| Fast Facts |
location
55 miles southwest of Fargo
ecoregion
Northern Tallgrass Prairie
project size
236,000 acres
preserves
Brown Ranch, Pigeon Point
public lands
Sheyenne National Grasslands
partners
U.S. Forest Service, Coordinated Resource Management Group, ranchers
conservancy initiatives
Fire, Invasive Species
natural events
prairie wildflowers bloom, late May–early August; prairie fringed orchid blooms, late June–mid-July; shorebirds, waterfowl, prairie birds migrate, spring | |
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Fire and improved grazing practices are essential to restore and keep alive a rare expanse of sandy Dakota prairie sculpted eons ago by wind and water. |
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Black tern in prairie slough.
© Jim Brandenburg/Minden Pictures |
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Bounded to the north by the Sheyenne River, the prairies of the Sheyenne Delta emerge from riverine forests and fens to spread a polychromatic green carpet that rises and falls in gentle hummocks. Its dunelike uplands are tinged with a shifting palette of purple, white, red and yellow blooms for much of the year, while water-loving grasses, shrubs and hardwoods cluster artfully in swales and the narrow channels of spring-fed streams.
The Sheyenne Delta exhibits an uncommon carpet of tallgrass prairie—some of the largest expanses remaining anywhere—woven in a tapestry of mixed-grass prairie, sedge meadows, fens and oak savanna. In summer, prairie flowers attract 22 species of butterflies, among them the imperiled Dakota skipper. Grasses shelter one of North Dakota’s few remaining populations of greater prairie chicken and also support a dazzling array of sparrows. Wetlands come alive in spring with the flapping wings and harsh chatter of migrating ducks. |
Prairie fringed orchid.
© Jim Brandenburg
/Minden Pictures |
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Known as the “sandhills,” the Sheyenne Delta was formed more than 10,000 years ago when the silty remnants of a glacial lake were wind-blown into hillocks and mounds. The sandy soil may be the reason why some prairies in the area were spared the plow when European immigrants settled the plains. But as many as 70,000 acres in the Sheyenne Delta were heavily cultivated and grazed. During the Dust Bowl days of the 1930s, this agricultural land received federal relief, and in 1960 it was restored and became the Sheyenne National Grasslands, which today is leased for cattle grazing. | |
In the national grasslands and other vestiges of native prairie, heavy grazing regimes and the lack of fire have disrupted the natural processes that maintain native prairie. On our preserves, The Nature Conservancy is demonstrating prairie restoration through the use of prescribed fire. We are also working with ranchers and government agencies to improve grazing practices on grasslands across the Sheyenne Delta.
Learn more about The Nature Conservancy's work in North Dakota. |
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| Conservation Profile |
targets
western prairie fringed orchid, greater prairie chicken, Dakota skipper, tallgrass prairie, fens
stresses
inappropriate grazing, fire suppression, invasive species
strategies
combat invasive species, restore ecosystems through fire management, demonstrate ecologically sound grazing practices, engage community in natural resource management
results
more than 2,000 acres in conservation management | | | | |
