The Dakota Prairie Grasslands (DPG) was formed in 1998. It consists of four Ranger District offices that manage four National Grasslands: the Little Missouri National Grassland

Little Missouri National Grassland

Little Missouri National Grassland is a National Grassland located in western North Dakota, USA. At 1,033,271 acres , it is the largest grassland in the country. Enclaved within its borders is Theodore Roosevelt National Park, which is managed by the National Park Service...

, Sheyenne National Grassland and Cedar River National Grassland

Cedar River National Grassland

Cedar River National Grassland is a National Grassland located in Sioux County and Grant County in southern North Dakota, United States. It has a land area of 6,717 acres . The portion in Sioux County lies within the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. Within the grassland are topographic features...

in North Dakota and the Grand River National Grassland

Grand River National Grassland

Grand River National Grassland is a National Grassland in northwestern South Dakota, USA. It is named for the Grand River. The North and South forks of the rivers meet in the grassland. It has a land area of 154,783 acres . In descending order of acreage it lies in parts of Perkins, Corson, and...

in South Dakota. All of these ranger districts were formerly part of the Custer National Forest

Custer National Forest

Custer National Forest is located primarily in the southern part of the U.S. state of Montana but also has separate sections in northwestern South Dakota. With a total area of 1,278,279 acres , the forest comprises over 10 separate sections...

based in Billings, Montana

Billings, Montana

Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, and is the principal city of the Billings Metropolitan Area, the largest metropolitan area in over...

. The Chief of the Forest Service created the DPG as a separate unit to help focus and better manage the issues and resources of the National Grasslands. The Supervisor's office is located in Bismarck, North Dakota

Bismarck, North Dakota

Bismarck is the capital of the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Burleigh County. It is the second most populous city in North Dakota after Fargo. The city's population was 61,272 at the 2010 census, while its metropolitan population was 108,779...

. The Little Missouri National Grassland is administered from offices in Dickinson

Dickinson, North Dakota

As of the census of 2000, there were 16,010 people, 6,517 households, and 4,020 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,690.7 inhabitants per square mile . There were 7,033 housing units at an average density of 742.7 per square mile...

 and Watford City

Watford City, North Dakota

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,435 people, 619 households, and 378 families residing in the city. The population density was 964.8 people per square mile . There were 790 housing units at an average density of 531.2 per square mile...

. The Sheyenne National Grassland is administered from the office in Lisbon

Lisbon, North Dakota

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,292 people, 948 households, and 571 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,019.7 people per square mile . There were 1,017 housing units at an average density of 452.4 per square mile...

. The Grand River and Cedar River National Grasslands are administered from the office located in Lemmon, South Dakota

Lemmon, South Dakota

Lemmon is a city in Perkins County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 1,227 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Lemmon is located at ....

. The four National Grasslands have a total area of 1,265,217 acre

Acre

The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...

s (1,976.90 sq mi, or 5,120.15 km²).