- Custer National Forest
-
Custer National Forest IUCN Category VI (Managed Resource Protected Area)
Location Montana-South Dakota USA Nearest city Billings, MT Coordinates 45°20′0″N 107°40′0″W / 45.333333°N 107.666667°WCoordinates: 45°20′0″N 107°40′0″W / 45.333333°N 107.666667°W Area 1,278,279 acres (5,173.03 km2) Established July 1, 1905 Governing body U.S. Forest Service Custer National Forest is located primarily in the southern part of the U.S. state of Montana but also has separate sections in northwestern South Dakota. With a total area of 1,278,279 acres (5,173.03 km2), the forest comprises over 10 separate sections. While in the westernmost sections, Custer National Forest is a part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, the easternmost sections are a combination of forest "islands" and grasslands. A portion of the forest is also part of the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness and constitutes over a third of the wilderness land. South of Red Lodge, Montana, the Beartooth Highway (U.S. 212) passes through the forest in route to Yellowstone National Park.
The eastern areas are dominated by large stands of ponderosa pine surrounded by grasslands, which are often leased to local ranchers for cattle grazing. A relatively rare type of small falcon known as the merlin is found here in greater concentrations than anywhere else in the U.S. Mule deer, antelope and elk are also found. There are few rivers and lakes and much of the eastern sections emphasize land conservation and work closely with logging and ranching interests.
Contents
Overview
The western sections have a mixture of pine, spruce and fir trees due to the increased altitude and more abundant rainfall. The grizzly bear, black bear, bighorn sheep, mountain goat, and bison are all found in the western sections though they are not as abundant as in Yellowstone National Park to the south. Higher altitudes deep into the wilderness areas are above timberline and alpine conditions prevail. The tallest mountain in Montana, Granite Peak, is shared with Gallatin National Forest, as is the interesting Grasshopper Glacier, which has millions of grasshoppers that died approximately 300 years ago, entombed within the ice.
Within the forest are Native American burial grounds, pictographs and petroglyphs. For the plains Indians, the forest provided shelter and a stable food supply. Members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition are generally considered to be the first white Americans to visit the region. The Forest is currently divided into three Ranger Districts: Beartooth in Red Lodge, Montana; Ashland in Ashland, Montana; and Sioux in Camp Crook, South Dakota. Four National Grasslands were formerly managed by the forest as the Grand River, Cedar River, Little Missouri and Sheyenne National Grasslands. These units are now managed as the Dakota Prairie Grasslands, headquartered in Bismarck, ND.
There are over 30 vehicle accessible campgrounds in the forest, as well as numerous picnic areas. Over 1,500 miles (2,400 km) of hiking trails are available with most being found in the western district. Though not plentiful with rivers and lakes, the waterways do provide some opportunities for fishing but little for boating. The forest headquarters is located in Billings, Montana, and most hiking and camping is done in the region south and southwest of Billings. There are local ranger district offices in Ashland and Red Lodge in Montana, and in Camp Crook in South Dakota.[1]
In descending order of land area the forest is located in parts of Powder River, Carbon, Stillwater, Rosebud, Carter, Sweet Grass, Harding (the only county in South Dakota), and Park counties. Only about 6.2% of the acreage lies in South Dakota.
History
Custer National Forest was established by the U.S. Forest Service as Otter National Forest on March 2, 1907. On July 1, 1908 the name was changed to Custer. On January 13, 1920 the entire Sioux National Forest was added, which now comprises the Sioux Ranger District of Custer, extending into South Dakota.[2] Sioux had previously absorbed Cave Hills, Ekalaka, Long Pine, Short Pine and Slim Buttes National Forests on July 1, 1908. On February 17, 1932 Custer absorbed a portion of Beartooth National Forest, which now comprises the Beartooth District.[3][4]
See also
- List of Forests in Montana
References
- ^ USFS Ranger Districts by State
- ^ "Sioux Ranger District". Custer National Forest. U.S. Forest Service. 2008-08-23. http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/custer/recreation/D3.shtml.
- ^ "Beartooth Ranger District". Custer National Forest. U.S. Forest Service. 2008-08-24. http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/custer/recreation/D2.shtml.
- ^ Davis, Richard C. (September 29, 2005). National Forests of the United StatesPDF (341 KB). The Forest History Society
External links
- "Beartooth Ranger District". Custer National Forest. U.S. Forest Service. http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/custer/recreation/D2.shtml. Retrieved 2006-07-08.
- "Sioux Ranger District". Custer National Forest. U.S. Forest Service. http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/custer/recreation/D3.shtml. Retrieved 2006-07-08.
- "Ashland Ranger District". Custer National Forest. U.S. Forest Service. http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/custer/recreation/D4.shtml. Retrieved 2006-07-08.
