In the 2012 President's Budget Request, the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) is terminated. As a result, all resources, databases, tools, and applications within this web site will be removed on January 15, 2012. For more information, please refer to the NBII Program Termination page.
Historical extent of prairie grasslands [Image: Aaron Jones, adapted from Ecoregions of the United States (map), Robert G. Bailey]
PrairieMap is a geospatial data clearinghouse. Users can download spatial data layers relevant to prairie research, management, and conservation of prairie grassland ecosystems in western North America.
North Dakota
North Dakota is a part of the Great Plains. Nearly half of the state is part of the Prairie Pothole Region, a highly productive wetland region of North America that supports migrating waterfowl and mediates flooding. Find geospatial data layers related to prairie habitats at PrairieMap.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Badlands [Photo: National Park Service]
"I never would have been President if it had not been for my experiences in North Dakota," Theodore Roosevelt once remarked. After witnessing the destruction of the land and wildlife of the badlands, Roosevelt made conservation one of his priorities. During his presidency, he established 5 national parks, 51 wildlife refuges, and 150 national forests.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park is located in the badlands of western North Dakota. It is made up of three units: South Unit, Elkhorn Ranch, and North Unit. The Park is home to a variety of wildlife, including mammals such as bison, elk, prairie dogs, coyotes, bighorn sheep, and pronghorn. Plant diversity is high: Over 400 species have been documented. Amphibians and reptiles are present in large numbers, but species diversity is low. Theodore Roosevelt National Park is also home to one of the last populations of free-roaming horses in the western United States.
The NBII Program is administered by the Biological Informatics Program of the U.S. Geological Survey
