Controversy at East Sheyenne Grasslands TH

Sheyenne National Grasslands east trailhead (photo by JHY)

based on a news article at Fargo-Morehead InForum

The simple access site to the North Country Trail at the east side of the Sheyenne National Grassland (North Dakota) has become a controversial topic.

In 2007, the Forest Service (Grasslands Managers) proposed a project to create a campground at the east trailhead of the NCT. This would provide camping for hikers and horseback riders/ campers. The campground was proposed in order to improve sanitation issues which have become critical due to a large volume of dispersed camping. However, the nearby Sheyenne Oaks Horse Camp and RV Park, which opened in 2009, has gotten the ear of Senator Byron Dorgan (D), and he has requested that the Forest Service abandon this campground project.

The problem is that several other access gates to the Grasslands will be closed as part of the project. One of these was near Sheyenne Oaks, and provided users of that facility easy access. However, they private campground was allowed to build a gate of their own.

Sheyenne National Grasslands manager, Dave Piper, said, "The Forest Service’s proposal is designed to accommodate the needs of all campers desiring to use the area, not just horse use. The goal is not to compete with any private services, but to allow the public to enjoy the Sheyenne National Grasslands."

Dorgan would like the Forest Service to build a trail that links to Sheyenne Oaks. The Forest Service has explained that they "cannot use federal tax dollars to specifically benefit a single, for-profit business at the exclusion of access to others."

Inflammatory media coverage has not helped, with headlines such as, "Private North Dakota campground loses grassland access," which is not even remotely true.

The Beauty of North Dakota

Lake Audubon, the east end of Lake Sakakawea, ND (photo by JHY)

if you like this article, click the Blip chiclet!

based on a news article in the Minot Daily News

Kevin Stankiewicz, State Parks Scenic Byways and Trails director, says, "We are trying to increase the interest in the state." He is referring to the North Country Trail. Stankiewicz added thatthe Sheyenne National Grasslands segment of the North Country Trail is the most utilized of North Dakota's four longest certified segments. He does believe that interest in the trail is growing, particularly as state residents take notice of other hikers who have made the trip to North Dakota to walk the trail. This past summer, over 100 out-of-state people traveled to Valley City, for the annual NCTA conference, and to hike.

Nimblewill Nomad has been back in North Dakota, to hike trail that was too snow covered in April. At that time Nimblewill walked the roads, but came back to more correctly hike the actual trail. He reported, "North Dakota has a secret that, hopefully, other folks will find out about. [They've] got 200 miles of trail and ... in places that are incredibly beautiful."

John Tunge, Lake Sakakawea State Park manager, loves the NCT. He tries to meet every long-distance hiker who comes to the western terminus of the trail. 30 years ago "we started laying that [trail] out in conjunction with the National Park Service," he explained. "There's a group of people who ... make it their life goal" to come hike the North Country Trail.

Still Time to Sign Up for the ND Conference

from the North Country Trail Association

Early registration for the NCTA Annual Conference closes July 1, but there is still time to attend. People can call the NCTA office, 1-866-hikeNCT, tomorrow, June 30 and register at the reduced rate. After tomorrow the registration fee increases, but only by $5.

There are workshops, hikes and tours every day. This year there will be programs and events designed just for kids and families. The conference is co-hosted by the NCTA and the Sheyenne River Valley Chapter.

Evening programs feature outstanding speakers:

Across two years. Across 7,800 miles. Deia Schlosberg, 28, and Gregg Treinish, 26, two Montana-based wilderness educators, became the first two people to backpack the Andes Mountain Range, the first two to walk it through the mountains without relying on roads, and the first woman to have walked South America. Named National Geographic Adventurers of the Year in 2008, these dedicated hikers persevered through high peaks, deep valleys, knee-deep peat bogs, rainy seasons, trackless deserts, bamboo forests and incredible views. Deia and Gregg will be featured during Friday night's community benefit night-you won't want to miss their account of this unforgettable trek "Across the Andes" or the live and silent auctions that come before them!

