BLM Montana/Dakotas 2017 Annual Report

BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT Montana/Dakotas
BLM Montana/Dakotas 2017 Annual Report

The Bureau of Land Management 

Montana/Dakotas manages 8.3 

million acres of federal lands and 47.1 

million acres of federal mineral estate in 

the states of Montana, North Dakota and 

South Dakota. These public lands provide 

habitat for wildlife, forage for domestic 

livestock, forest products ranging from 

Christmas trees to commercial timber, 

and a wide range of recreational 

opportunities. The federal mineral estate, 

which includes oil, natural gas, and coal, 

is a critical source of energy as our nation 

works to develop domestic resources 

while creating jobs.

This report summarizes those 

contributions in Fiscal Year 2017.

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Front cover: Upper Missouri River Breaks National 

Monument. Photo by Bob Wick

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Havre

Malta

Glasgow

Dickinson

Belle Fourche

Miles City

Lewistown

Billings

Great Falls

Missoula

Butte

Dillon

MONTANA MONTANA

SOUTH DAKOTA SOUTH DAKOTA

NORTH DAKOTA NORTH DAKOTA

Upper Missouri River

Breaks National Monument

Pompeys Pillar

National Monument

Pryor Mountain

Wild Horse Range

Bear Trap

Canyon

Wilderness Area

Missouri Breaks

Interpretive Center

Madison River

Blackfoot River

Yellowstone River

Missouri River

M issouri River

Missouri River

Clark Fork

Schnell Recreation

Area

Fort Meade

Recreation Area

Garnet Ghost

Town

BLM-Managed Lands

BLM-MANAGED LANDS AND RESOURCES

BLM Montana/Dakotas

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BLM Montana/Dakotas

BLM Montana/Dakotas 2017 Annual Report

LANDSCAPE 

• 8.3 million acres of varied 

landscapes and opportunities

• 2,500 miles of streams 

• 60,000 acres of lakes and reservoirs

• 32 boating access sites

• 19 Watchable Wildlife sites

• 5 Outstanding Natural Areas

• 5 Backcountry Byways (185 miles)

• 100+ miles of groomed 

snowmobile/cross country ski trails

• 400+ family camping units

• 15 day-use sites and 24 developed 

recreation sites

• 400+ undeveloped recreation sites

• 27 miles of mountain bike trails 

in the Blackfoot River corridor; 18 

miles at Acton Recreation Area; and 

20 miles at Fort Meade Recreation 

Area

NATIONAL MONUMENTS

• Upper Missouri River Breaks 

National Monument (374,976 

acres); 

www.blm.gov/mt/st/en/fo/

umrbnm.html

• Pompeys Pillar National Monument 

(51 acres); 

www.blm.gov/mt/st/en/fo/

billings_field_office/

pompeyspillar.html

NATIONAL TRAILS

• 310 miles of the Lewis and 

Clark National Historic Trail

• 13 miles of the Nez Perce 

National Historic Trail

• 10 miles of the Continental 

Divide National Scenic Trail

• 30 miles of the Garnet Winter 

Trail

• 9 miles of the Bear Trap 

Canyon Recreation Trail

• 12 miles of the Centennial Trail 

Centennial Wilderness Study Area. Photo by Bob Wick

NATIONAL HISTORIC 

LANDMARKS

• Pompeys Pillar 

• Wolf Mountain, which includes 

the Battle Mountain ACEC (2,850 

acres, of which 120 acres are 

BLM)

WILDERNESS & 

WILDERNESS STUDY 

AREAS

• Bear Trap Canyon Unit of the Lee 

Metcalf Wilderness, Montana’s 

first and only designated BLM 

wilderness area (6,347 acres) 

• 37 Wilderness Study Areas 

totaling nearly 450,000 acres

...AND MORE!

