National monument proposed for North Dakota Badlands, with tribes’ support

By JACK DURA The Associated Press

This image provided by Lillian Crook shows Bullion Butte in western North Dakota. (Lillian Crook via AP)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Lillian Crook]

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A coalition of conservation groups and Native American tribal citizens have asked President Joe Biden to designate thousands of acres of rugged, scenic Badlands as North Dakota’s first national monument. At least three tribal nations endorse the proposal to preserve the area’s Indigenous and cultural heritage. The proposed Maah Daah Hey National Monument would encompass 11 noncontiguous and newly designated units totaling nearly 140,000 acres. Those units would hug the popular Maah Daah Hey Trail and neighbor Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The monument effort faces an uphill battle in the waning days of the Biden administration. Supporters say they would also ask President-elect Donald Trump’s administration for support.