kfundingsland@minotdailynews.com
Kim Fundingsland/MDN
As this Jan. 31 photo illustrates, there has been minimal snowfall over much of western North Dakota, including the Theodore Roosevelt National Park-North Unit.
WATFORD CITY – What a winter it has been. Very little snow has fallen and, until recently, temperatures have been quite mild given the winter season. For wildlife that must endure whatever weather winter brings, no matter how brutal, the season has been a wonderful gift.
Deer, elk, and bison in the badlands terrain of Theodore Roosevelt National Park have not had to exert extra energy scraping and pawing through deep snow to find enough forage to survive until spring. Not this winter. The land is virtually 100 percent open due to a lack of snow.