Small Prairie Stream Health Within Fort Berthold Indian Reservation
Project Overview
The Fort Berthold Indian Reservation faces challenges in maintaining stream health due to recent extreme weather events, oil and gas development, and row crop expansion. Researchers supported by this North Central CASC project will assess how these changes affect stream health while providing career development for undergraduate researchers from Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College (NHSC) and United Tribes Technical College. The project will inform climate adaptation strategies and support sustainable resource management for the Mandan Arikara Nation.
Project Summary
The Fort Berthold Indian Reservation has faced many environmental challenges since 2001, including extreme drought and precipitation events, oil and gas development, and row crop expansion. These changes have likely impacted the health of prairie streams, which are important for reducing flood risk, drought risk, and erosion, and for supporting diverse plant and animal communities, cycling nutrients, and providing cultural and recreational value (e.g., angling, nature watching). Clean streams also offer valuable water for human consumption, and provide water, forage, and shelter to wildlife and livestock.
This project aims to assess how climate and land-use changes affect the ecological integrity of prairie streams located within the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation. The project will build on a 2001 assessment of stream health conducted in the region, updating the assessment to consider recent extreme climate events and development. Additionally, the project will provide hands-on training and leadership experiences for undergraduate researchers from Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College (NHSC) and United Tribes Technical College. The project is a collaborative effort with NHSC to develop the workforce and empower young researchers to pursue careers in science.
The outcomes of this project will provide information on how regional factors of climate change, oil and gas development, and land-use change have impacted the health of small prairie streams within the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation. This information will be invaluable for the Mandan Arikara Nation in identifying areas for climate adaptation and management, as well as supporting community decision-making and sustainable surface water resource management.
- Source: USGS Sciencebase (id: 65f87398d34e97daac9ff534)
Roy Sando
Physical Scientist (GIS)
Kyle I McLean, PhD
Research Ecologist
Project Overview
The Fort Berthold Indian Reservation faces challenges in maintaining stream health due to recent extreme weather events, oil and gas development, and row crop expansion. Researchers supported by this North Central CASC project will assess how these changes affect stream health while providing career development for undergraduate researchers from Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College (NHSC) and United Tribes Technical College. The project will inform climate adaptation strategies and support sustainable resource management for the Mandan Arikara Nation.
Project Summary
The Fort Berthold Indian Reservation has faced many environmental challenges since 2001, including extreme drought and precipitation events, oil and gas development, and row crop expansion. These changes have likely impacted the health of prairie streams, which are important for reducing flood risk, drought risk, and erosion, and for supporting diverse plant and animal communities, cycling nutrients, and providing cultural and recreational value (e.g., angling, nature watching). Clean streams also offer valuable water for human consumption, and provide water, forage, and shelter to wildlife and livestock.
This project aims to assess how climate and land-use changes affect the ecological integrity of prairie streams located within the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation. The project will build on a 2001 assessment of stream health conducted in the region, updating the assessment to consider recent extreme climate events and development. Additionally, the project will provide hands-on training and leadership experiences for undergraduate researchers from Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College (NHSC) and United Tribes Technical College. The project is a collaborative effort with NHSC to develop the workforce and empower young researchers to pursue careers in science.
The outcomes of this project will provide information on how regional factors of climate change, oil and gas development, and land-use change have impacted the health of small prairie streams within the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation. This information will be invaluable for the Mandan Arikara Nation in identifying areas for climate adaptation and management, as well as supporting community decision-making and sustainable surface water resource management.
- Source: USGS Sciencebase (id: 65f87398d34e97daac9ff534)