4th Annual Missouri River Natural Resources Conference
FIELD TRIPS

SUNDAY, MAY 21, 2000
NOON - 6:00 p.m.

Self-guided Field Trips

Bird's Eye View of Bismarck
From the University of Mary see a view of the Missouri River including the cities of Mandan and Bismarck and the riparian areas along the river corridor. Double Ditch affords a view atop a historic Indian village to see homes in the flood plain, irrigation activities, and sandbars. Complex management issues abound.

Development
Fox Island Housing Development is built on a former island-slough in the flood plain. This development and plans for others along the river affect options for managing the river.

Petroleum Refinery
Located next to the river, the BP Amoco Refinery was built in 1954 and refines up to 60,000 barrels of crude oil a day (roughly half of all North Dakota’s crude oil production). One third of the refinery’s 960 acres is used for storage tanks, the remaining 640 acres are dedicated to wastewater treatment and wildlife conservation.

Municipal Water
The Missouri River flows pass the Bismarck-Mandan city intake pumps at an average of 22,000 cubic feet per second. Bismarck removes 9.6 million gallons per day on average, peaking at 25 million gallons. Winter rates average 6.5 million gallons per day and, during the summer, 16 million gallons. Average use in Mandan is 3.5 million gallons per day with 2 million gallons in winter and 6.5 million gallons in summer.

Conservation Properties
The 3000 acre Cross Ranch, 29 miles north of Mandan on scenic Highway 1806, was purchased by the Nature Conservancy to address the loss of bottom land forests. Fort Lincoln, site of Tuesday night’s Pitchfork Fondue, is managed for historical preservation and recreation. It includes On-A-Slant reconstructed Mandan earthlodge village, Fort McKean infantry post, and George Armstrong Custer’s calvary post.

Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center
Located thirty-five miles north of Bismarck at Washburn on the Missouri River, the Center chronicles the entire Corps of Discovery journey. Artwork by Karl Bodmer depicts Plains Indian life and landscapes along the Missouri River. A mile and half west of the Interpretive Center is the reconstructed Fort Mandan replicating the quarters of the Expedition in 1804-5.

North Dakota Heritage Center
Located on the Capitol grounds, the Center features outstanding museum exhibits on North Dakota history & prehistory, videos, archives, and a gift store. The Center houses one of the largest collections of Plains Indian artifacts in the nation.

TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2000
2:45 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

Group Field Trips

Busses will be used for all field trips. Tours end at Fort Lincoln for the steak "pitchfork fondue" dinner banquet. Preferences for field trips MUST be designated on registration form.

#1 - History
Walter Bailey (Historian), State Historical Society of North Dakota, and Mike McCormick (Historian), Bismarck State College, take visitors to a site noted by Lewis and Clark (On-A-Slant Village), an early military outpost (Fort Rice), an Infantry Post (Fort McKean), and the place where George Armstrong Custer should have stayed (Fort Abraham Lincoln).
Limit 90 people.

#2 - Paleontology/Archaeology
John Hoganson (Paleontologist), North Dakota Geological Survey, will lead a 2 mile hike through the Stumph Natural Area. Vertebrate dinosaur fossils and a prehistoric Bison Kill Site are some of the significant discoveries in the area. A strenuous hike; need to wear hiking boots and carry water. Limit 45 people.

#3 - Archaeology/Cultural Resources Management
Signe Snortland (Archaeologist), U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, guides a tour of the National Landmark Huff State Historic Site, the reconstructed Mandan earthlodge village at On-A-Slant Village, and prehistoric archaeological sites along the Missouri River endangered by erosion. Limit 45 people.

#4 - Water Issues-Sites
A trip north of Bismarck with a variety of speakers and stops at Double Ditch development, Painted Woods Lake Wildlife Development Area, Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, Price and Square Butte cattle operation, and Amoco Refinery Wildlife Refuge Tour with talks presented on Missouri River usage including the Garrison Diversion Project. Tour provided by the North Dakota Water Education Foundation. Limit 45 people.