• Upper Missouri National Wild and 

Scenic River (149 miles) 

• Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range 

(about 38,000 acres)

• State-of-the-art interpretive 

centers at Upper Missouri River 

Breaks and Pompeys Pillar national 

monuments

• Cabin rentals at Axolotl Lakes, 

Henneberry House, and 

Garnet Ghost Town

• Garnet Ghost Town and 

Visitor Center 

• Numerous interpretive 

wayside exhibits

• 54 Areas of Critical 

Environmental Concern

Garnet Winter Trail. Photo by Maria Craig

BLM ACREAGE

Surface Acres

Montana 7,998,014

North Dakota 58,970

South Dakota 274,165

TOTAL 8,331,149

Subsurface Acres

Montana 37,760,593

North Dakota 5,593,410

South Dakota 3,768,272

TOTAL 47,122,275

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BLM Montana/Dakotas 2017 Annual Report

ECONOMIC IMPACTS

Montana North Dakota South Dakota

Economic Output Jobs Economic Output Jobs Economic Output Jobs

Oil & Gas $248,125,095 1,503 $4,628,841,422 17,869 $32,665,455 296

Coal $516,915,221 1,531 $112,045,602 285 0 0

Nonenergy 

Minerals $111,495 1 $1,331,122 9 0 0

Recreation $290,120,396 2,869 $48,474 0 $2,837,573 26

Grazing $295,688,504 3,177 $2,141,337 23 $21,206,020 261

Timber $27,967,065 122 0 0 $0 0

TOTAL $1,378,927,777 9,203 $4,744,407,957 18,186 $56,709,048 584

Source: BLM National Operations Center (2017 data)

A SOUND INVESTMENT

The BLM manages public lands to provide 

energy and mineral resources, recreation 

opportunities, and grazing and timber 

resources. 

In fiscal year 2016 (the most recent data 

available), BLM’s management of the public 

lands in Montana, North Dakota and South 

Dakota supported more than 22,000 jobs and 

provided more than $4.9 billion in economic 

output while also contributing to the U.S. 

Treasury.

BLM SALARIES BY COMMUNITY

October 1, 2016 - September 30, 2017

Belle Fourche, S.D. $1,791,000

Billings, Montana 

(includes Pompeys Pillar) $19,210,300

Butte, Montana $4,543,700

Dickinson, North Dakota $4,226,400

Dillon, Montana $3,336,900

Glasgow, Montana $798,800

Great Falls, Montana $1,213,900

Havre, Montana $1,217,100

Lewistown, Montana

(includes Fort Benton, Mont.) $5,906,400

Malta, Montana $1,181,200

Miles City, Montana $10,179,100

Missoula, Montana $2,661,000

Total $56,265,800

TOTAL BUDGET $74,726,795

BLM WORKFORCE

Employment

• 442 permanent full-time; 32 temporary; 70 

career-seasonal/part-time; 8 interns; 552 total.

Volunteers

• 811 volunteers contributed 40,792 hours valued 

at $961,060; the cost to BLM Montana/Dakotas 

was $74,242.

BLM Montana/Dakotas

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BLM Montana/Dakotas

BLM Montana/Dakotas 2017 Annual Report

RECREATION

In 2017, Montana/Dakotas 

BLM hosted nearly 4.5 

million public visits and 

collected more than $701,900 

in recreation fees. With 

depleting budgets, these fees 

are critical; site managers 

utilize these monies to 

maintain and improve the 

facilities and provide visitor 

services at the developed 

recreation sites. 

Our top six recreational activities 

in 2017, listed from highest to 

lowest in participation, are:

• Interpretation/Environmental 

Education/Nature Study

• Non-motorized travel (hiking, 

walking, snow shoeing, skiing, 

etc.) 

