Attachment_N_A_SAMPLE_TO_Park_Resources.pdf

§ Archeological and Ethnographic Resources – The White River Badlands are a place of spiritual and historical significance for many Native American groups, especially for the Lakota people. Its unique landforms have dictated human settlement and use patterns for the past 12,000 years.

§ Scenic Views – The erosion of sediments provides an array of dramatically changing vistas. The spectacular shapes and colors of the landscape range from the low rolling hills to tall walls and spires. The rural, rugged landscape enhances viewing of the clear and dark night skies.

§ Paleontological Resources – The White River Badlands preserves one of the most extensive records of the Eocene/Oligocene transition in North America, providing insight into climatic history, biological diversity, and evolution. Badlands National Park manages the largest paleontological museum collection in the National Park Service and is the source of more than 200 type and potential type specimens.

§ Geological Resources – The rocks and sediments of the White River Badlands provide valuable information on the ancient environments that existed in western South Dakota millions of years ago. Badlands National Park protects a striking geologic landscape composed of a diverse and multilayered assemblage of buttes, spires, and ravines, as well as many notable features of interest including hoodoos and the Badlands Wall. These landscapes and features were formed by geologic processes, such as sedimentation, erosion, and tectonics, operating over millions of years and continuing today. The park includes three stratigraphic type sections of the White River Group.

§ Native Wildlife –Badlands National Park supports range for wildlife native to the mixed-grass prairie of the northern Great Plains. Visitors can encounter bison, bighorn sheep, and pronghorn. Habitat is also provided for numerous small, iconic prairie animals, including vast populations of prairie dogs, occasional burrowing owls, and the black-footed ferret, the most endangered animal in North America.

§ Wilderness Experience/Values – The expanse of the remote and wild landscape within the Sage Creek Wilderness area provides the opportunity for exploration and solitude. The lack of urban noise pollution allows visitors to experience the natural soundscape of the prairie.

§ Mixed-Grass Prairie Ecosystem – Badlands National Park is at the western edge of what was once a mixed-grass prairie ecosystem. The mixed-grass prairie of the central United States was a transition

Attachment N_A, Sample TO_Park Resources

FUNDAMENTAL RESOURCES AND VALUES

Fundamental resources and values (FRVs) are those features, systems, processes, experiences, stories, scenes, sounds, smells, or other attributes determined to warrant primary consideration during planning and management processes because they are essential to achieving the purpose of the park and maintaining its significance. Fundamental resources and values are closely related to a park’s legislative purpose and are more specific than significance statements.

Fundamental resources and values help focus planning and management efforts on what is truly significant about the park. One of the most important responsibilities of NPS managers is to ensure the conservation and public enjoyment of those qualities that are essential (fundamental) to achieving the purpose of the park and maintaining its significance. If fundamental resources and values are allowed to deteriorate, the park purpose and/or significance could be jeopardized.

The following fundamental resources and values have been identified for Badlands National Park:

zone between the arid short-grass prairie to the west and the tall-grass prairie to the east. Today the park supports one of the largest contiguous native mixed-grass prairies under federal protection in the United States.

OTHER IMPORTANT RESOURCES AND VALUES

Badlands National Park contains other resources and values that are not fundamental to the purpose of the park and may be unrelated to its significance, but are important to consider in planning processes. These are referred to as “other important resources and values” (OIRV). These resources and values have been selected because they are important in the operation and management of the park and warrant special consideration in park planning.

The following other important resources and values have been identified for Badlands National Park:

§ Cedar Pass Developed Area Cultural Landscape – This area is a vernacular and designed cultural landscape that originated as a commercial venture by Ben Millard and his sister to promote the White River Badlands as a destination. Millard worked with the National Park Service and other local interest groups to have the area set aside as a unit of the National Park Service. The Civilian Conservation Corps and National Park Service continued development in the area. The Cedar Pass Developed Area that visitors and staff see and experience today contains remnants from the Early Tourism, the Civilian Conservation Corps, and the Mission 66 development periods of the National Park Service. These remnants, including the circulation patterns, buildings, structures, viewsheds, and vegetation, contribute to the significance of the cultural landscape. Large parts of this cultural landscape have been added to the NPS List of Classified Structures database and may eventually be added to the National Register of Historic Places, along with the park road and other developed areas.

§ Highway 240 Loop Road (Badlands Scenic Byway) – The primary park road developed from an informal local road system that was roughly in place by 1912. As part of the proclamation authorizing Badlands National Monument in 1929, the State of South Dakota agreed to formalize and consolidate this road system. The park was not officially designated until this work, primarily done by the Works Progress Administration, was complete. The road is listed on the NPS List of Classified Structures database and may eventually be added to the National Register of Historic Places, along with its associated developed areas.

§ Museum Collection – (This OIRV does not include paleontological, ethnographic, and archeological resources that are fundamental to the park.) The museum collection preserves archives and records related to the development of Badlands National Monument (later Badlands National Park). The collection also helps to document the modern and historic flora and fauna of the area.

