Join NPCN for our biannual meeting to take a look at oil and gas development and impacts on land, water and wildlife. We’ll also explore progress and develop 2014/2015 strategies for Bison and Sage Grouse/Grassland bird initiatives. Meeting on the 20th, field trip on the 21st. Contact NPCN Coordinator NPCN Coordinator to register. Click below for more details.
Northern Plains Conservation Network
Biannual Meeting and Field Trip May 20-21, 2014
Roughriders Hotel and Conference Center
Medora, North Dakota
Themes for the NPCN 2014 Spring Biannual Meeting:
Energy “Impacts on land, water and wildlife”: Using Western North Dakota as a case study, gain a deeper understanding of oil and gas development and natural resource impacts; participate in exchanges about how to save what’s left and restore what we can.
Sage Grouse/Grassland Birds “Getting ahead of the game”: there has been progress and challenges on Sage Grouse conservation on public and private lands this past year. Discussing and learning from this past year’s activities, we will build strategies for Sage Grouse listing decision in 2015 and current discussions around Sprague’s Pipit listing.
Bison “Building the story”: One of the fundamental problems facing bison restoration is negative publicity around bison conservation and the absence of an active public constituency. The next year presents a number of opportunities to tell a positive story about bison and the people and communities making a difference in their conservation. We will develop strategies and communications for bringing bison to the general public, lawmakers and others.
Schedule:
May 20th-All day meeting
Review NPCN participant activities since September, 2013
Hear updates on the three initiatives: Energy, Sage Grouse/Grassland Birds and Bison and define strategies and actions for year ahead
Identify additional priorities and actions for emerging issues including Rozol and an update on the new Farm Bill.
May 20th-Evening local field trip, led by Valerie Naylor, Superintendent Theodore Roosevelt National Park and Jan Swenson, Badlands Conservation Alliance
Driving tour will include overlooks on both the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park and Dakota Prairie National Grasslands. The tour will introduce us to this important area for conservation in the Northern Plains and set up an understanding of the regional geography in preparation for the next day’s field trip.
May 21st-All day field trip.
Accompanied by local conservation experts, the group will tour areas around the North and South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park up to Watford City. We will observe and hear about oil and gas development in the context of this important grassland and the species that live there.
Making Reservations:
A block of rooms are being held until May 10th at the Roughriders Hotel and Conference Center. The rooms are $129. Call 1-800-633-6721 (1-800-MEDORA-1), ask for reservations, prompt the reservationist with our group name, Northern Plains Conservation. Also available is Medora Campground. They offer primitive cabins, tent sites, group tent sites, and 50, 30 and 20 amp sites, with full hookups. There is also Cottonwood campground in Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
If you are flying, the best airport to come into is Dickinson, about a 40 minute drive to Medora.
Contact NPCN Coordinator NPCN Coordinator to let us know you’ll be joining us so we can correctly plan for lunch and cars for the field trip npcncoordinator@gmail.com