Location: Rapid City Map
Area: 244,000 acres
Official site
Badlands National Park is situated near Rapid City, Pennington County in South Dakota in the United States. Badlands National Park covers an area of 244,000 acres. It is a natural park that offers eroded landscapes (hillocks, pinnacles and arrows) and meadows and that is also rich in paleontological places, since within the park there are numerous fossils from the Oligocene period (23 to 35 million years before our era) that allow scientists to study the evolution of certain mammalian species such as horses, sheep, pigs and rhinos. It is administered by the National Park Service (NPS), but a particular area (the Stronghold unit) is administered jointly with a Sioux tribe (Oglala).
An entry pass good for one year is available for
$30. Otherwise, people who drive a non-commercial vehicle can buy a
7-day pass for $15. Hikers, cyclists and motorcyclists can get a
7-day pass for $10.
Members of the Oglala Sioux tribe can buy
the 7-day pass at half price.
There are several passes for
groups traveling together in a private vehicle or individuals on
foot or on bike. These passes provide free entry at national parks
and national wildlife refuges, and also cover standard amenity fees
at national forests and grasslands, and at lands managed by the
Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Reclamation. These passes
are valid at all national parks including Badlands National Park:
The $80 Annual Pass (valid for twelve months from date of issue)
can be purchased by anyone. Military personnel can obtain a free
annual pass in person at a federal recreation site by showing a
Common Access Card (CAC) or Military ID.
U.S. citizens or
permanent residents age 62 or over can obtain a Senior Pass (valid
for the life of the holder) in person at a federal recreation site
for $80, or through the mail for $90; applicants must provide
documentation of citizenship and age. This pass also provides a
fifty percent discount on some park amenities. Seniors can also
obtain a $20 annual pass.
U.S. citizens or permanent residents
with permanent disabilities can obtain an Access Pass (valid for the
life of the holder) in person at a federal recreation site at no
charge, or through the mail for $10; applicants must provide
documentation of citizenship and permanent disability. This pass
also provides a fifty percent discount on some park amenities.
Individuals who have volunteered 250 or more hours with federal
agencies that participate in the Interagency Pass Program can
receive a free Volunteer Pass.
4th graders can receive an Annual
4th Grade Pass that allows free entry for the duration of the 4th
grade school year (September-August) to the bearer and any
accompanying passengers in a private non-commercial vehicle.
Registration at the Every Kid in a Park website is required.
In
2018 the National Park Service will offer four days on which entry
is free for all national parks: January 15 (Martin Luther King Jr.
Day), April 21 (1st Day of NPS Week), September 22 (National Public
Lands Day), and November 11 (Veterans Day weekend).
The area of Badlands
National Park was first protected as a national monument, being
established by the US Congress itself. on January 24, 1939
("Badlands National Monument", with 526 km²). On November 10, 1978,
the Congress redesigned the area and created a new national park.
Geographic location
The Badlands National Park is located in
the United States, in the state of South Dakota. Its surface exceeds
980 km². This area is surrounded by the White River to the south,
and by the Cheyenne River to the north. The Custer State Park is
located about fifty kilometers west, as the crow flies.
Geology
Badlands National Park is located on an eroded plateau
whose formation dates back to the Upper Cretaceous, (around 75
million years ago). It was formed with essentially sedimentary
deposits (sand, silt, clay) not solidified by foundations. The study
of the different sedimentary layers allows us to describe the
history of this region.
This park is located on an eroded plateau whose formation dates back to the Upper Cretaceous (about 75 million years ago). It was formed over the ages by mainly sedimentary deposits (sand, silt, clay) which were not solidified by cementation. The study of the different sedimentary layers has made it possible to retrace the history of this region.
The oldest formations, ie those located at the base of
outcrops, date from the Upper Cretaceous (between 75 and 69 million
years BP). During this period, sediments accumulated in a shallow sea
that covered the area currently occupied by the Great Plains. These were
mostly black clays, later transformed into black shale showing fossils
of ammonites, marine reptiles and bivalve shells, together confirming
the marine origin.