INTERPRETIVE THEMES

Interpretive themes are often described as the key stories or concepts that visitors should understand after visiting a park—they define the most important ideas or concepts communicated to visitors about a park unit. Themes are derived from, and should reflect, park purpose, significance, resources, and values. The set of interpretive themes is complete when it provides the structure necessary for park staff to develop opportunities for visitors to explore and relate to all park significance statements and fundamental and other important resources and values.

Interpretive themes are an organizational tool that reveal and clarify meaning, concepts, contexts, and values represented by park resources. Sound themes are accurate and reflect current scholarship and science. They encourage exploration of the context in which events or natural processes occurred and the effects of those events and processes. Interpretive themes go beyond a mere description of the event or process to foster multiple opportunities to experience and consider the park and its resources. These themes help explain why a park story is relevant to people who may otherwise be unaware of connections they have to an event, time, or place associated with the park.

The following interpretive themes have been identified for Badlands National Park:

§ Human History – For the last 12,000 years, environmental and topographical conditions in the White River Badlands have challenged humans to adapt, persevere, and survive. Different cultural groups from historic to present-day American Indians and allottees have had and continue to have spiritual and physical relationships to the Badlands.

§ Sacred Landscape – The sacred geography of the White River Badlands represents the survival, hope, and vision of the Lakota people.

§ Wilderness – The Badlands Wilderness Area engages the very deepest aspects of human connection to the Badlands and mixed-grass prairies and reflects an inherent contrast between that natural world and our modern existence. It offers excellent possibilities for solitude and contemplation and an unusual opportunity to experience wilderness in a prairie setting.

§ Mixed-Grass Prairie – The Badlands National Park mixed-grass prairie ecosystem is a surviving fragment of the once expansive native sea of grass, deceptively complex and diverse, with the majority of life hidden below ground. Studying the mixed-grass prairie ecosystem and the human relationship to it helps to understand the changing grassland ecology of the Great Plains and helps us restore and protect this fragile and remarkably diverse ecosystem.

§ Wildlife – Badlands National Park’s array of Northern Great Plains wildlife invites reflection on the interconnectedness of all living beings, the importance of diversity and healthy ecosystems, and the value of conserving wildlife.

§ Fossil and Geologic Record – The paleontological and geologic record of the White River Badlands provides scientific context for understanding the dynamics of climate and the evolution of life past, present, and future.

§ Vast Landscapes – The White River Badlands’ vast, contrasting landscapes inspire people to appreciate the beauty and value of spectacular scenery both day and night. The Badlands, an evolving landscape formed by the processes of deposition and erosion and forces of the wind and water, offer lessons for all visitors on the impacts of natural forces on our communities and our lives.

§ Science of Paleontology – Mid-19th-century fossil discoveries in the Badlands were the catalyst for conducting the first major fossil explorations of the American West, initiating the modern science of paleontology, and improving our understanding of the transition and origins of the modern North American grasslands ecosystems.

The following themes are specific to the South Unit:

§ One of the last Ghost Dances occurred on Stronghold Table and precipitated the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre, the last battle between American Indians and Europeans.

§ Families that historically lived on this land sometimes faced difficult choices and made sacrifices when the Bombing Range was created.

Door Trail .75 miles/1.2 km (round trip) 20 minutes Easy. An accessible ¼ mile boardwalk leads through a break in the Badlands Wall known as “the Door” and to a view of the Badlands. From there, the maintained trail ends. Travel beyond this point is at your own risk. Watch for drop offs.

Window Trail .25 miles/.40 km (round trip) 20 minutes Easy. This short trail leads to a natural window in the Badlands Wall with a view of an intricately eroded can-yon. Please stay on the trail.

Notch Trail

1.5 miles/2.4 km (round trip) 1 1/2 - 2 hours Moderate to strenuous. After meandering through a canyon, this trail climbs a ladder and follows a ledge to “the Notch” for a dramatic view of the White River Valley. Trail begins at the south end of the Door and Window parking area. Watch for drop offs. Not recom-mended for anyone with a fear of heights. Treacherous during or after heavy rains.

Castle Trail 10 miles/16 km (round trip) 5 hours Moderate. The longest trail in the park begins at the Door and Window parking area and travels five miles one way to the Fossil Exhibit Trail. Relatively level, the path passes along some Badlands formations.

Cliff Shelf .5 miles/.8 km (round trip) 1/2 hour Moderate. This loop trail follows boardwalks and climbs stairs through a juniper forest perched along the Bad-lands Wall. A small pond occasionally exists in the area and draws wildlife such as deer or bighorn sheep.

Climbs approximately 200 feet in elevation. Please stay on the trail.

Saddle Pass .25 miles/.40 km (round trip) 1/2 - 1 hour Strenuous. This short trail climbs up the Badlands Wall to a view over the White River Valley. The trail ends where it connects with the Castle and Medicine Root Loop Trails.

