Frequently Asked Questions

  • Sign our petition and add your name to the growing list of supporters calling for permanent protection of the Maah Daah Hey National Monument.

    You can also show your support on social media by tagging @ProtectMDH on Instagram and Facebook and by using the hashtag #ProtectMDH

  • Protecting the Maah Daah Hey is the largest conservation opportunity in North Dakota with thousands of acres of wild lands and miles of rivers, prairies, badlands and buttes.

    Currently, the proposed monument parcels in the Badlands are not permanently protected, leaving vast expanses—and the hundreds of native species that call the land home—vulnerable to looming threats of industrial development, climate change, unmanaged recreation, and more.

    With the Maah Daah Hey National Monument, we can manage and preserve an expansive, intact natural wonder before it suffers irreparable damage and degradation.

  • National monuments are designated to safeguard public lands and waters that have cultural, historic, ecological, or scientific importance and to ensure that future generations can enjoy and learn from these places.

    Since President Theodore Roosevelt signed the Antiquities Act into law in 1906, 18 Presidents—nine Republicans and nine Democrats—have used the authority granted by the act to safeguard public lands, oceans, and historic sites and share America’s story with future generations.

    Congress can also establish national monuments through legislation.

  • The Maah Daah Hey National Monument would:

    • Conserve the badlands, buttes, rivers, and plains, included within the monument boundaries;

    • Protect sacred, historical, and cultural resources for the Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara, Sioux, Assiniboine, people who have and continue to utilize the Badlands;

    • Protect native wildlife, and their habitats;

    • Prevent industrial development and other activities that damage land and waters, fragment habitat, and harm wildlife populations;

    • Ensure grazing in the Badlands;

    • Ensure responsible, balanced recreation, from hiking and biking to hunting; and

    • Support and grow the local economy, through jobs and economic activity generated by responsible outdoor recreation and tourism.

  • Following the designation of the Maah Daah Hey National Monument, the Forest Service would develop a management plan with extensive public involvement and consultation, so anyone with an interest in the monument can take part.

  • Domestic livestock grazing would still be allowed in the Maah Daah Hey National Monument.

    We want to honor the western lifestyle and protect the dwindling grasslands for ranching families.

  • Yes! Recreation would continue to be allowed in the Maah Daah Hey National Monument.

    Visitors would still be allowed to participate in recreational activities such as hiking, camping, horseback riding, and mountain biking within the Maah Daah Hey National Monument.

    Hunting and fishing would still be allowed in the Maah Daah Hey National Monument, and these activities would remain under the management of the state of North Dakota and the Forest Service.

  • Yes! Legally designated roads would remain open to the public.

    Horseback riding would continue to be allowed in the Maah Daah Hey National Monument.

  • No. The national monument designation would only apply to federally-managed Forest Service lands.

    The designation would not affect access to, or use of land owned by others.

  • National monuments protect “existing rights.” This means that most public and commercial activities continue after monuments are established.

    These “existing rights” can include previously existing: oil and gas leases, valid mining claims, rights-of-way and utility infrastructure, and livestock grazing.

    Many national monuments do limit or prohibit future oil and gas leases, mining claims, rights-of-way and utility infrastructure, and land disposal.

  • No. A national monument designation would not impact any existing use of water.

    In addition, a federal designation would not affect any allocation of existing water or water rights. Moreover, any designation would honor any valid existing rights-of-way.

  • Yes. The Forest Service already has the ability to manage juniper and invasive weeds across the entirety of Forest Service managed lands, which would continue after a monument is established.

    The Forest Service and others would be allowed to fight fires in a monument just as they do today.

  • People from across the state of North Dakota and the United States have been advocating for the protection of the Badlands for decades.

    A growing coalition is now coming together in support of this movement, including local residents, tribal members, conservationists, hunters, recreationists, and business owners.

    Many organizations—from the smallest local organizations to the largest national organizations—have also joined the effort.

  • Join the growing coalition of organizations, businesses, and individuals that are endorsing this effort if you haven’t already. By joining the coalition, your logo would feature on the campaign website.

    Contact us to get involved.