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A combination of factors are to blame for this loss. Large-scale agriculture and intensive grazing are often criticized but fire suppression, introduction of exotic species, altered hydrology and modified animal communities also contributed.

Loss of diversity and distribution of prairie grass and forbs are of great concern but it's not just the plants that have suffered. Grasslands not only provide primary nesting habitat for a variety of bird species but also are very important staging and feeding areas for waterfowl and shorebirds during long migratory flights. In addition, prairies provide an important food source for small mammals and insects, which in turn support larger wildlife species. From a human standpoint, prairies can help to maintain clean air and water, control erosion, provide rich soil, are rich in history and folklore, and provide community income as a result of wildlife related recreation and tourism. All this combined makes it easy to see why prairies are now considered to be the most endangered ecosystems.

Historically, North Dakota was predominantly mixed-grass prairie in the southwest and tall-grass in the northeast. As the total annual precipitation increases eastward across the state, conditions allowed for taller, more robust grasses. Today some of the best places to find prairie plants in North Dakota are federal grassland refuges, state owned land, railway right-of-ways, ditches, old cemeteries, and pastures and on private property throughout the Missouri Couteau in the central and western parts of the state.