Classification of protected and managed federal lands
Map of national grasslands in the United States, depicted in yellowEntrance sign of a United States National Grassland area in South Dakota
Anational grassland is an area ofprotected and managedfederal lands in the United States authorized by Title III of theBankhead–Jones Farm Tenant Act of 1937 and managed by theUnited States Forest Service. For administrative purposes, they are essentially identical tonational forests, except thatgrasslands are areas primarily consisting ofprairie. Like national forests, national grasslands may be open for hunting, grazing, mineral extraction, recreation and other uses. Various national grasslands are typically administered in conjunction with nearby national forests.
All but four national grasslands are on or at the edge of theGreat Plains. Those four are in southeasternIdaho, northeasternCalifornia, centralOregon, and a reserve inIllinois. The three national grasslands inNorth Dakota, together with one in northwestern South Dakota, are administered jointly as theDakota Prairie Grasslands. National grasslands are generally much smaller than national forests – while a typical national forest would be about 1,000,000 acres (400,000 ha), the average size of a national grassland is 191,914 acres (77,665 ha). The largest, theLittle Missouri National Grassland in North Dakota, covers 1,028,784 acres (416,334 ha), which is approximately themedian size of a national forest. As of September 30, 2007, the total area of all 20 national grasslands was 3,838,280 acres (1,553,300 ha).[1]
The catastrophicDust Bowl of the 1930s led to the creation of theSoil Conservation Service in 1933. This and subsequent federal laws paved the way for establishing national grasslands.
Black Kettle has sandy red slate hills as well as grassland and oak brush. There are three developed recreation areas, and theWashita River flows through the grassland.
In addition to prairie, there are a variety of ecosystems and landforms in Grand River, including sand dunes, river bottoms,badlands,buttes, and sandstone outcroppings.
The smallerMidewin National Tallgrass Prairie, created much later and east of theMississippi River, is technically not a "National Grassland", as it was formed under different legislation, but it is managed by the Forest Service like one, as a unique prairie resource.[3]