• Camping/picnicking

• Fishing

• Driving for pleasure

• Hunting – all types

Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument. Photo by Bob Wick

TIMBER

FORESTRY

• 1,330,000 acres of forest 

land base

• 883,000 acres of available 

forest land from forest land 

base

• 6,905,700 board feet of 

timber offered by timber 

sale contracts for $516,979

• 1,249 cords of fuel wood 

sold for $6,095

• 6,200 board feet of posts/

poles sold for $708

• 427 Christmas trees sold for 

$2,135

• 4,000 pounds of boughs 

sold for $80

• 265 transplants/

ornamentals sold for $50

• 10,800 tons of biomass 

offered through timber 

sales, stewardship contracts 

and special forest product 

sales

FOREST DEVELOPMENT

• 145 acres of seeding

• 205 acres of reforestation

• 3,565 acres of site preparation

• 2,540 acres of site protection

• 3,500 acres of pre-commercial 

thinning

• 853 acres of commercial 

thinning

• 7,782 acres 

of stand 

conversions 

(mainly 

removing 

existing 

conifers in 

sage grouse 

habitat)

BLM photo

Recreation 

resources 

and visitor 

services support 

strong local 

economies and 

public land 

conservation.

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BLM Montana/Dakotas 2017 Annual Report

FLUID MINERALS

Oil and Gas Lease Sales

• 3 competitive oil and gas lease 

sales held

• 65,211.125 acres in 259 parcels 

offered

• 27,228.63 acres in 97 parcels sold

• $1,056,278 bonus bids received

• 554 Applications for Permit to Drill 

(APDs) processed

SOLID MINERALS

Montana

• 13 producing federal and Indian 

coal leases on 43,064 acres

• 16,788,481 tons of federal coal 

produced, generating $33,322,654 

in royalties

North Dakota

• 5 producing Federal coal leases on 

7,693.03 acres

• 4,961,523 tons of Federal coal 

produced, generating $2,166,322 in 

royalties

LOCATABLE MINERALS

• 2,041 new claims recorded

• 262 claims closed

• 1,603 claims covered by 442 small 

miner waivers 

• 18,074 unpatented mining claims 

• 8 claims relinquished 

• 0 claims patented

• 232,712 active and closed 

unpatented mining claims on 

record

The BLM has a strong history of 

meeting our nation’s growing 

energy needs while leading the 

way in sustainable development.

Photo by Mark Jacobsen

BLM Montana/Dakotas

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BLM Montana/Dakotas

BLM Montana/Dakotas 2017 Annual Report

All FY 2016 FEDERAL TOTAL REPORTED ROYALTY REVENUES figures from the ONRR website at: http://statistics.onrr.gov/

FEDERAL OIL & GAS LEASES ISSUED IN FY2017

Competitive Noncompetitive Total

Number Acres Number Acres Number Acres

Montana 82 22,790 16 13,146 98 35,936

North Dakota

131 5202 523

South Dakota 14 4,435

00 14 4,435

TOTAL 97 27,228 17 13,666 114 40,894

FEDERAL OIL & GAS LEASES IN EFFECT AS OF 9/30/17

Producing Non-producing Total

Number Acres Number Acres Number Acres

Montana 1,446 723,961 1,115 1,259,389 2,561 1,983,350

North Dakota 1,343 603,402 416 235,430 1,759 838,832

South Dakota 82 48,482 290 114,488 372 162,970

TOTAL 2,871 1,375,845 1,821 1,609,307 4,692 2,985,152

FEDERAL TOTAL REPORTED ROYALTY REVENUES

Oil

Sales Volume (barrels) Sales Value Revenues

Montana 2,417,667.19 $111,298,748.37 $12,406,584.60

North Dakota 25,306,896.87 $1,140,069,638.64 $135,989,631.80

South Dakota 128,003.58 $5,993,371.40 $683,389.73 

TOTAL 27,852,567.64 $1,257,361,758.41 $149,079,606.13

Conventional “Wet” Natural Gas

Sales Volume 

(thousand cubic feet) Sales Value Revenues

Montana 7,677,136.63 $16,051,241.79 $1,920,156.30

North Dakota 18,575,353.21 $69,397,390.22 $7,743,909.47

South Dakota 72,806.27 $146,388.11 $16,246.75

TOTAL 26,325,296.11 $85,595,020.12 $9,680,312.52

Coal Bed Natural Gas

Sales Volume 

(thousand cubic feet) Sales Value Revenues

Montana 13,456.11 $29,047.41 $3,043.57

North Dakota000

South Dakota000

TOTAL 13,456.11 $29,047.41 $3,043.57

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BLM Montana/Dakotas 2017 Annual Report

Grazing allotment in South Dakota. 

