From the article:

(VanMiddlesworth) “I don’t think it’s the economy as much as it is the national media that’s spooking people.” And Van Middlesworth stresses again locally real estate is still a good investment…

For the first time ever the Bismarck Mandan Board of Realtors is running ads stressing the strong local housing market. They say it’s to combat the national media.

According to the article, Some legislators believe that hunting rights should never be sold without the property because it makes it difficult to determine who has rights to the land in future years, which could make it hard to sell the real estate or find solutions to legal problems.  Others believe that while it may be a bad practice, the government shouldn’t dictate what landowners can and can’t do with their land. 

From the article:

North Dakota is the only state known to ban selling the right to hunt on property separately from the land itself, and some question whether the restriction is fair or legal.

This was a big issue in the past legislative session.  As I remember it, the practice was temporarily banned while a legislative committee studied it.  The question for the upcoming legislative session is whether or not the ban will be made permanent.

We’ve got some intelligent folks in office.  I’m sure it will be a lively debate with good points made on both sides–definitely an issue to watch.

The reservation, which has a great need for housing, is situated over the Bakken oil formation in northwestern North Dakota.

My husband and little brother were joking about North Dakota this morning.  ”Our slogan is We’re farther away than South Dakota,” my husband said, and we all laughed.   ND is still a good natured joke with my loved ones, in spite of my efforts to get them to move there.

But even joking, there are some terrific things going on for the state that no one can ignore.  Farm land in the state set a record for real estate price and the projected state surplus is projected to reach over $1 billion.  On top of that, there are now 80 oil rigs actively drilling in ND, surpassing the 1984 record high by 30 rigs.  North Dakota has a very healthy economy and a strong developing energy industry.

The Bakken formation itself is worth more than one look.  It has already changed life forever in small farming communities like Stanley and Tioga in the northwestern corner of the state.  Besides oil, there’s a lot of biofuel and wind energy development.

To me, these aren’t just useless facts.  There’s something slightly mystic about living in North Dakota, even if it is (surprisingly) the most urban area I’ve ever lived in.    I love living there.  Even if it’s worth joking about.

With the Bakken oil formation so much in the news here in ND, it’s bound to draw attention from people looking for steady, good-paying jobs, ways to invest in new technology and the oil industry, or people hoping to push an agenda that includes freeing the U.S. from its dependence on foreign oil. 

The following is a short list of resources for people seeking more information on the Bakken and oil development in North Dakota.  Some of the towns with significant development due to the Bakken are included, as well as some real estate information.  The town sites should have contact information for people wanting to learn more about the bakken, local oil jobs or housing in the area.

• Department of Mineral Resources Geological Survey
• North Dakota Petroleum Council
• Bakken Blog
• Tremendous Job Opportunities In North Dakota’s Oil Fields
• NDOilJobs.com (read more about it here)
• Shale Shock!
• Williston, ND
• Tioga, ND
• Minot, ND
• Dickinson, ND
• Great Plains Energy Park
• Fredricksen Real Estate (Williston)
• Coldwell Banker (Minot)
• Everett Real Estate (Dickinson)

I wondered what that idea will do to small towns like Crosby that have been giving away practically free land in the past decade or so.   Will people come to North Dakota to buy land, hoping to sell or lease the mineral rights and become millionaires themselves?  I’m very curious to see how it will affect ND real estate in the next year.

From the article:

Schafer says it should be up to each individual land owner to use their property as they see fit.

He says it should be up to each hunter to choose how they hunt based on state and federal law and their preferences.

(Shawn Schafer/ Citizens to Preserve ND Property Rights) “part of the reason for raising our animals is they are livestock, they are personally owned private property and we can take land out there that is marginal that is not the best crop land in the world and we can actually turn a very good profit on it.”

The group circulating petitions to ban hunting big game animals on private land where they are raised say this practice is unethical.

My response to that last sentence is to ask which is more unethical: hunting big game on familiar ground or taking away property rights? 

I side with Schafer on this one.  Besides setting a dangerous precedent, this type of ban could have some serious unintended consequences like disease in deer because of high populations or the slowing of hunting as part of the tourism industry (North Dakota’s second largest industry) because it would affect outfitters.

The petition apparently needs 13,000 signatures to be an initiated measure on the November ballot.  I don’t know what kind of a chance this petition stands, but I have the feeling that even if it doesn’t get on the ballot this time around, some people will keep pushing for it.  This is an issue to watch.

From the article (Local Housing Enduring National Storm):

The Bismarck-Mandan area has typically not experienced market problems like the rest of the nation, and recent dropping numbers aren’t dampening experts’ spirits.

 Thanks to Ethanol Statistics for bringing this one to my attention.