BISMARCK – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) announced today the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has selected the following four projects at the Dakota Prairie Grasslands to receive funding for maintenance:

  • Civilian Conservation Corps Campground Updates near Maah-Daah-Hey Trail, Theodore National Park, and Bakken Oil Formation;
    • This project will update the campground to accommodate increased visitation and create dedicated loops for equestrians, tent and RV users; expand the main trailhead, create a dedicated equestrian trailhead, improve parking, install a pressurized water system, make the pavilion and sites ADA accessible.
  • Forest Road #1201 Reconditioning and Resurfacing;
    • This project will improve the movement of public traffic and increase the capacity to move product and cattle without lengthy rerouting and improve access during wet periods.
  • Recondition, Spot Surface, and Drainage Repairs on 7 Roads; and
    • This project will improve 46.5 miles worth of deteriorating road conditions and safety to meet driver expectation and increased use by permittees, local residents and recreationists that support the local economies.
  • Buffalo Gap Campground Maintenance and Improve Sanitation.
    • This project will improve shower facilities and expand the host site accommodate a larger RV, helping to provide uninterrupted service to campground fee users. This project responds to visitor complaints by improving shower maintenance and usability.

The projects have been selected through the newly established National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF) to address deferred maintenance. Learn more here.

The LRF was created through the Great American Outdoors Act, a comprehensive federal lands package Senator Cramer cosponsored which Congress passed this year to address the maintenance backlog at national parks and lands managed by federal agencies like the Bureau of Indian Education, Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).