Photo by Merv Coleman

The overall goal 

of the BLM’s 

rangeland 

management 

program is to 

ensure the 

health and 

productivity 

of public 

rangelands

for the use and 

enjoyment of 

current and future 

generations.

GRAZING 

• 4,130 cattle/domestic bison 

operators; 1,217,868 animal unit 

months (AUMs) authorized

• 161 horse/burro operators; 5,392 

AUMs authorized

• 180 sheep/goat operators; 29,629 

AUMs authorized

Source: FY16 Public Land Statistics

NATIVE PLANT PROGRAM

• With the help of partners, the BLM 

Montana/Dakotas has 15 forb species 

currently in grow-out to help meet 

sage-grouse habitat requirements.

• About 3,000 acres of crested 

wheatgrass have been replaced with 

naitve grasses, forbs, and sagebrush 

to increase habitat for sage-grouse.

Source: 2016 Montana Integrated Pest 

Management Report

WEED MANAGEMENT

• 16,282 acres of noxious weeds 

treated with integrated weed control 

methods including herbicide, 

physical, mechanical, and biological 

weed control agents, and domestic 

animals (sheep or goats)

• 306,114 acres inventoried and 

mapped for noxious weeds

• 19,123 acres monitored for Integrated 

Weed Management evaluation

• More than 283,369 biological 

control agents acres established and 

expanded by 6,340 acres

FISH, WILDLIFE 

AND THREATENED 

& ENDANGERED 

SPECIES

Habitat

•	 600 species of fish and

wildlife

•	 3,500 acres of fish-bearing

lakes and reservoirs

• 2,500 miles of streams

•	 400,000+ acres of grassland

bird habitat of international

importance

•	 69 Seeds of Success

collections – focused on

sage-grouse forbs

•	 45,000 native plant

seedlings grown for habitat

improvement projects

Special Status Species

Listed as Threatened and

Endangered under the

Endangered Species Act

(ESA)

• 4 T&E mammals

•	 5 T&E birds

•	 2 T&E fish

• 1 T&E invertebrate

BLM Sensitive Species (lists 

updated in 2014)

• 4 amphibians	

• 	31 birds (including 2 ESA

delisted species)

• 9 fish

• 	2 invertebrates

• 	11 mammals (including 1

ESA Proposed Species)

• 	17 plants (including 1

Candidate Species)

• 5 reptiles

BLM Montana/Dakotas

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BLM Montana/Dakotas

BLM Montana/Dakotas 2017 Annual Report

Pryor Mountain Wild Horses. Photo by Bob Wick

Besides providing economic 

benefits, the BLM also 

preserves cultural 

resources and maintains 

healthy ecosystems that 

provide clean air, clean water, 

and habitat for plants and 

wildlife.

CULTURAL AND 

PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES

To date: 

• 2 million acres inventoried

• 12,253 cultural properties recorded

• 4,325 paleontological localities recorded

WILD HORSE & 

BURRO PROGRAM

Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range

• PMWHR consists of 39,651 acres of BLM, Forest 

Service, National Park Service and private 

lands in Montana and Wyoming.

• Monitored for rangeland and wild horse 

health.

• 160 horses on PMWHR. Appropriate 

management level is 90 to 120 adult horses.

• 61 mares treated with fertility control by BLM 

and National Park Service.

• 1 ground population inventory

• 9 range improvement projects maintained

• 2 miles of fence removed from interior of 

PMWHR

Off-Range Pastures

• About 2,300 horses are on two off-range 

pastures in South Dakota and one in Montana.

