Fort Pierre National Grassland is a United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 National Grassland in central South Dakota

South Dakota

South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...

, south of the capital, Pierre

Pierre, South Dakota

Pierre is the capital of the U.S. state of South Dakota and the county seat of Hughes County. The population was 13,646 at the 2010 census, making it the second least populous state capital after Montpelier, Vermont...

. It is primarily a short grass prairie

Prairie

Prairies are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type...

. It has a land area of 115,890 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 (181.08 sq mi, or 468.99 km²). In descending order of acreage it lies in parts of Lyman

Lyman County, South Dakota

As of the census of 2000, there were 3,895 people, 1,400 households, and 1,009 families residing in the county. The population density was 2 people per square mile . There were 1,636 housing units at an average density of 1 per square mile...

, Stanley

Stanley County, South Dakota

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,772 people, 1,111 households, and 775 families residing in the county. The population density was 2 people per square mile . There were 1,277 housing units at an average density of 1 per square mile...

, and Jones

Jones County, South Dakota

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,193 people, 509 households, and 327 families residing in the county. The population density was 1 people per square mile . There were 614 housing units at an average density of 1 per square mile...

 counties. Part of the movie Dances with Wolves

Dances with Wolves

Dances with Wolves is a 1990 epic western film directed by and starring Kevin Costner. It is a film adaptation of the 1988 book of the same name by Michael Blake and tells the story of a Union Army Lieutenant who travels to the American frontier to find a military post, and his dealings with a...

was filmed there. It is managed by the Forest Service together with the Nebraska

Nebraska National Forest

The Nebraska National Forest is a United States National Forest located in the U.S. state of Nebraska. The total area of the national forest is ....

 and Samuel R. McKelvie

Samuel R. McKelvie National Forest

The Samuel R. McKelvie National Forest is located in the north-central Sandhills region of the U.S. state of Nebraska. Created on October 15, 1971 , the forest is named after former Governor Samuel R. McKelvie...

 National Forests and the Buffalo Gap

Buffalo Gap National Grassland

Buffalo Gap National Grassland is a National Grassland located primarily in southwestern South Dakota, United States. It is also the second largest National Grassland. Characteristics of the grasslands include mixed prairie and chalky badlands. The grassland is managed by the U.S. Forest Service...

 and Oglala

Oglala National Grassland

The Oglala National Grassland is a United States National Grassland in the northwest corner of Nebraska. It is in northern Sioux and northwestern Dawes counties, on the borders with South Dakota and Wyoming...

 National Grasslands from common offices in Chadron, Nebraska

Chadron, Nebraska

Chadron is a city in Dawes County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 5,851 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Dawes County. Chadron is the home of Chadron State College....

. There is a local ranger

National Park Ranger

National Park Service Rangers are among the uniformed employees charged with protecting and preserving areas set aside in the National Park System by the United States Congress and/or the President of the United States...

 district office located in Pierre

Pierre, South Dakota

Pierre is the capital of the U.S. state of South Dakota and the county seat of Hughes County. The population was 13,646 at the 2010 census, making it the second least populous state capital after Montpelier, Vermont...

.

External links

• Nebraska National Forest U.S. Forest Service