First,let me state upfront that I'm a born & bred raised North Dakotan. From the thriving metropolis of Jamestown; current population 15471 and stagnant. Go Blue Jays!

But my home state had its collective pride stung recently when National Geographic did a unsavory piece...dirty buggers as my Grandma would say....called the "Emptied Prairie".

The article portrays North Dakota as a state littered with dead towns. Recently, the state's governor sent a letter to the magazine's Editor-in-Chief inviting a crew back to cover what he says the article left out.

North Dakota governor's letter to National Geographic

January 18, 2008

Dear Mr. Johns:

The recent article about North Dakota in the January 2008 issue of National Geographic was way off the mark. To give the magazine's readers a more accurate picture of our state, I've asked our Commerce Commissioner and Tourism Director to contact your editors and invite you back to cover what you left out - the fact that North Dakota is a growing 21st Century state with a bright future.

What you left out is the fact that North Dakota has a growing economy, well educated citizens, low crime, great infrastructure and one of the cleanest environments in America. All this adds up to a great quality of life. Our cities are growing, and our rural areas are finding new ways to create jobs and opportunities for our people.

For example, new ethanol and biodiesel facilities are transforming rural communities like Richardton, Underwood, Hankinson, Casselton, and Velva. Just a few years ago, North Dakota produced less than 40 million gallons of ethanol a year. With these new facilities, we will produce half a billion gallons. Your article also makes mention of the "moan of the wind" on the prairie, but that same wind is on its way to producing nearly 1000 megawatts of clean renewable energy on commercial wind farms across North Dakota.

In addition, Dakota Growers Pasta, a native North Dakota company, is now the third largest pasta manufacturer in North America, and other value-added enterprises like it are helping agriculture in North Dakota change and grow.

These are all small town, rural enterprises that reflect the spirit and ingenuity we have in North Dakota. Your article featured the small town of Mott, N.D., but failed to mention that every fall it is a destination for pheasant hunters from around the country and around the world. It's ironic that you represented this town with a photo of an abandoned homestead, when a more revealing image for your readers might have been a photo of sports fans lining the highway for 18 miles last year to cheer on the local football team, the Wildfire, on its way to the state championship games in Fargo.

Whether it's tourism, agriculture, energy, manufacturing or technology, North Dakota is moving forward. We're home to innovative firms like Microsoft Business Solutions, a subsidiary of Microsoft, which now employs 1,400 people at its Fargo campus. The company is currently expanding and will add nearly 500 more employees by 2010. Other companies, like Killdeer Mountain Manufacturing, Goodrich, Cirrus and Aerosmith are working to manufacture technically advanced components for the U.S. military and aviation industry.

As a consequence, we've created thousands of new jobs and careers. Our research universities and Centers of Excellence are creating the businesses and products of the future; our manufacturing sector is one of only a handful in the country that's expanding; and our energy sector is supplying the nation with clean, efficient energy, from both renewable and traditional sources.

For all of these reasons, and more, North Dakota is garnering national attention as a great place to live and work. This year Forbes Magazine has ranked the state of North Dakota 9th among all states for Business and Careers. Among 180 cities nationwide, Bismarck ranked 2nd and Fargo 4th. Most recently, the Beacon Hill Institute last month announced that North Dakota ranked 4th among all states for competitiveness - 1st in infrastructure and 4th in human resources.

There is certainly growth and opportunity in North Dakota these days, but more importantly, there is a mood of optimism across the land. At the same time, we are working hard to take our efforts to the next level, and an article that showcases the spirit, inventiveness and progress we're making would certainly be in order. I encourage you to take a broader look at our state and help us convey to the world what North Dakotans already know: that North Dakota is a great place in which to live, work, visit, study, have fun, and do business.

Sincerely,

John Hoeven Governor

This has become big national news. ABC has taken North Dakota under its wing. Did you watch the ABC news on Friday night? Check it out!

Tuesday night they aired yet another piece on the on going saga of National Geographic.

Let that be a lesson to National Geographic and their editorial board! Maybe next time, they'll paint a truer picture!

Just how cold is it here? Not so bad actually. I mean, Monday it was a balmy 46-degrees here in my Minnesota suburb. Tuesday (that's 24-hours later) it was a refreshing -1 with a windchill factor of -26. Even this polar bear (video taken in my backyard) was too warm. Better than Fargo, North Dakota where it on Tuesday it was -12 with a wind chill of -41....at 3 pm in the afternoon with the sun still up!

I hope I don't get a letter from the NoDak governor.....

Posted by briankeithmaas@msn.com at January 30, 2008 01:00 AM