Minerals
Leasable Minerals (Oil and Gas) -All National Forest System lands
on the Nebraska National Forest, except for the Soldier Creek Wilderness
and Pine Ridge National Recreation Area, are legally available for
leasing. The Bureau of Land Management offers leases for sale, but
only after the Forest Service has completed required National Environmental
Policy Act analysis and decisions.
The only oil production on the NNF comes from the west half of the Buffalo
Gap National Grasslands in Fall River County, South Dakota. There are 3 oil
wells on the BGNG that have produced oil since the early 1980's. Barrels of
oil produced per day are quite low as the fields are nearly drained. No new
fields have been discovered even though 10 wildcat wells have been drilled since
1995. All the wells drilled were dry holes. No natural gas is produced.
Uranium, if mined under acquired federal mineral status, is also a leasable
mineral. A vein of uranium lies underground across a small tract of National
Forest System lands in an area of the Pine Ridge Ranger District near Crawford,
Nebraska. An applicant has submitted an application to in-situ mine the uranium,
however; pending environmental analysis and permit requirements, it is expected
that production will not occur for at least another 5 to 10 years.
Mineral Materials - The Nebraska National Forest is not rich in saleable mineral
materials such as gravel, sand, stone, clay, and petrified wood. Several gravel
pits have been developed in the past by County agencies for the purpose of county
road improvements, however, most gravel pits occur on private lands.
Locatable Minerals - Locatable minerals are those hard rock minerals which
are mined and processed for the recovery of metals. No mining occurs on the
Nebraska National Forest.
Geologic Resources
Paleontology, a branch of geology, is the study of any evidence
of life from the geological past, including tracks, trails and natural
casts and molds. This area is part of the Fossil
Freeway. The sciences of paleontology and archeology are commonly
confused. Archeology is the study of any human-related artifacts.
Fossils are a nonrenewable resource that is valued in many different
aspects by a wide variety of people. Researchers regard fossils
as scientific tools to decipher ancient environments, to learn about
ancient ecosystems, etc. Amateur paleontologists usually have 'normal'
jobs, but devote their spare time to learning about fossils through
collection. Commercial 'paleontologists' extract, trade, sell, deal,
etc., fossil resources for the sole purpose of making a profit.
Paleontological resources are not protected by a national law as archeological
resources are. The Forest Service has policy, however; little manual direction
for fossil resources, which stems from 36 CFR 261.9(i) which states "excavating,
damaging, or removing any vertebrate fossil or removing any paleontological
resource for commercial purposes without a special use authorization" is
prohibited.
The Forest Service has only recently recognized the need to manage paleontological
resources and the keen public interest in these resources. In 1991, the Nebraska
was the first Forest to initiate fossil inventories and in 1996, the Nebraska
was the first to complete a Forest-wide paleontological resource survey. The
first paleontologist in the Forest Service was hired in 1992 on the Nebraska.
A geologist, who was the Toadstool Campground Host several years ago and also a partner
to monitor and map the fossil trackways in Toadstool Geologic Park, provided
information about a possible fossil theft. This led to the first fossil theft
case in Nebraska, in which the collector was found guilty of two felonies for extracting
fossil resources for commercial purposes without a permit.
The inventories have provided physical evidence that approximately 30% of the
Oglala and Buffalo Gap National Grasslands have been impacted by unauthorized
fossil collection. More Forest Service employees are becoming more aware of
fossils and the importance of managing this nonrenewable resource. The
Northern Great Plains Plan Revision
was the first land use management plan to
include paleontological resources and establish policies and direction beyond
the regulation. Several Special Interest Areas (SIAs) have been designated to
provide better protection and conservation of paleontological resources on the
Nebraska National Forest.
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PERSISTENCE PAYS OFF
When Albert Meng discovered bones weathering out of an eroding bank
nearly 50 years ago, he could not have imagined how important his
discovery would become. A local rancher with many interests, including
amateur archeology, Albert and his friend Bill Hudson tried to get
professional advice to see if the bones were important to science.
Finally succeeding, after several years and many setbacks, the two
men lent their names to what today is the largest bison bonebed
of its age (nearly 10,000 years) in the Western Hemisphere.
The Hudson-Meng
Bison Kill is an outstanding example of how ordinary people
can make extraordinary contributions to understanding our past.
If you make a discovery on a national grassland or national forest,
make sure of its location and report it promptly to the nearest
Forest Service office. Who knows, maybe an important site will be
named for you!
DEATH ON THE PREHISTORIC PLAINS
Dr. Larry Agenbroad led the first professional excavations at the
Hudson-Meng Bison
Bonebed in the early 1970's. They revealed that something catastrophic
had suddenly killed several hundred of the largest, most powerful
creatures on the plains. Paleoindian hunters were the prime suspects.
Stone artifacts found near the bones were identified with the ancient
Alberta culture that existed 8,000 to 10,000 years ago. These plains
hunters relied heavily upon bison for their survival as did later
inhabitants.
ARCHEOLOGY--AND MUCH MORE
Beginning in 1991, new excavations led by Dr. Larry Todd and Dr.
Dave Rapson, directed researchers to explore new theories of what
occurred near a small isolated spring on the high plains nearly
10,000 years ago. But, it's still a mystery that intrigues both
visitors and scientists from around the world. Coming from as far
as Russia and Japan, scientists visit Hudson-Meng to better understand
Paleoindian archeology, bonebed formation processes, environmental
changes over time, and a host of other topics that can be investigated
at this rich outdoor laboratory.
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