The E Company of Custer's Memorial 7th Cavalry was first formed in 1967 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the old Fort Ransom post. On Thursday night at the picnic, they will allow you to share camp life with them and their families. Thrill to their re-enactment of drills on horseback and demonstrations of marksmanship with black powder pistols! Afterwards, Brother Jukebox will have you rocking to the best of Country and Rock and Roll music.

For more than ten years Nature/Wildlife Tourism has demonstrated one of the strongest growth patterns in the travel and outdoor recreation market, contributing over $47.7 billion to the US economy. After dinner on Saturday night Jim Mallman, President and founding Board member of Watchable Wildlife, Inc., will provide an overview of what is happening in nature tourism worldwide and explain the reasons for promoting it in your community.

Would you call spending several nights sleeping in a van in sub-zero temperatures to capture scenes just before dawn, obsessed? Daron Krueger and Clint Saunders, better known as the Obsessed Photographers Group, gives you slide show glimpse into their latest book, aptly entitled "Obsessed with North Dakota." A book signing will follow, all on Saturday night after Jim Mallman.

For full details, visit the Sheyenne River Valley Chapter web site.

Mother Goose Nears ND-MN Border

Mother Goose

excerpts from Mother Goose's Journal

Mother Goose, Bonita Helton, has been hiking east on the NCT from Lake Sakakawea since May 2, 2009. She has been experiencing the great North Dakota hospitality and many of the after-effects of their spring flooding this year.

washed out road east of Ft. Ransom, ND

Here is a washed out road east of Fort Ransom. When she reached Lisbon she had "to make a round about way to get across the river in Lisbon as the dirt levees they put up for the flood are still there and they won't let you cross them."

But she says she is looking forward to the actual off-road trail in the Sheyenne National Grasslands. The Forest Service advised her that portions of the trail are under water, but at least the weather had warmed enough that she could take off her longjohn shirt.

Mother Goose concluded about the Grasslands, "I do love it, flowers, prairie grass, rolling terrain and a trail right thru it whats not to love."

See Mother Goose's Journal

Nimblewill Nomad Enters Minnesota

from Lakeland PBS

from the journal of Nimblewill Nomad

Nimblewill Nomad left Lake Sakakawea on March 22, beginning a planned thru-hike of the North Country Trail. Almost immediately a blizzard hit the upper Midwest!

March 23- "We've been listening to the weather report and it isn't good. Blizzard conditions are forecast to begin late this afternoon. We can see it, it's coming. Gordon suggests I stick to ND200 and keep heading east. That's what Ed Talone and Gordon's sister, Sue, did when finishing their westbound NCT hike under similar conditions back in October 2004. So stick to ND200 it is."

March 26 - "Another day to wait, holed up in Underwood, though we do make an attempt. I try getting out this morning, in the wind, the snow, with wind chill around zero, but turn back due to concern about Gordon and the van. With street tires it's hard getting the van to go, and when rolling, it's scary trying to haul 'er down. The roads have been scraped but remain pretty much solid ice. We had a half-inch of freezing rain before the snow came in last Monday. Over a foot has since accumulated and it's near white-out again as I write this. US83 is ice, as is ND200. There's been no sanding or salting, even at the intersections. Vehicles are in the ditches along--a very bad situation."

March 31- "The roadwalk is certainly much shorter again today. On ND200, I'll cover only 22 miles. But as the day progresses, do these 22 miles become the most difficult extended miles I've ever had to endure through the cold. Temperature's started out in the low 20s, with heavy snow, driven by a northeast wind that quartered me from the left front--25 per, gusting to the high 30s, all day."

April 5- "Talked to a local during dinner last, at the Steak Out next our motel. His family runs cattle on the Grasslands--the NCT crosses nearby. He was very familiar with the trail. 'No way to hike through there now,' he remarked, 'drifted snow, ice, flooding, too risky--you couldn't find the trail.' Oh my, so okay, way it looks now folks, North Dakota will be a total roadwalk. I did hike, oh maybe 100 yards of certified trail by the sign at Lake Sakakawea--that's it!"