Medicine Root Loop 4 miles/6.4 km (round trip) 2 hours Moderate. This generally rolling spur trail connects with the Castle Trail near the Old Northeast Road or at the in-tersection of the Castle and Saddle Pass Trails. Trail users are provided the opportunity to explore the mixed grass prairie while enjoying views of the Badlands in the distance. Watch for cactus.

Fossil Exhibit Trail .25 miles/.40 km (round trip) 20 minutes Easy. Fully accessible trail features fossil replicas and exhibits of now extinct creatures that once roamed the area.

Hiking in the Park

VISITOR FACILITIES

The Ben Reifel Visitor Center is located in the Cedar Pass area, 8 miles from Cactus Flat or approximately 20 miles from the Pinnacles Overlook. The Badlands Natural History Association sells postcards, books, posters and other educational materials.

Open year round.

Winter hours 8 am – 4 pm Summer hours 7 am – 7 pm

The White River Visitor Center is located on the Pine Ridge Reservation off Hwy 27, and BIA 2. Contact (605) 455-2878 for more information. Open seasonally, call 605-433- 5361 for hours of operation.

FOOD AND LODGING

The Cedar Pass Lodge has the only restaurant and lodging available in the park. The lodge is open seasonally. Call or write for hours of operation.

Cedar Pass Lodge 20681 Hwy 240 Interior, SD 57750

(605) 433-5460; fax (605) 433-5560

Food and lodging are available in surrounding communities.

PETS

Pets are not permitted on trails, in backcountry, or Wilderness Areas. While walking pets in developed areas, they must always be on a leash, no longer than 6 feet in length. Be a responsible pet owner and pick up after your animal. Pets are not allowed in facilities. Due to our hot summers, leaving pets in cars can cause sickness or death. Be aware that visitors will be contacted by law enforcement if an animal appears to be in distress.

Service animals are an exception to most pet restrictions and are allowed on trails and in public buildings. Service animals must be kept on a leash at all times. Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA.

PICNIC AREAS

Picnic tables are located at Bigfoot Pass, Conata Picnic area, and the Ben Reifel and White River Visitor Centers.

WATER

Only available at the Ben Reifel and White River Visitor Centers for personal use. RV’s can fill tanks at the Cedar Pass Campground dump station ($1 user fee).

ACCESSIBILITY

The Ben Reifel and White River Visitor Centers are both accessible to wheelchair users. The Cedar Pass campground has two accessible campsites. All campground restrooms and one group campsite are accessible. The Cedar Pass Lodge dining room and gift shop meets accessibility standards.

Accessible trails include Window Trail, Door Trail, Fossil Exhibit Trail, Bigfoot Pass Overlook, and Prairie Wind Overlook.

Listening devices are available at the Ben Reifel Visitor Center for the orientation film.

CAMPING

Located near the Ben Reifel Visitor Center, the Cedar Pass Campground has 96 sites. Summer camping fees are charged per night, per campsite. A few sites have electrical hook-ups. Reduced winter camping fees are charged per night, per campsite. Call Cedar Pass Lodge for prices. Campsites and RV sites may be reserved in advance on line at:

www.CedarPassLodge.com (if reservation is more than 72 hours in advance) and has a 14 day limit. Cold running water, coin operated showers, flush toilets, covered picnic tables, and trash containers are available during the summer. Covered picnic tables, vault toilets, and trash containers are available during the winter. A dump station is available for a $1.00 fee per use. Please visit the Cedar Pass Lodge for assistance with registration information.

Open campfires are not permitted.

Group Camping: Four campsites are available in the Cedar Pass Campground for organized groups with a designated leader.

The nightly fee is a per person rate with a minimum fee. Advance reservations can be made by contacting Sonya Michaels, Group Camping Reservations at:

480-390-8540 or smichaels@foreverresorts.com

Contact information Cedar Pass Lodge 20681 Hwy 240 Interior, SD 57750

(605) 433-5460; fax (605) 433-5560

The Sage Creek Campground in the Badlands Wilderness Area is open year round.

Please check road conditions if rain or snow was recent. The Sage Creek Rim Road is remote and unpaved. It is not recommended for large recreational vehicles. The campground is free and offers pit toilets and picnic tables. There is a fourteen day limit.

There is no water available.

Open campfires are not permitted.

BACKCOUNTRY CAMPING

Permits are not required for backcountry camping. Registers are located at the Medicine/Castle Trail Loop, Saddle Pass Trailhead, Conata Picnic Area, Sage Creek Basin Overlook, and the Sage Creek Campground. Campfires are not allowed.

Use a backpacking stove. The location of your campsite must be at least

0.5 miles from a road or trail and must not be visible from a roadway, Water from natural sources is not drinkable or filterable due to the high sediment content. Carry at least one gallon of water per person per day. Practice Leave No Trace principles - Carry out all trash and toilet paper. If a cat-hole must be dug, it needs to be a minimum of 6 inches deep and be at least 200 ft from any water source. Strain food particles from water and scatter water. Carry food particles out with other refuse. Check the weather forecast. The Badlands experiences extreme heat and cold as well as damaging storms in any season.