These sediments were subsequently exposed
during an uplift in the region (the Black Hills, echoing the elevation
of the Rocky Mountains). The black clays were then leached and formed a
fossil soil, yellow in color.
Then in the Priabonian (Upper
Eocene), between −37 and −34 MA, the region, which had become a vast
floodplain, received new sedimentary contributions, continental this
time, brought by rivers with regular floods. In the corresponding layer
of gray sediments, fossils of alligators were found, which shows that
the climate at the time must have been of the subtropical type and the
depositional environment of the forest type. Many mammalian fossils have
also been found, such as Titanotheres, an animal resembling a
rhinoceros.
During the Lower Rupelian (Lower Oligocene, −34 to
−30 MA), the climate became drier and forest gave way to open savannah.
The deposits became browner, and the fossils they contain show an
evolution of the fauna, with the appearance of fossils of mammals living
in herds (Oreodonta, which resembled a hippopotamus, but of the
dimensions of a sheep). Interbedded layers of sand, transformed into
sandstone, show the location of ancient riverbeds from the Black Hills.
There are places in this formation, red layers corresponding to fossil
soils. At the top of this layer of sedimentary rocks, there is a thick
layer of volcanic ash, of uncertain origin, probably quite far to the
west.
In the Upper Rupelian (−30 to −28 MA) a layer of lighter
colored sediments was deposited, under the action of water and wind, in
an even drier climate. These layers are interspersed with volcanic ash.
This layer is the most recent that exists in the park.
The vast floodplain began to deepen under the action
of watercourses 0.5 MA ago and continues today. It is these fossil-rich
sediments which, after erosion, formed this particular landscape called
badlands. In these clayey or clayey-marly terrains, intense gullying has
sculpted the slopes of soft rocks surrounding ancient valleys that are
now dry. This erosion is rapid (about 2.5 cm/year), due to the relative
softness of the clayey rocks.
Sediment released by erosion is
ultimately supported by the White River, Cheyenne, and Bad Biver rivers,
which are part of the Missouri drainage basin, itself a tributary of the
Mississippi.
Many Late Eocene and Oligocene fossils have been
unearthed in this park. The most prominent genres are:
Archaeotherium
(an Entelodont),
Dinictis, Eusmilus and Hoplophoneus (all three of
the family Nimravidae),
Eporeodon,
Merycoidodon and Miniochoerus
(three genera belonging to the Oreodont family),
Hyracodon,
Metamynodon and Subhyracodon (which looked like rhinos),
Hyaenodon (a
Creodont),
Ischyromys (a ground squirrel-like rodent),
Leptomeryx
(Tragulidae) and Poebrotherium (Camelidae)
Stylemys (Testudinidae)
The climate of the park is very variable over the year, and unpredictable over a day. Annual temperatures range from −4 to 47°C; summers are hot and dry, with stormy episodes where large amounts of water fall violently over a short period, causing intense gullying. Winters are generally cold, with snowfall representing between 30 and 60 cm of snow per year, which is surprising in this sub-desert region. The wind is also generally quite strong in this region.
Wildlife
The most notable animal species in the
park are the coyote, porcupine, bighorn sheep, bobcat, black-billed
magpie, North American bison, prairie rattlesnake, black-tailed prairie,
swift fox and black-footed polecat.
Mammals
Because of its
steppe vegetation, the park is home to herds of herbivores such as the
hemion deer (Odocoileus hemionus), the pronghorn (Antilocapra
americana), or the North American bison (Bison bison).
In
addition to these large herbivores, rodents are very numerous to exploit
the grasses and other plants of the prairie, as well as (for some) small
animals feeding on this vegetable manna. The most common rodents in the
park are Audubon's cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii), least chipmunk
(Eutamius minimus), striped ground squirrel (Spermophilus
tridecemlineatusi), black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus),
gray gopher ( Thomomys talpoides), the flavescent pocket mouse
(Perognathus fasciatus), the plains harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys
montanus), the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus), the grasshopper
mouse (Onychomys leucogaster) which is carnivorous, the bushy-tailed rat
(Neotoma cinerea ), prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster), striped vole
(Microtus pennsylvanicus), house mouse (Mus musculus), and porcupine
(Erethizon dorsatum).