April 8- (in Minnesota) "The road east, out of Rothsay, is closed due to flooding. Locals direct us around. The terrain is changing rapidly now, from the plains, the prairie, to wooded, rolling hills. It's certainly a welcome change. There are actually places where the wind doesn't blow! There's a bit of designated trail in Maplewood SP. I hike over that way, but then go on past. Western Minnesota's had lots of snow, and most of it's still around. No way to hike the park trail; park roads aren't even plowed. Just keep hammerin' the roads, old man. Spring'll get here, sooner or later-later."

Read all of Nimblewill Nomad's Journal
See interview with Nimblewill Nomad on Lakeland PBS (segment starts at about 11.75 minutes)

Feature- North Dakota's Martinson Bridge

(photo by JHY)

The North Dakota Department of Transportation and the State Historical Society of North Dakota often team together to restore and preserve old bridges. One of their previous projects is located in Ransom County, southeast of Fort Ransom State Park. It is known as the Martinson Bridge. The single-lane, true-truss bridge provides access to the Sheyenne State Forest and to the North Country Trail. A portion of the trail runs through North Dakota’s Sheyenne River Valley.

"You can cross the bridge to the North Country Trail, to get to a waterfall," said Ben Kubischta, NDDOT’s transportation enhancement program coordinator. "It’s a great place for hiking." The few miles of NCT in the Sheyenne State Forest are unique. The forest trail climbs several hills and passes the state's only waterfall.

Martinson Bridge Restoration Sheyenne River, Ransom County (photo from ND DOT)

The Martinson Bridge was restored with Transportation Enhancement funds. Transportation Enhancements are transportation-related activities that strengthen the cultural, aesthetic and environmental aspects of the Nation's intermodal transportation system. They account for a small percentage of transportation funding. Occasionally TE funds benefit the North Country Trail in locations involving bridge crossings, urban pathways, or alternative transportation routes.

Martinson Bridge Trailhead (photo from SRV Chapter NCTA)

A one-and-a-half mile loop of the North Country Trail is located at the east end of the Sheyenne State Forest and contains some breathtaking views of the river valley. A one-half mile connector segment joins the Oak Ridge Loop to the Mineral Springs Segment at the Martinson Bridge Trailhead.

See North Dakota DOT
See Sheyenne River Valley Chapter NCTA
See Traill County's Bridges to History (free sign-up required)
See Transporation Enhancements Remain in Stimulus Package
See Some Transportation Enhancements Remain in Stimulus Package

Spring Floods Predicted for Red River of the North

photo by J Young

a news release of NOAA

The North Country Trail currently crosses the river at Fort Abercrombie. Ed.

NOAA is alerting residents in the Red River Valley, which separates North Dakota and Minnesota, of the potential for significant flooding in their communities this spring. Several factors led to this early projection. The area has received between 200 and 300 percent of normal precipitation since September 2008 and December saw 23 days of snow, leaving water content of snowpack at 170 to 300 percent above normal.

“Based on the amount of rain and snowfall in the Red River Basin over the past few months, we’re forecasting a 50 to 75 percent chance of major flooding there this spring,” said Scott Dummer, hydrologist in charge at the North Central River Forecast Center. “NOAA, along with emergency management and local government officials, is communicating the flood risk early to help residents prepare in advance.”

Residents in the region can monitor the flood threat online, where NOAA posts frequent updates of local conditions and forecasts using detailed graphics of specific locations and properties along the river.

Mark Frazier, head of NOAA’s weather forecast office in Grand Forks said this outlook is a moving target that will change as weather conditions within the Red River Basin evolve in the coming months.

“Right now we’re making people aware of the potential for major flooding and asking communities to be prepared should our forecast come to fruition,” Frazier said. “The flood outlook will become more precise as we get closer to the spring thaw, so we’re asking residents to prepare now and continue monitoring the situation.”