September and early October are the best backpacking months.

CAMPFIRES

Open campfires are prohibited. Please use only propane stoves or grills. Ask at the visitor center about restrictions on use of other types of grills.

HORSE USE

Horseback riding is allowed anywhere in the park except on marked trails, roads, and developed areas such as campgrounds and overlooks. Vehicles and horse trailers may be parked at overlooks and parking areas for access to day riding. There are no designated riding trails in the park but topographic maps are available for purchase at the Ben Reifel Visitor Center.

Easiest access and free riding can be found in the Badlands Wilderness Area. Horse camping is allowed at the Sage Creek Wilderness Area campground. No water is available and there is a 14 day limit.

PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES

The following activities are prohibited in the park:

• Collecting plants, rocks, artifacts, and fossils.

• Off-road driving or biking

• Hunting (federal offense)

• Flying drones

• Skateboarding

Thank you and enjoy your visit to Badlands National Park!

Foundation Document Badlands National Park South Dakota August 2017

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE • U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

16A

0 10

0 10 20 Mi

20 Km

PINE RIDGE INDIAN RESERVATION

Badlands National Park

Jewel Cave National

Monument Wind Cave National Park

Minuteman Missile National Historic SiteMount

Rushmore National

Memorial

BUFFALO GAP

NATIONAL

GRASSLAND

BLACK HILLS

NATIONAL

FOREST

Custer State Park

Keystone

Wounded Knee

Oelrichs

Interior

Hot Springs

Edgemont

Custer

Rapid City

Scenic

Wall

Philip

Kadoka

Wanblee

Pine Ridge

Contents Mission of the National Park Service 1

Introduction 2

Part 1: Core Components 3

Brief Description of the Park 3 Park Purpose 4 Park Significance 5 Fundamental Resources and Values 6 Other Important Resources and Values 7 Interpretive Themes 8

Part 2: Dynamic Components 10

Special Mandates and Administrative Commitments 10 Special Mandates 10

Administrative Commitments 11

Assessment of Planning and Data Needs 11 Analysis of Fundamental Resources and Values 11

Analysis of Other Important Resources and Values 27

Identification of Key Issues and Associated Planning and Data Needs 33

Planning and Data Needs 35

Part 3: Contributors 43

Badlands National Park 43 NPS Midwest Regional Office 43 Other NPS Staff 43 Partners 43

Appendixes 44

Appendix A: Enabling Legislation and Legislative Acts for Badlands National Park 44

Appendix B: Inventory of Administrative Commitments 56 Appendix C: Basics for Wilderness Stewardship 57

The arrowhead was authorized as the official National Park Service emblem by the Secretary of the Interior on July 20, 1951. The sequoia tree and bison represent vegetation and wildlife, the mountains and water represent scenic and recreational values, and the arrowhead represents historical and archeological values.

Badlands National Park

Mission of the National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the national park system for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. The National Park Service cooperates with partners to extend the benefits of natural and cultural resource conservation and outdoor recreation throughout this country and the world.

The NPS core values are a framework in which the National Park Service accomplishes its mission. They express the manner in which, both individually and collectively, the National Park Service pursues its mission. The NPS core values are:

· Shared stewardship: We share a commitment to resource stewardship with the global preservation community.

· Excellence: We strive continually to learn and improve so that we may achieve the highest ideals of public service.

· Integrity: We deal honestly and fairly with the public and one another.

· Tradition: We are proud of it; we learn from it; we are not bound by it.

· Respect: We embrace each other’s differences so that we may enrich the well-being of everyone.

The National Park Service is a bureau within the Department of the Interior. While numerous national park system units were created prior to 1916, it was not until August 25, 1916, that President Woodrow Wilson signed the National Park Service Organic Act formally establishing the National Park Service.

The national park system continues to grow and comprises more than 400 park units covering more than 84 million acres in every state, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. These units include, but are not limited to, national parks, monuments, battlefields, military parks, historical parks, historic sites, lakeshores, seashores, recreation areas, scenic rivers and trails, and the White House. The variety and diversity of park units throughout the nation require a strong commitment to resource stewardship and management to ensure both the protection and enjoyment of these resources for future generations.

Introduction Every unit of the national park system will have a foundational document to provide basic guidance for planning and management decisions—a foundation for planning and management. The core components of a foundation document include a brief description of the park as well as the park’s purpose, significance, fundamental resources and values, other important resources and values, and interpretive themes. The foundation document also includes special mandates and administrative commitments, an assessment of planning and data needs that identifies planning issues, planning products to be developed, and the associated studies and data required for park planning. Along with the core components, the assessment provides a focus for park planning activities and establishes a baseline from which planning documents are developed.

