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United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management
North Dakota Field Office
MAY 1998
BUR OAK NATURE TRAIL
Welcome to the Schnell Recreation Area's Bur Oak Nature Trail. Along the trail you can see some of the habitat types common to the northern Great Plains : mixed grass prairie, hardwood draws and aquatic/riparian (pond and marsh) habitat. The trail is a 1.5-mile loop with several short, steep slopes. There are numbered posts (1 to 44) that will guide you clockwise around the nature trail. Watch for letters attached to the front of some of the numbered posts; they correspond to the letters and discussions presented in this brochure. It takes at least an hour to hike the trail.
BUR OAK NATURE TRAIL
A. Mixed Grass Prairie
(Posts 1, 2, 3 and 4)
The habitat type on the uplands and between the wooded draws is called mixed grass prairie. Common grasses are blue grama, green needlegrass, needle-and-thread grass, western wheatgrass, threadleaf sedge and little bluestem. Common woody plants are wild rose, silver sage and snowberry (buckbrush). Large bushes and small trees are buffaloberry, skunkbush sumac, hawthorn, chokecherry, juneberry, and wild plum. The American Indians used many of these plants for food, medicine and materials.
B. Quaking Aspen and Dogwood
(Posts 5 and 8)
A stand of quaking or trembling aspen trees (so named because of the trembling motion of the leaves when a slight breeze passes through them) is along this rock shelf. Aspens are not common in western North Dakota. An underground water seep has helped them survive, but the shallow soil has stunted their growth. The red stemmed dogwood in the wet area of the drainage a short way ahead (Post 8) is also an uncommon plant in southwestern North Dakota . It is usually found in cooler, wetter climates.
C. Large Trees Are Calendars
(Post 9)
The large tree to your left is one of the largest bur oaks on the property. It may be more than four hundred years old. A tree's growth rings give us a natural long-term record of rainfall, fires, and weather conditions.
Green ash, box elder, willow and American elm grow in the Recreation Area's wooded draws in addition to the bur oak.
D. Effects of the Harsh Plains Environment
(Posts 11 and 14)
Periodic drought and temperature extremes are part of the natural weather cycle on the plains. During drought, plants in wet or shaded areas have a greater chance for survival. You will find more dead bushes and trees on the south facing slopes, which are more exposed to the sun, than on the more moist north slopes. Dead trees and buffaloberry shrubs in this area are a reflection of the most recent drought during the late 1980s.
E. In a Protected Environment Unusual Things Can Grow
(Post 13)
Notice how the tree canopy creates a moist environment where forest plants and fungi not typical of our prairies can survive. On the edge of woody draws where they receive some wind protection and shade, prairie plants such as buffaloberry, juneberry, and American plum are larger than average.
F. Some of Nature's Builders at Work
(Post 15)
Notice the large impressive anthill, a product of countless generations of work. When out foraging for food, the ants leave a scent trail behind which helps them return to the nest.
G. Animals of the Prairie
(Post 16)
Try to feel the drier wind of the open prairie as you leave the shelter of the draw. With droughts and temperature extremes being common on the plains, the animals here are often tougher and more adaptable than their forest counterparts. Common plains animals are deer, badger, coyote, fox, hawks, owls, grouse, crows, songbirds, small reptiles and amphibians.
H. Young Man's Butte
(Post 17)
This prominent butte on private land to the southeast is the highest point in Stark County (2747'). It is visible across much of this part of North Dakota and served as an important landmark for early travelers.
There are several interesting stories about how the butte received its name. One is based on an American Indian legend and involves a brave that lived near the butte. It seems game and other food was so abundant that he didn't get worn out by life's toils so he stayed younger looking than his actual age; hence the name, Young Man's Butte .
I. Dead Trees Are Alive With Activity
(Posts 19 and 20)
There are some standing, dead trees in this second wooded draw. Wind and gravity will eventually bring them to the ground where fungi and slime molds will break down the wood fiber into nutrients to be reused by new plants. In the meantime, the branches and cavities of these dead trees will provide homes for squirrels, birds, such as woodpeckers and nuthatches, and many insects.
J. Soldiers, Settlers, and Stage Coaches
(Post 23)
This stream originates from a spring about one-half mile up this woody draw on private land. Several military expeditions camped near the spring. Custer's 1874 Black Hills expedition and his stopover two years later on his one-way trip to the Little Bighorn were the most famous. A diary found at the Little Bighorn Battlefield described the latter expedition as roughly 1,000 men, 1,670 horses, 150 wagons, 200,000 rounds of ammunition and over 100 head of cattle. The column stretched 5 miles on the march. In 1878, mail service began between Fort Lincoln, Dakota, and Fort Keogh, Montana. A stage station was established near the spring by Sherman and W.A. Slater, two of the area's first white settlers. It is reported they had a dugout in this woody draw among the oak trees not far from the spring. The stage service discontinued in 1882 when the railroad was completed.
K. Agriculture on the Plains
(Posts 41 and 42)
The previous owners grew wheat and oats on these fields before planting them to crested wheatgrass and smooth bromegrass for tame hay and pasture several decades ago. While these crops provide food for humans and forage for livestock, they are less valuable as wildlife habitat since they lack the natural diversity of native prairie and, therefore, limit the number of species that might use them.
L. Water is the Source of Life on the Plains
(Posts 43 and 44)
You are back at the pond area near the start of the trail. This mixture of grasslands, woodlands and wetlands has a great variety of vegetation and therefore many types of wildlife habitat. More than 100 species of birds have been identified in this general area, primarily around these ponds. In addition to the birds, many other wildlife species can be seen nearby. Ducks, muskrats, raccoons, frogs and turtles seem to especially like this area. Common plants in the wetland include bull rushes, cattails, reed canarygrass, switchgrass, peachleaf willow and dogwood.
We hope you enjoyed the nature trail and will return to explore other parts of the Schnell Recreation Area. For more information and a detailed listing of the Recreation Area's plants and animals, please contact the BLM North Dakota Field Office in Dickinson (701-225-9148).
BLM/MT/GI-98/009+1 620
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