NOAA Hydrologic Resources to monitor water height

Valley City - Segment Spotlight

selections from a news article in Prairie Business Magazine, with additional comments

Doug Anderson, director of marketing and communications at Valley City State University, has served as president of the chamber of commerce since August. “I love the beauty of the area, the amenities, the scenery, the activities, hiking trails and the ability to walk to work on a nice day. In the cities I was making a one-hour commute each way to and from work. Here, there’s time to enjoy life and I like working at VCSU, where I’ve really grown my marketing and communication skills.”

City and university officials are hoping to hear more stories like that in the future. Valley State is embarking on several unique programs designed to support local development objectives as well as meet local employment needs.

Summer 2009 the North Country Trail Association annuual conference will return to pictureque Valley City. A total of 11 bridges span the Sheyenne River in addition to the Bald Hill Dam 10 miles northeast of town, which impounds 27-mile-long Lake Ashtabula. Completed trail long the lake is one of the most scenic North Dakota segments of the NCT.

Valley City was founded in 1872 beside the Sheyenne River and the community adopted the name ‘Hi-Liners’ as a result of an amazing engineering and design feat. The 1908 opening of a single track railroad bridge took two years to build and still remains one of the highest (162 feet above the Sheyenne River) and longest (3,860 feet) bridges of its kind in the United States.

Hi-Liner Bridge, Valley City (photo by J Young)

The city is now focused on building bridges to the future and adding needed infrastructure and amenities. “The biggest thing we do is try to find the right partners for projects and then we are tenacious in pursuit of our goals,” said Bobby Koepplin, manager of rural development for Cass County Electric Cooperative in town and former chair of the local development group. “If you don’t ask, you don’t get. Koepplin is also about to begin a term as president of the board of the North Country Trail Association.

Economic activity has increased over the years in this scenic and hilly community of about 7,000 residents. This drive to improve the community’s quality of living has resulted in a long list of amenities for residents and visitors, including the Sheyenne River Valley National Scenic Highway and the Sheyenne River Valley Chapter of the North Country Trail Association, which connects seven states.

Planet Walk, Valley City (photo by J Young)

Here, the North Country Trail follows the Planet Walk which winds out of town through Medicine Wheel Park. Marked boulders are placed at proportional distances from the recreated Native American Medicine Wheel. When hikers reach Pluto, the trail leaves the cement and returns to natural surface.

“We really are focusing on the quality of place here in Valley City and up and down the valley,” said Mary Lee Nielson, a second generation mayor taking up the mantle of leadership previously held by her father.

As they did in 2002, Valley City is ready to welcome North Country Trail enthusiasts July 30- Aug 2, 2009.

See North Country Trail Association for more details about the conference.

Valley City State University - Segment Spotlight

NCT in Valley City, ND (photo VCSU)

from the Valley City State University web site

From the VCSU campus a segment of this trail winds through the wooded hillside of Medicine Wheel Park and along the Path of the Planets. The North Country National Scenic Trail offers something for everyone. Whether you enjoy walking, hiking, backpacking, birding, snow-shoeing, or cross-country skiing, there is section of trail waiting for you to enjoy.

The Sheyenne River Valley Chapter of the North Country Trail works with partner organizations to maintain certified segments in the Sheyenne State Forest, Fort Ransom State Park, Valley City, and along Lake Ashtabula. Work is underway to develop additional trail to connect the existing segments.

See Sheyenne River Valley Chapter

Hiking in North Dakota

In November, Matt Davis, the NCTA's Regional Trail Coordinator for MN and ND, presented a program about hiking in North Dakota at the Minneapolis Outdoor Expo. The slides from that show have now been posted on line and can be viewed by members of the Yahoo group "hiker." Here are a couple of samples about the North Country Trail. The other long-distance hiking trail in North Dakota is the Maah Daah Hey Trail.
Contact Matt Davis
The Yahoo Hiker group focuses on the Superior Hiking Trail, but of course many hiking topics are fair game
The Hiking North Dakota Slide Show (you will need to join the Hiker group to see the file)