A primary benefit of developing a foundation document is the opportunity to integrate and coordinate all kinds and levels of planning from a single, shared understanding of what is most important about the park. The process of developing a foundation document begins with gathering and integrating information about the park. Next, this information is refined and focused to determine what the most important attributes of the park are. The process of preparing a foundation document aids park managers, staff, and the public in identifying and clearly stating in one document the essential information that is necessary for park management to consider when determining future planning efforts, outlining key planning issues, and protecting resources and values that are integral to park purpose and identity.

While not included in this document, a park atlas is also part of a foundation project. The atlas is a series of maps compiled from available geographic information system (GIS) data on natural and cultural resources, visitor use patterns, facilities, and other topics. It serves as a GIS-based support tool for planning and park operations. The atlas is published as a (hard copy) paper product and as geospatial data for use in a web mapping environment. The park atlas for Badlands National Park can be accessed online at: http://insideparkatlas.nps.gov/.

(Note: Due to the sensitive nature of paleontological and archeological locations, this data will not be made available as a layer file in the park atlas.)

Part 1: Core Components The core components of a foundation document include a brief description of the park, park purpose, significance statements, fundamental resources and values, other important resources and values, and interpretive themes. These components are core because they typically do not change over time. Core components are expected to be used in future planning and management efforts.

Foundation elements for South Unit of Badlands National Park were completed during the South Unit General Management Plan / Environmental Impact Statement in 2012. This foundation updates those foundation elements to include the North Unit and serves the entire park.

Brief Description of the Park The White River Badlands in southwestern South Dakota contain spiritual, historical, geological, and paleontological resources. The scenic landscape of the Badlands has great historical and spiritual significance to the Lakota Sioux. Educational opportunities and scientific research offer visitors insight into the area’s geological and paleontological wonders.

The striking geologic formations contain one of the world’s richest fossil beds. Ancient mammals such as rhinos, horses, and saber-toothed cats once roamed here. The Oglala Sioux Tribe and federal land management agencies protect an expanse of mixed-grass prairie where bison, bighorn sheep, prairie dogs, and black-footed ferrets live today.

Badlands National Park is 70 miles east of Rapid City. The park, established in 1939, totals 242,756 acres. The North Unit includes the 64,250-acre Badlands Wilderness Area. The South Unit is within the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and is managed by the National Park Service in cooperation with the Oglala Sioux Tribe under a memorandum of agreement signed in 1976.

In addition to the national park, the White River Badlands includes Buffalo Gap National Grassland, the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, private lands, primarily ranches and farms, and Minuteman Missile National Historic Site. This region of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles, and spires is blended with the largest, protected mixed-grass prairie in the United States. There are two visitor centers in Badlands National Park, one in the North Unit and one in the South Unit. In addition, there are two visitor centers in proximity to Badlands National Park: the National Grasslands Visitor Center in Wall, South Dakota, and the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site Visitor Center just off Interstate 90 at Badlands Exit 131.

Park Purpose The purpose statement identifies the specific reason(s) for establishment of a particular park. The purpose statement for Badlands National Park was drafted through a careful analysis of its enabling legislation and the legislative history that influenced its development. The park was established when the enabling legislation adopted by Congress was signed into law on March 4, 1929 (see appendix A for enabling legislation). The purpose statement lays the foundation for understanding what is most important about the park.

The purposes of Badlands national Park are based on the various pieces of legislation that resulted in the creation of Badlands National

Park and the legislation governing the National Park Service. Badlands National Park is to be managed to accomplish the following:

• Protect the unique landforms and scenery of the White River Badlands for the benefit, education, and inspiration of the public.

• Preserve, interpret, and provide for scientific study of the paleontological and geological resources of the White River Badlands.

• Preserve the flora, fauna, and natural processes of the mixed-grass prairie ecosystem.

• Preserve the Badlands Wilderness Area and associated wilderness values.

• Preserve and interpret the history, culture, and heritage of the Sioux Nation and Lakota people.

• Preserve and interpret the archeological and contemporary history of use and settlement of lands within the park.

Park Significance Significance statements express why a park’s resources and values are important enough to merit designation as a unit of the national park system. These statements are linked to the purpose of Badlands National Park, and are supported by data, research, and consensus.

Statements of significance describe the distinctive nature of the park and why an area is important within a global, national, regional, and systemwide context. They focus on the most important resources and values that will assist in park planning and management.

According to the 2006 North Unit General Management Plan and the 2012 South Unit General Management Plan, Badlands National Park is significant for the following reasons:

· The park’s geological and paleontological resources provide insight into climatic history, biological diversity, evolution, and geological processes particular to the boundary between the Eocene and Oligocene epochs, as well as a unique opportunity to trace the evolution of the prairie ecosystems of the Great Plains.

· The long history of research in the White River Badlands has contributed greatly to the science of vertebrate paleontology in North America.

· The park contains spectacular scenery, predominantly highly eroded landforms that comprise a concentrated collection of rutted ravines, serrated towers, pinnacles, and precipitous gulches.