Statewide Activity

• 6 Herd Areas closed ot active wild horse 

management

• 14 compliance inspections conducted on 

previously adopted wild horse and burros in 

Montana and South Dakota 

• 5 Training Incentive Program (TIP) trainers

• 1 response to Department of Livestock 

regarding freeze marked animals being sold 

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BLM Montana/Dakotas 2017 Annual Report

CADASTRAL SURVEY

• 231 miles resurveyed

• 122 miles approved

• 273 survey monuments set

• 171 survey monuments approved

• 12 plats approved 

CONSTRUCTION/

MAINTENANCE/

ENGINEERING

Condition assessments performed on:

• 43 hazard class dams

• 1 bridge

Annual maintenance performed on:

• 215 administrative site and 

recreation site buildings

• 734 lane miles of road

• 150 recreation and administrative 

site projects

• 14 bridges

• 207 miles of trail

Deferred maintenance and/or 

construction performed on:

• 12 recreation and administrative 

site projects

• 6 miles of trail

• 5 dam projects

• 1 bridle project

• 2 miles of road

Other work completed: 

• 431 facilities 

surveyed, designed or 

constructed 

• 8 architectural 

and engineering task 

orders issued

• 61 radio 

sites –equipment 

maintained

REALTY, LANDS AND 

RENEWABLE ENERGY

The Montana/Dakotas Realty, Lands and 

Renewable Energy Program directs a 

wide range of public land transactions 

to ensure that public lands are managed 

for the use and enjoyment of current and 

future generations. 

Current priorities include advancing 

the State of Montana In Lieu Selection, 

improving access to public lands, and 

enabling energy development through 

ROW authorizations. 

FY2017 Key Accomplishments:

• 51 new rights-of-way granted for 

roads, power transmission lines, 

communication sites, telephone lines, 

and water facilities

• 30,360 feet of Oil and Gas Pipeline 

rights-of-way renewed

• 73 rights-of-way actions that served to 

amend, assign or renew existing rightsof-way

• 7 new film permits issued 

• 11 Leases and Permits renewed 

including the Zortman Firehall

• 2 Land and Water Conservation Fund 

(LWCF) acquisitions (5,767 acres) in the 

Missoula Field Office provide increased 

access to recreational opportunities

• 2 Land Acquisition donations to 

consolidate land ownership patterns

• Substantial progress toward 

fulfilling $4.1 million in lieu selection 

entitlement owed to the State of 

Montana. - 2,126.11 acres (valued at 

$1.8 million) were determined suitable 

for transfer to the State of Montana 

to partially satisfy the in lieu selection 

entitlement. Additional lands to satisfy 

the remaining $2.3 million obligation 

are under review.

Surveying, 

maintaining, 

and 

processing 

land actions

are among 

the BLM’s 

responsibilities.

BLM photo

BLM Montana/Dakotas

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BLM Montana/Dakotas

BLM Montana/Dakotas 2017 Annual Report

FIRE MANAGEMENT

• 65 wildfires burned 139,000 acres of BLM lands. Seven were 

human-caused (800 acres) and 58 were started by lightning or 

other natural events (138,200 acres). 

• The BLM also had protection responsibilities for 53 other 

wildfires, which burned 44,000 acres. Of these, seven were 

human caused (160 acres). BLM responded to 31 coal seam 

fires and provided mutual aid response to 400 other fires of 

various causes in support of our cooperating agencies.

• The BLM also supported large fire activity across the country 

with hand crews, engines, helicopters, air tankers, and staff. 

Two BLM employees serve as incident commanders for Type 2 

Northern Rockies teams.

• The Billings Fire Cache supported more than 120 Type III or 

smaller incidents and directly supported seven Type II or larger 

incidents within the Northern Rockies Region. The Billings 

cache also mobilized personnel to incidents and caches 

around the nation for a total of 84 days. Overall, the Billings 

cache shipped and returned logistical support items in excess 

of $10.2 million.