Federal National Parks:National Monuments:National Battlefield:Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail • Nez Perce National Historic Trail • Continental Divide National Scenic Trail Pacific Northwest National Scenic TrailNational Recreation Area:Benton Lake • Black Coulee • Bowdoin • Charles M. Russell • Creedman Coulee • Hailstone • Halfbreed Lake • Hewitt Lake • Lake Mason • Lake Thibadeau • Lamesteer • Lee Metcalf • Lost Trail • Medicine Lake • National Bison Range • Ninepipe • Pablo • Red Rock Lakes • Swan River • UL Bend • War HorseNational Wild & Scenic Rivers:State Ackley Lake • Anaconda Smoke Stack • Bannack • Beaverhead Rock • Beavertail Hill • Big Arm • Black Sandy • Brush Lake • Camp Baker • Chief Plenty Coups • Clark's Lookout • Cooney • Council Grove • Eden Bridge • Elkhorn • Finley • First Peoples Buffalo Jump • Fort Owen • Frenchtown Pond • Giant Springs • Granite Ghost Town • Greycliff Prairie Dog Town • Hell Creek • Lake Elmo • Lake Mary Ronan • Lewis and Clark • Logan • Lone Pine • Lost Creek • Madison Buffalo Jump • Makoshika • Medicine Rocks • Missouri Headwaters • Painted Rocks • Parker Homestead • Pictograph Cave • Pirogue Island • Placid Lake • Rosebud Battlefield • Salmon Lake • Sluice Boxes • Smith River • Spring Meadow Lake • Thompson Falls • Tongue River Reservoir • Tower Rock • Travelers' Rest • Wayfarers • West Shore • Whitefish Lake • Wild Horse Island • Yellow BayState Forests:Coal Creek • Stillwater • Swan River
Wildlife Management Areas:Amelia Island • Aunt Molly • Badlands • Beartooth • Beckman • Big Lake • Blackfoot-Clearwater • Blackleaf • Blue Eyed Nellie • Bowdoin • Buffalo Head Park • Bull River • Calf Creek • Canyon Creek • Canyon Ferry • Dodson Creek • Dodson Dam • Dome Mountain • Ear Mountain • Elk Island • F Island • Flathead Lake • Flathead River • Fleecer Mountain • Fox Lake • Freezout Lake • Fresno Reservoir • Fresno Tailwater • Gallatin • Garrity Mountain • Grant Marsh • Gravelly-Blacktail • Haymaker • Hinsdale • Horseshoe Lake • Howard Valley • Isaac Homestead • Judith River • Kootenai/Falls • Kootenai/West • Kootenai/Woods Ranch • Lake Helena • Lost Creek • Lower Stillwater Lake • Madison-Bear Creek • Madison-Wall Creek • Milk River • Mount Haggin • Mount Jumbo • Mount Silcox • Nevada Lake • Ninepipe • North Swan Valley CE • Pablo • Ray Kuhns • Robb-Ledford • Rookery • Roundhom • Sanders • Seven Sisters • Silver Gate • Silver Run • Smith River • Sun River • Swan Lake • Thompson-Fisher CE • Three Mile • Threemile • Vandalia • War Dance Island • Warm SpringsHeritage registers:
World Heritage Sites • Biosphere Reserves • National Register of Historic Places • National Historic Landmarks • National Natural LandmarksProtected areas of South Dakota Federal Black Hills • CusterNational historic sites:Huron WMD • Karl E. Mundt • Lacreek • Lake Andes • Madison WMD • Sand Lake • Sand Lake WMD • Waubay • Waubay WMDState Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve • Bear Butte • Custer • Fisher Grove • Fort Sisseton • Hartford Beach • Lake Herman • Lone Pine • Newton Hills • Oakwood Lakes • Palisades • Roy Lake • Sica Hollow • Union GroveState recreation areas:Angostura • Beaver Creek • Big Sioux • Big Stone Island • Burke Lake • Buryanek • Chief White Crane • Cow Creek • Farm Island • George S. Mickelson Trail • Indian Creek • LaFramboise Island • Lake Alvin • Lake Cochrane • Lake Hiddenwood • Lake Louise • Lake Poinsett • Lake Thompson • Lake Vermillion • Lewis and Clark • Little Moreau • Llewellyn Johns • Mina Lake • North Point • North Wheeler • Oahe Downstream • Okobojo Point • Pease Creek • Pelican Lake • Pickerel Lake • Pierson Ranch • Platte Creek • Randall Creek • Richmond Lake • Sandy Shore • Shadehill • Snake Creek • Spirit Mound Historic Prairie • Springfield • Swan Creek • Walker's Point • West Bend • West Pollack • West WhitlockCategories:- IUCN Category VI
- National Forests of Montana
- National Forests of South Dakota
- Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
- Protected areas of Carbon County, Montana
- Protected areas of Stillwater County, Montana
- Protected areas of Rosebud County, Montana
- Protected areas of Carter County, Montana
- Protected areas of Sweet Grass County, Montana
- Protected areas of Harding County, South Dakota
- Protected areas of Park County, Montana
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