· The park protects places of spiritual and historical significance to the Lakota people, including the site of one of the last Ghost Dances, which precipitated the 1890 massacre at Wounded Knee.

· The harsh climate and extreme geography of the Badlands region influenced both aboriginal use and contemporary settlement patterns of lands now administered by the National Park Service and contributed to the establishment of the park.

· The North Unit preserves 64,250 acres of designated wilderness comprising badlands and prairie that offer outstanding opportunities for exploration and solitude.

· The park protects a substantial remnant of native prairie and encloses the largest mixed-grass prairie within the national park system.

· The park provides unparalleled opportunities to observe bison, bighorn sheep, swift fox, pronghorn, coyotes, prairie dogs, black-footed ferrets, and other native animals in their natural habitat.

Fundamental Resources and Values Fundamental resources and values (FRVs) are those features, systems, processes, experiences, stories, scenes, sounds, smells, or other attributes determined to warrant primary consideration during planning and management processes because they are essential to achieving the purpose of the park and maintaining its significance. Fundamental resources and values are closely related to a park’s legislative purpose and are more specific than significance statements.

Fundamental resources and values help focus planning and management efforts on what is truly significant about the park. One of the most important responsibilities of NPS managers is to ensure the conservation and public enjoyment of those qualities that are essential (fundamental) to achieving the purpose of the park and maintaining its significance. If fundamental resources and values are allowed to deteriorate, the park purpose and/or significance could be jeopardized.

The following fundamental resources and values have been identified for Badlands National Park:

· Archeological and Ethnographic Resources – The White River Badlands are a place of spiritual and historical significance for many Native American groups, especially for the Lakota people. Its unique landforms have dictated human settlement and use patterns for the past 12,000 years.

· Scenic Views – The erosion of sediments provides an array of dramatically changing vistas. The spectacular shapes and colors of the landscape range from the low rolling hills to tall walls and spires. The rural, rugged landscape enhances viewing of the clear and dark night skies.

· Paleontological Resources – The White River Badlands preserves one of the most extensive records of the Eocene/Oligocene transition in North America, providing insight into climatic history, biological diversity, and evolution. Badlands National Park manages the largest paleontological museum collection in the National Park Service and is the source of more than 200 type and potential type specimens.

· Geological Resources – The rocks and sediments of the White River Badlands provide valuable information on the ancient environments that existed in western South Dakota millions of years ago. Badlands National Park protects a striking geologic landscape composed of a diverse and multilayered assemblage of buttes, spires, and ravines, as well as many notable features of interest including hoodoos and the Badlands Wall. These landscapes and features were formed by geologic processes, such as sedimentation, erosion, and tectonics, operating over millions of years and continuing today. The park includes three stratigraphic type sections of the White River Group.

· Native Wildlife – Badlands National Park supports range for wildlife native to the mixed-grass prairie of the northern Great Plains. Visitors can encounter bison, bighorn sheep, and pronghorn. Habitat is also provided for numerous small, iconic prairie animals, including vast populations of prairie dogs, occasional burrowing owls, and the black-footed ferret, the most endangered animal in North America.

· Wilderness Experience/Values – The expanse of the remote and wild landscape within the Sage Creek Wilderness area provides the opportunity for exploration and solitude. The lack of urban noise pollution allows visitors to experience the natural soundscape of the prairie.

· Mixed-Grass Prairie Ecosystem – Badlands National Park is at the western edge of what was once a mixed-grass prairie ecosystem. The mixed-grass prairie of the central United States was a transition zone between the arid short-grass prairie to the west and the tall-grass prairie to the east. Today the park supports one of the largest contiguous native mixed-grass prairies under federal protection in the United States.

Other Important Resources and Values Badlands National Park contains other resources and values that are not fundamental to the purpose of the park and may be unrelated to its significance, but are important to consider in planning processes. These are referred to as “other important resources and values” (OIRV).

These resources and values have been selected because they are important in the operation and management of the park and warrant special consideration in park planning.

The following other important resources and values have been identified for Badlands National Park:

· Cedar Pass Developed Area Cultural Landscape – This area is a vernacular and designed cultural landscape that originated as a commercial venture by Ben Millard and his sister to promote the White River Badlands as a destination. Millard worked with the National Park Service and other local interest groups to have the area set aside as a unit of the National Park Service. The Civilian Conservation Corps and National Park Service continued development in the area. The Cedar Pass Developed Area that visitors and staff see and experience today contains remnants from the Early Tourism, the Civilian Conservation Corps, and the Mission 66 development periods of the National Park Service. These remnants, including the circulation patterns, buildings, structures, viewsheds, and vegetation, contribute to the significance of the cultural landscape. Large parts of this cultural landscape have been added to the NPS List of Classified Structures database and may eventually be added to the National Register of Historic Places, along with the park road and other developed areas.

