north dakota
Population: 633,666
Counties: 53
Governor John Hoeven
Click here for the amount of protected land in North Dakota, and click here to review North Dakota's federal transportation spending.
Source:  Pew Center on the States & Changing Direction:  Federal Transportation Spending in the 1990s. Surface Transportation Policy Project

For an overview of North Dakota's planning and zoning statutes, see the excellent summary provided by the American Planning Association. 

Recent Press:
New legislation introduced in the North Dakota State Senate will allow landowners to sell conservation easements on their land--currently North Dakota is the only state in the union to not allow perpetual easements to sold on private land. 
http://www.bismarcktribune.com/tribwebpage/news/feb2001/216200150359.html