The most common predatory mammal is the
coyote (Canis latrans).
Birds
215 species of birds have been
recorded in the park. The most common species are Mourning Dove (Zenaida
macroura), Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris), Cliff Swallow
(Petrochelidon pyrrhonota), Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica), Black-billed
Magpie American Sparrow (Pica hudsonia), Lark Bunting (Calamospiza
melanocorys), Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum), Red-winged
Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) and Western Meadowlark (Sturnella
neglecta). Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis) and Tree Sparrows (Spizella
arborea), although also abundant (especially during migration), do not
nest within park boundaries.
Other vertebrates
The park is
home to several species of amphibians (salamanders, toads and frogs),
but the most common are the western chorus frog (Pseudacris triseriata),
northern leopard frog (Rana pipiens) and Woodhouse's toad (Anaxyrus
woodhousii ).
If lizards are rare in the park, there are however
several species of snakes, particularly Coluber constrictor
flaviventris, Pituophis melanoleucus, Thamnophis radix, Thamnophis
sirtalis, and crotalus viridis viridis.
Reintroductions to the
park
The mouflon, bison, fox and polecat were actually reintroduced
to the park after their extermination in this area.
Bighorn sheep
disappeared from this area for nearly 40 years: the last known specimen
in the Badlands was shot in 1926, and in 1964 the species was
reintroduced to the park. The bison disappeared from this area in the
1880s and were reintroduced in 1963, after more than 80 years of
eclipse. The black-footed polecat is North America's most endangered
land mammal. Considered "extinct in the wild" in the 1970s, a small wild
population was eventually discovered in Wyoming in 1981. By crossing
with captive individuals, individuals were obtained which were
reintroduced in very specific areas (ie protected areas with a good
population of prairie dogs, the polecat's favorite prey). They were
reintroduced to the Badlands Park in 1994. Currently, around 30
individuals live in the park.
Flora
The park is 50% covered in
mixed grassland. Many species of grass and flowering plants have been
recorded, but also some trees and bushes that survive in the sub-desert
climate. The park administration also fights against nearly 70 invasive
species, brought accidentally or voluntarily by European settlers.
Native Americans
For nearly 11,000 years, Native
Americans used the area as a hunting ground. Archaeological records, as
well as oral traditions, indicate that tribes of Arikaras live in the
valleys where flowing waters flow and where there is game nearby
throughout the year. There are stones and traces of coal showing the
location of camps, as well as arrowheads and tools used to cut game. 150
years ago, the Sioux arrived, especially the Oglalas, who drove these
people north. Towards the end of the 19th century, European settlers
settled in South Dakota, and the United States federal government forced
Native Americans to live on reservations. In 1890, many Native
Americans, including the Oglalas, followed the prophet Wovoka, whose
visions instructed Native American people to dance the Ghost Dance while
wearing Ghost Shirts, supposedly invulnerable to bullets, in order to
"make the white man disappear" and reclaim their hunting grounds. One of
the last Ghost Dances takes place in the South Unit of the Badlands
National Park. Shortly after, a confrontation took place between the
Native Americans, led by the Sioux chief Big Foot, and the American
soldiers, which led to the massacre of Wounded Knee, the last major
confrontation until the liberation movements of the Native Americans in
the 1970s, including the Occupation of Wounded Knee by the American
Indian Movement in 1973 (South Dakota).
Homestead Act
Although
the Homestead Act dates from 1862, it was not until the 20th century
that farmers from the East Coast of the United States or Europe began to
develop this difficult region. The Homestead Act allocates approximately
65 ha; however, it turns out that this area is insufficient for such
difficult land in a semi-arid climate. However, some manage to survive,
living (due to the lack of wood) in huts built with blocks of grass and
heating themselves with dried buffalo dung. However, in the 1930s, the
Dust Bowl and waves of swarms of locusts caused the abandonment of many
farms. However, there are still a few farms with cattle breeding and
producing grasses, especially winter wheat.
Of our time
Recognized as a national monument in 1939, the park acquired national
park status in 1978.