· Highway 240 Loop Road (Badlands Scenic Byway) – The primary park road developed from an informal local road system that was roughly in place by 1912.

As part of the proclamation authorizing Badlands National Monument in 1929, the State of South Dakota agreed to formalize and consolidate this road system. The park was not officially designated until this work, primarily done by the Works Progress Administration, was complete. The road is listed on the NPS List of Classified Structures database and may eventually be added to the National Register of Historic Places, along with its associated developed areas.

· Museum Collection – (This OIRV does not include paleontological, ethnographic, and archeological resources that are fundamental to the park.) The museum collection preserves archives and records related to the development of Badlands National Monument (later Badlands National Park). The collection also helps to document the modern and historic flora and fauna of the area.

Interpretive Themes Interpretive themes are often described as the key stories or concepts that visitors should understand after visiting a park—they define the most important ideas or concepts communicated to visitors about a park unit. Themes are derived from, and should reflect, park purpose, significance, resources, and values. The set of interpretive themes is complete when it provides the structure necessary for park staff to develop opportunities for visitors to explore and relate to all park significance statements and fundamental and other important resources and values.

Interpretive themes are an organizational tool that reveal and clarify meaning, concepts, contexts, and values represented by park resources. Sound themes are accurate and reflect current scholarship and science. They encourage exploration of the context in which events or natural processes occurred and the effects of those events and processes. Interpretive themes go beyond a mere description of the event or process to foster multiple opportunities to experience and consider the park and its resources. These themes help explain why a park story is relevant to people who may otherwise be unaware of connections they have to an event, time, or place associated with the park.

The following interpretive themes have been identified for Badlands National Park:

· Human History – For the last 12,000 years, environmental and topographical conditions in the White River Badlands have challenged humans to adapt, persevere, and survive. Different cultural groups from historic to present-day American Indians and allottees have had and continue to have spiritual and physical relationships to the Badlands.

· Sacred Landscape – The sacred geography of the White River Badlands represents the survival, hope, and vision of the Lakota people.

· Wilderness – The Badlands Wilderness Area engages the very deepest aspects of human connection to the Badlands and mixed-grass prairies and reflects an inherent contrast between that natural world and our modern existence. It offers excellent possibilities for solitude and contemplation and an unusual opportunity to experience wilderness in a prairie setting.

· Mixed-Grass Prairie – The Badlands National Park mixed-grass prairie ecosystem is a surviving fragment of the once expansive native sea of grass, deceptively complex and diverse, with the majority of life hidden below ground. Studying the mixed-grass prairie ecosystem and the human relationship to it helps to understand the changing grassland ecology of the Great Plains and helps us restore and protect this fragile and remarkably diverse ecosystem.

· Wildlife – Badlands National Park’s array of Northern Great Plains wildlife invites reflection on the interconnectedness of all living beings, the importance of diversity and healthy ecosystems, and the value of conserving wildlife.

· Fossil and Geologic Record – The paleontological and geologic record of the White River Badlands provides scientific context for understanding the dynamics of climate and the evolution of life past, present, and future.

· Vast Landscapes – The White River Badlands’ vast, contrasting landscapes inspire people to appreciate the beauty and value of spectacular scenery both day and night.

The Badlands, an evolving landscape formed by the processes of deposition and erosion and forces of the wind and water, offer lessons for all visitors on the impacts of natural forces on our communities and our lives.

· Science of Paleontology – Mid-19th-century fossil discoveries in the Badlands were the catalyst for conducting the first major fossil explorations of the American West, initiating the modern science of paleontology, and improving our understanding of the transition and origins of the modern North American grasslands ecosystems.

The following themes are specific to the South Unit:

· One of the last Ghost Dances occurred on Stronghold Table and precipitated the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre, the last battle between American Indians and Europeans.

· Families that historically lived on this land sometimes faced difficult choices and made sacrifices when the Bombing Range was created.

Part 2: Dynamic Components The dynamic components of a foundation document include special mandates and administrative commitments and an assessment of planning and data needs. These components are dynamic because they will change over time. New special mandates can be established and new administrative commitments made. As conditions and trends of fundamental and other important resources and values change over time, the analysis of planning and data needs will need to be revisited and revised, along with key issues. Therefore, this part of the foundation document will be updated accordingly.

Special Mandates and Administrative Commitments Many management decisions for a park unit are directed or influenced by special mandates and administrative commitments with other federal agencies, state and local governments, utility companies, partnering organizations, and other entities. Special mandates are requirements specific to a park that must be fulfilled. Mandates can be expressed in enabling legislation, in separate legislation following the establishment of the park, or through a judicial process.

They may expand on park purpose or introduce elements unrelated to the purpose of the park. Administrative commitments are, in general, agreements that have been reached through formal, documented processes, often through memorandums of agreement. Examples include easements, rights-of-way, arrangements for emergency service responses, etc. Special mandates and administrative commitments can support, in many cases, a network of partnerships that help fulfill the objectives of the park and facilitate working relationships with other organizations.