• Field office staff implemented 25 prescribed fires totaling 

11,834 acres and 43 mechanical treatments accounting for 

8,367 acres. Approximately 80 percent of treatments are in the 

wildland urban interface. Monitoring efforts to document fuels 

treatment effectiveness and to determine the need for future 

treatments encompassed 19,279 acres involving 24 treatments. 

• The BLM Montana/Dakotas provided 40 training courses/

exercises to more than 800 students through the Cooperator 

Assistance for Wildfire Program. Seventy Rural Fire Districts 

were represented at these training courses/exercises.

• The BLM Montana/Dakotas Community Assistance program 

supported nearly 800 fire education events and helped more 

than 150 communities across three states with some type of 

assistance. Twenty-six assistance agreements are in place to 

provide funding for community assistance activities such as 

education, planning, and fuel treatments on non-federal land. 

In 2017, those agreements (totaling more than $900,000) 

helped protect more than 450 homes through the treatment of 

more than 1,900 acres of hazardous fuels reduction.

The BLM is responsible for

fire management on 

more than 9.9 million 

acres of public lands across 

Montana, North Dakota and 

South Dakota. This includes 

wildland fire protection/

suppression and fuels 

management. 

BLM photo

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BLM Montana/Dakotas 2017 Annual Report

PUBLISHED BY THE U

OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS . S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

MARCH 3, 1849

TRIBAL RELATIONS and 

CONSULTATION

• Renewed a formal Internship 

Assistance Agreement with Salish 

and Kootenai College for students 

pursuing degrees in forestry, 

biology, and cultural resource 

management. 

• Finishing our work with the 

Northern Cheyenne Tribe through 

Chief Dull Knife College on 

the Ecoregional Ethnographic 

Assessment (EEA). The assessment 

documented in a geo-spatial 

framework, places important to 

the tribe for religious and cultural 

purposes as well as the status and 

location of other resources (e.g. 

fauna and flora), some of which are 

also culturally important to tribes. 

• Initiated an EEA Project with the 

Crow Tribal Historic Preservation 

Office. This project will be similar 

to the Northern Cheyenne EEA 

project, but modified to fit each 

unique tribe. 

• Hosted a Tribal Consultation 

Training in April 2017

• Our Northern Cheyenne EEA 

project was selected as one of the 

examples of how to work with 

tribes and will be featured in a 

video clip by the NTC for training 

purposes for the 1780 manual and 

handbook.

• Hosted a presentation by Tim 

Ryan of the Confederated Salish 

and Kootenai Tribes for more than 

200 seventh graders. The topic 

was Indigenous life ways and 

their interrelationship with the 

landscape. 

LAND USE PLANNING AND 

ENVIRONMENTAL COORDINATION

• Twelve resource management plans (RMPs) 

currently cover Montana, North Dakota 

and South Dakota: Garnet, Dillon, Butte, 

Headwaters, Judith, Upper Missouri River 

Breaks National Monument, HiLine, Billings, 

Pompeys Pillar National Monument, Miles 

City, North Dakota, and South Dakota. 

• Two planning efforts are currently underway 

and both are in the Draft EIS development 

phase: Lewistown RMP (which will replace 

the Judith and Headwaters RMPs) and 

Missoula RMP (which will replace the Garnet 

RMP). 

• Implementation plans were completed for 

the 2015 RMPs and Amendments: HiLine, 

Billings, Miles City, and South Dakota 

RMP revisions and Lewistown, Dillon, and 

North Dakota Greater Sage-Grouse RMP 

Amendments. 

Collaboration 

with local, 

state and tribal 

governments, 

the public, and 

stakeholder 

groups is a key 

ingredient in land 

use planning 

and resource 

management. 

Tim Ryan at Pompeys Pillar National Monument. 

Photo by Ann Boucher

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