BCA Coordinates Conservation Groups Meeting
BCA coordinated a February 2026 meeting (pictured) with the ND Director of Mineral Resources (NDDMR), Nathan Anderson, along with NDDMR Assistant Director, Mark Bohrer, and NDDMR Executive Coordinator Kayla Lemieux, and conservation partners from the North Dakota Natural Resources Trust (NDNR), and the ND Wildlife Federation (NDWF). The luncheon was an opportunity for both industry and conservation groups to learn from one another and highlight successful past collaborations towards shared goals.
BCA has been working with the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), and the Western Energy Project to provide scoping comments to the Bureau of Land Management regarding the upcoming 3rd Qt Oil & Gas Lease Sale(s) slated for August. These lease sales could have significant impacts within five miles of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and along the Maah Daah Hey Trail.
The meeting with NDDMR was an opportunity to highlight concerns (map attached) and advocate for creative solutions. Both Director Anderson and Assistant Director Bohrer are avid hunters, and outdoor enthusiasts, so the gathering was a success for all parties to meet face to face to improve working relationships and press the need for critical habitat and preserving recreation areas as much as possible. This will no doubt be the first of many collaborations. BCA proved to be an influential partner by scheduling this gathering within our conservation community and shifted the narrative that we are an advocate to work alongside NDDMR for oil and gas done right. The NDDMR has since added the Maah Daah Hey Trail into their GIS system, and can now see the trail when permit reviews occur. A great success to begin 2026.