They are an essential component of managing and planning for Badlands National Park.

Special Mandates

· Congress designated 64,250 acres of Badlands National Park as wilderness when it passed Public Law 94-567 on October 20, 1976. As a result, these lands are managed under the provisions of the Wilderness Act (16 USC 1131 et seq.).

· The 1976 Memorandum of Agreement between the National Park Service and the Oglala Sioux Tribe is fundamental to management of the South Unit, affecting staffing, public recreation, law enforcement, management of natural and cultural resources, mineral rights, prairie restoration, grazing, and hunting. In the Cedar Pass District, the 1976 memorandum of agreement affects concessions operations and provides for sharing of recreational entrance fees between the National Park Service and the Oglala Sioux Tribe.

· Public Law 90-468 of August 8, 1968 [82 Stat. 663] provides that the Secretary of the Interior may acquire not to exceed 40 acres of tribally owned land on the reservation, but outside of park boundaries, for the purpose of erecting a visitor center to be used to interpret the natural phenomena of the area and the history of the Sioux Nation.

· Certain sites that are spiritually important to the Oglala Sioux Tribe cannot be developed without the tribe’s written consent.

· The Clean Air Act (42 USC 7401 et seq.), as amended, requires all park units to meet federal, state, and local pollution standards. Additionally, the Sage Creek Wilderness Area is a mandatory Class I area under the prevention of significant deterioration provisions of the act. This gives the National Park Service an “affirmative responsibility” to protect the air quality and air quality related values within the park from the adverse effects of air pollution. Air quality related values are resources that are sensitive to air pollution, such as visibility, plants, animals, soils, water, and certain cultural resources. State and federal permitting authorities must consult with the National Park Service regarding new sources of air pollution, and impacts on park air quality related values must be considered in the permitting process. Further, the act requires NPS involvement in natural regulatory efforts aimed at eliminating human-caused visibility impairment in all Class I areas.

Administrative Commitments For information about the existing administrative commitments for Badlands National Park, please see appendix C.

Assessment of Planning and Data Needs Once the core components of part 1 of the foundation document have been identified, it is important to gather and evaluate existing information about the park’s fundamental and other important resources and values, and develop a full assessment of the park’s planning and data needs. The assessment of planning and data needs section presents planning issues, the planning projects that will address these issues, and the associated information requirements for planning, such as resource inventories and data collection, including GIS data.

There are three sections in the assessment of planning and data needs:

1. analysis of fundamental and other important resources and values

2. identification of key issues and associated planning and data needs

3. identification of planning and data needs (including spatial mapping activities or GIS maps)

The analysis of fundamental and other important resources and values and identification of key issues leads up to and supports the identification of planning and data collection needs.

Analysis of Fundamental Resources and Values The fundamental resource or value analysis table includes current conditions, potential threats and opportunities, and planning and data needs related to management of the identified resource or value.

Fundamental Resource or Value

Archeological and Ethnographic Resources

Related Significance Statements

• The park protects places of spiritual and historical significance to the Lakota people, including the site of one of the last Ghost Dances, which precipitated the 1890 massacre at Wounded Knee

• The harsh climate and extreme geography of the Badlands region influenced both aboriginal use and contemporary settlement patterns of lands now administered by the National Park Service and contributed to the establishment of the park

Current Conditions and Trends

Conditions

• Dynamic natural processes occur throughout the park; rain and wind erosion are primary factors in archeological site preservation and exposure

• Site condition assessment and ranger monitoring programs; database of site condition

• Collaboration and consultation with the tribal historic preservation offices

• Consultation required with the South Dakota state historic preservation office

• Surveys tend to be small monitoring or inventory projects

• Oral histories associated with homesteaders are kept in the park museum collection

• Small portion of the park has been surveyed for archeological and ethnographic resources

• There are 345 officially documented archeological sites in the park

• 10,047 archeological artifacts

• 14 ethnographic objects

• Ethnographic uses ongoing in the park

• Annual Chief Big Foot Memorial ride honors those who lost their lives during the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890 This is an annual event and is considered an ethnographic resource

Trends

• Soils are eroding and exposing/removing/disturbing sites; eroded soil may be burying sites and exposures (discovering and losing sites)

Threats and Opportunities

Threats

• Visitors obtaining hiking tours of the Badlands Wilderness Area from the internet with no conservation or preservation message results in sites being poached

• Illegal collection (intentionally or accidentally)

• Ongoing erosion

• Ungulate trampling, prairie dog town expansion/contraction damages sites

• Inappropriate development within the park damages sites

• Off-road motorized uses; trampling associated with that use damages sites

Opportunities

• Increase/expand archeological research in the park; focus on behavior through time, specifically climate change adaptation/response

• Increase percentage of inventoried lands, particularly as erosion exposes more sites

• Planning for development projects to include funding for natural and cultural compliance

• Increased collaboration between tribal historic preservation office and park

Fundament…