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18-674: Buffalo Gap National Grassland is managed by the Forest Service together with the Nebraska and Samuel R. McKelvie National Forests and the Fort Pierre and Oglala National Grasslands from common offices in Chadron, Nebraska . There are local ranger district offices located in Hot Springs and Wall . It also surrounds Badlands National Park and Minuteman Missile National Historic Site . In what

36-474: Is in the forest. The 6,600-acre Pine Ridge National Recreation Area is located within the ranger district. The Nebraska National Forest is managed by the Nebraska National Forests and Grasslands Supervisor's Office in Chadron . Additionally, this office manages the following public lands: Thomas County, Nebraska Thomas County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska . As of

54-580: Is known as the Conata Basin region of the grassland, the most successful Black-footed ferret reintroduction program undertaken by the federal government , has established a small but sustainable population of these previously extirpated mammals. In 2010, South Dakota Senator Tim Johnson introduced the Tony Dean Cheyenne River Valley Conservation Act of 2010, a bill that would designate over 48,000 acres (19,000 ha) of

72-527: Is part of the Buffalo Gap National Grassland – Wall Ranger District. The center features exhibits about grassland wildlife and plants, grazing management and the history of the Great Plains . There is also a theater with a video about the grasslands, restrooms and a gift shop. Nebraska National Forest The Nebraska National Forest is a United States National Forest located within

90-399: The 2000 United States Census , there were 729 people, 325 households, and 216 families in the county. The population density was 1 person per square mile (0.39 person/km ). There were 446 housing units at an average density of 0.6 units per square mile (0.23/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 99.45% White , 0.27% Native American , and 0.27% from two or more races. 0.82% of

108-459: The 2020 United States Census , the population was 669. Its county seat is Thedford . The county was formed in 1887, and was named for General George H. Thomas . In the Nebraska license plate system , Thomas County is represented by the prefix 89 (it had the eighty-ninth-largest number of vehicles registered in the county when the license plate system was established in 1922). The terrain of Thomas County consists of rolling hills, sloping to

126-795: The U.S. state of Nebraska . The total area of the national forest is 141,864 acres, or 222 sq miles (574 km ). The forest is managed by the U.S. Forest Service 's Nebraska Forests and Grasslands Supervisor's Office in Chadron, Nebraska . The national forest includes two ranger districts, the Bessey Ranger District and the Pine Ridge Ranger District. In descending order of land, the forest lies in parts of Thomas, Dawes, Blaine, and Sioux counties. The Nebraska National Forests & Grasslands began in 1902 as an experiment. University of Nebraska botany professor Charles Edwin Bessey , with

144-575: The pine siskin Spinus pinus . The 52,000 acres (81 sq mi) Pine Ridge Ranger District is in the Pine Ridge region of northwest Nebraska. It contains about 36.1% of the forest's total area, and it lies in part of Dawes and Sioux counties. The native ponderosa forests were added to the National Forest system in the 1950s. The Soldier Creek Wilderness , a federally designated wilderness area,

162-531: The National Grassland as protected wilderness. The act would allow the continuation of grazing and hunting on the land and would create the first national grassland wilderness in the country. In Jan. 2013, Charmaine White Face raised concerns about radiation exposure of South Dakota Army National Guard soldiers in the Buffalo Gap National Grassland. The National Grasslands Visitor Center in Wall, South Dakota

180-552: The Nebraska National Forests & Grasslands are scattered across a large arc extending from central Nebraska west to the northern Panhandle, into southwestern South Dakota and on east to the state's center. At one point it was the largest man-made forest in the world, but has been surpassed by a forest in China. The 90,000-acre (141 sq mi) Bessey Ranger District is in the Sandhills of central Nebraska. Encompassing about 63.9% of

198-631: The United States. Today the forest's nursery supplies 2.5 to 3 million seedlings per year. The Bessey Tree Nursery is listed on the National Register of Historic Places . There is a local ranger district office in Halsey . The presence of the artificial forest in the Great Plains has allowed multiple species to colonize the area, including birds such as red-breasted nuthatch Sitta canadensis and

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216-411: The assistance of Gifford Pinchot , first Forest Service Chief, convinced President Theodore Roosevelt to set aside two treeless tracts of Nebraska sandhills as “forest reserves." Bessey's intent was to grow trees, which would offset what some thought would be a national timber shortage from large fires, unregulated harvest, and the country's growing appetite for wood products. Nebraska National Forest

234-455: The east. The Middle Loup River flows east-southeastward through the middle of the county, and the Dismal River flows in the same direction through the lower part of the county. The two streams converge east of Thomas County. The county has an area of 714 square miles (1,850 km ), of which 713 square miles (1,850 km ) is land and 0.8 square miles (2.1 km ) (0.1%) is water. As of

252-422: The forest's total area, it lies in parts of Thomas and Blaine counties. It was established in 1902 by Charles E. Bessey because he believed the area to have once had a natural forest and as an experiment to see if forests could be recreated in treeless areas of the Great Plains for use as a national timber reserve. This effort resulted in a 20,000-acre (80.9 km ) forest, the largest human-planted forest in

270-439: The population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 325 households, out of which 26.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.60% were married couples living together, 4.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.50% were non-families. 31.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size

288-424: Was $ 27,292, and the median income for a family was $ 36,618. Males had a median income of $ 25,662 versus $ 20,577 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 15,335. About 13.60% of families and 14.30% of the population were below the poverty line , including 21.30% of those under age 18 and 17.30% of those age 65 or over. Thomas County voters are reliably Republican. In no national election since 1936 has

306-407: Was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.84. The county population contained 23.60% under the age of 18, 4.40% from 18 to 24, 23.90% from 25 to 44, 27.80% from 45 to 64, and 20.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 99.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.80 males. The median income for a household in the county

324-538: Was established on November 15, 1907, by the consolidation of three smaller forests: Dismal River , Niobrara and North Platte National Forests . The Niobrara district is now known as the Samuel R. McKelvie National Forest . The national grasslands and the native ponderosa pine forest of Nebraska's Pine Ridge area were added to the National Forest System in the 1950s. The nearly 1.1 million acres administered by

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