climate change.
Conservation easement contracts will specify perpetual protection of habitat for trust species and limits on residential, industrial, or commercial development. Contracts will prohibit alteration of the natural topography, conversion of native grassland to cropland, drainage of wetland, and establishment of game farms.
Easement land will remain in private ownership. Therefore, property tax and invasive plant control will remain the responsibility of the landowner, who also would retain control of public access to the land. Contracts would not restrict grazing on easement land.
Land protection plan (LPP) 2011
LPP (26 MB PDF)
Includes the environmental assessment (EA) in appendix C.
By section, for faster download:
Contents, Summary (2 MB PDF)
Chapter 1, Introduction and Project Description (7 MB PDF)
Chapter 2, Area Description and Resources (8 MB PDF)
Chapter 3, Threats to and Status of Resources (3 MB PDF)
Chapter 4, Project Implementation (4 MB PDF)
Appendixes (28 MB PDF)
Draft EA and draft LPP 2011
Draft EA and draft LPP (8 MB PDF)
Planning process documents
News release June 20, 2011
News release December 29, 2010
News release December 1, 2010
Department of the Interior
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