Dunn County
Report date
July 2022
What has been most instrumental to your progress?
Our habitat improvements for wildlife and ranching has been very successful.
With ND Outdoor Heritage Fund (OHF) grants of $2.17m in 2018, $3.3m in 2020 and another grant round request coming in 2022. With the approximately 50% match requirement of the OHF, total dollars. for the program have exceeded $10 million. The North Dakota Natural Resources Trust and their staff person Jesse Beckers have been instrumental in acquiring the funding and operating the program.
On the land successes are as follows:
Enhanced grazing systems 100,130 acres
Cover crops 4,639 acres
Tame grass seeding 1,605 acres
Native grass seeding 2,197 acres
Fences 108 miles
Water pipelines 46 miles
Water tanks 200
The demand locally from landowners is strong and continues to outpace the funding.
In addition, Jesse Beckers is working on state funding for a research project that will measure the atmospheric carbon capture.
With ND Outdoor Heritage Fund (OHF) grants of $2.17m in 2018, $3.3m in 2020 and another grant round request coming in 2022. With the approximately 50% match requirement of the OHF, total dollars. for the program have exceeded $10 million. The North Dakota Natural Resources Trust and their staff person Jesse Beckers have been instrumental in acquiring the funding and operating the program.
On the land successes are as follows:
Enhanced grazing systems 100,130 acres
Cover crops 4,639 acres
Tame grass seeding 1,605 acres
Native grass seeding 2,197 acres
Fences 108 miles
Water pipelines 46 miles
Water tanks 200
The demand locally from landowners is strong and continues to outpace the funding.
In addition, Jesse Beckers is working on state funding for a research project that will measure the atmospheric carbon capture.
We continue to work with Reice Haas from Governor Burgum's office on several issues, Mr Haas is a regular attendee and presenter at our meetings.
The Governor’s Office has been leading collaboration between cabinet and non-cabinet agencies, working as one to promote opportunities for both development and enhancement of our natural resources:
Governor Burgum announced a goal for North Dakota to be carbon-neutral by 2030, emphasizing the State’s carbon capture potential
ND Department OF Environmental Quality (DEQ): Developing Carbon-intensity Report for the State
Commerce: Working with project sponsors, identified over $30 billion in project investment interest in North Dakota, projects emphasizing carbon capture potential
Indian Affairs: Collaborating with tribes to identify carbon capture and environmental mitigation opportunities. As of April 2022, the BAG now has a former BIA employee and MHA Nation member on the BAG.
Trust Lands: Identifying opportunities for carbon capture, wetland banking, and carbon research on trust lands.
The Governor’s Office has been leading collaboration between cabinet and non-cabinet agencies, working as one to promote opportunities for both development and enhancement of our natural resources:
Governor Burgum announced a goal for North Dakota to be carbon-neutral by 2030, emphasizing the State’s carbon capture potential
ND Department OF Environmental Quality (DEQ): Developing Carbon-intensity Report for the State
Commerce: Working with project sponsors, identified over $30 billion in project investment interest in North Dakota, projects emphasizing carbon capture potential
Indian Affairs: Collaborating with tribes to identify carbon capture and environmental mitigation opportunities. As of April 2022, the BAG now has a former BIA employee and MHA Nation member on the BAG.
Trust Lands: Identifying opportunities for carbon capture, wetland banking, and carbon research on trust lands.
We also continue to work with landowners and several partners on land reclamation issues relating to pipelines and abandoned well sites.
Responsible pipeline, infrastructure, landowner relations and reclamation are closely related as much of the reclamation issues are related to pipelines. The work in this area has been in a broad range of issues and partners. The success in the reclamation area has been huge, compared back to 2014 when all this started. NDSU has produced guidelines and documents to advise landowners about how best to do reclamation as well as the legal terms a landowner needs to consider in the contract for such work.
Kevin Sedivec has been a tremendous asset in moving this area forward with his willingness to participate and his knowledge especially in the native grasslands area. Kevin has been very helpful in his push to reduce the width of pipeline disturbances.
Responsible pipeline, infrastructure, landowner relations and reclamation are closely related as much of the reclamation issues are related to pipelines. The work in this area has been in a broad range of issues and partners. The success in the reclamation area has been huge, compared back to 2014 when all this started. NDSU has produced guidelines and documents to advise landowners about how best to do reclamation as well as the legal terms a landowner needs to consider in the contract for such work.
Kevin Sedivec has been a tremendous asset in moving this area forward with his willingness to participate and his knowledge especially in the native grasslands area. Kevin has been very helpful in his push to reduce the width of pipeline disturbances.
Key lessons learned
Our group continues to work toward a goal of a strategic plan for energy in North Dakota. We have had to adjust our process by working with the ND Empower commission. We continued to track Empower and encouraged Empower to take on the planning task.
Empower ND does continue to work on Environmental Social Governance (ESG), environmental issues and strategies.
BAG continues to focus on getting results through Empower ND. The empower commission has the authority (NDCC 17-07-01.6 “The legislative assembly shall consider recommendations from the commission to develop a comprehensive energy policy for the state. The commission shall report its recommendations biennially to the legislative management.”) to recommend a state energy policy. Empower produced a state energy policy in 2007 with update recommendations in 2016.
BAG work reviewing other states energy policies noted that North Dakota had very little in the state energy policy relating to environment and surface issues as compared to the other energy states.
Empower ND does continue to work on Environmental Social Governance (ESG), environmental issues and strategies.
BAG continues to focus on getting results through Empower ND. The empower commission has the authority (NDCC 17-07-01.6 “The legislative assembly shall consider recommendations from the commission to develop a comprehensive energy policy for the state. The commission shall report its recommendations biennially to the legislative management.”) to recommend a state energy policy. Empower produced a state energy policy in 2007 with update recommendations in 2016.
BAG work reviewing other states energy policies noted that North Dakota had very little in the state energy policy relating to environment and surface issues as compared to the other energy states.
Reflections on inclusive, collaborative or resourceful problem-solving
I would say collaboration has been most important with so many different stakeholders at the table it is often challenging.
However, resourceful is also key. Collaboration without having good practical solutions is more difficult.
However, resourceful is also key. Collaboration without having good practical solutions is more difficult.
Other key elements of Community Innovation
The BAG members are key. Their knowledge, experience and connections have made all of this possible. Having a member from each of the major stakeholder groups has provided the insight to each problem and solution. Members represent conservation, tribal government, local government, state government, ranching, energy and the general public. This specific group of people were selected for their practical knowledge and common sense approach to problems and they have lived up to their reputations.
'As I think about it, what I have just described in this team of people is all three inclusivity, collaboration and resourcefulness'.-Rod Backman, former facilitator.
'As I think about it, what I have just described in this team of people is all three inclusivity, collaboration and resourcefulness'.-Rod Backman, former facilitator.
Understanding the problem
Our overriding goal is to protect the land/surface assets while energy is being produced. That will be an ongoing issue regardless of the energy source. New ideas and new solutions promote more creative thinking and helps to build the credibility of our group. With every solution that is a success our partners see the possibility of future successes for the next issue.
If you could do it all over again...
COVID created a period of uncertainty that really slowed down our process. Today I would be more aggressive in working to keep things moving during COVID.
Some of the COVID delays may have been inevitable, but not all.
Some of the COVID delays may have been inevitable, but not all.
One last thought
Education of the public on energy and conservation issues are difficult partially because the issues can be complicated.