Journal editorial, 11-27: Preserving Bear Butte

By The Journal Editorial Board | Sunday, November 27, 2005

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Bear Butte is sacred ground to upwards of 60 American Indian tribes. Thousands of Indians make the pilgrimage to the isolated mountain north of Sturgis each year. As the town of Sturgis grows and its annual motorcycle rally continues in popularity, Bear Butte is becoming less isolated from encroaching development.

Bear Butte is a sacred site to Indians because it is viewed as a place where the creator communicates through visions and prayers. People who make the trek up the mountain in search of a vision often leave ribbons or prayer cloths tied to trees as an offering. In a very real sense, Bear Butte is sacred ground, a church for Indians to practice their religion.

The mountain itself is protected by the state of South Dakota as a state park, but the land surrounding Bear Butte is privately owned and used, for now, as ranch land.

How to protect Bear Butte from encroachment is a problem that Meade County, the state of South Dakota and especially Indian tribes must address now before it is too late.

After earlier beating back a proposed shooting range north of Bear Butte, Indians and supporters are now faced with a proposed bar and concert stage immediately north of the state park. Jay Allen of Arizona plans to capitalize on the Sturgis motorcycle rally by building a biker bar and stage. Originally, Allen wanted to call the bar and stage Sacred Ground and his plans included an 80-foot statue of an Indian.

Needless to say, those who want to preserve Bear Butte and its surroundings were not amused. Allen has since changed the name to Sturgis County Line, nixed the statue and plans to move the biker bar to the northern end of his property, but he still plans to develop the site.

A group called the Bear Butte International Alliance opposes Allen's plans as inappropriate for the area and has called on Meade County to refuse beer and liquor licenses within seven miles of Bear Butte.

The problem is that Meade County zoning laws allow a property owner to do what he wants with his property. The county could deny Allen a liquor license but that decision should be consistent with other license applications. Denying Allen the right to develop his property consistent with laws in place when he bought the land also seems somewhat arbitrary. Zoning laws exist to avoid neighborhood squabbles over property use. It's not fair to Allen or other nearby property owners to deny them the right to use their property as they see fit in keeping with existing zoning laws.

The best way to preserve Bear Butte as a sacred site is for someone to buy the land with the intention of keeping it as open space. Conservation groups such as Nature Conservancy buy land to prevent its development. Recall when the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation recently purchased land near Wind Cave National Park to preserve it for wildlife and recreation. Indian tribes and other groups could do the same for Bear Butte and other sites sacred to Native Americans.

Charmaine White Face, director of Defenders of the Black Hills, says her group is trying to raise money to purchase land near Bear Butte. "There needs to be a buffer zone around Bear Butte," she said. White Face believes the buffer should be at least five miles in every direction. Her group recently organized as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization for fund-raising purposes in order to buy the land near Bear Butte. "We wish we could raise enough money to buy these places," she said.

White Face also has contacted members of the state's congressional delegation on developing legislation to create tax exemptions for property owners to preserve cultural sites such as Bear Butte, grave sites, teepee rings, archeological sites, etc. - i.e., cultural conservancy.

Encroachment on Bear Butte will continue to be an issue now and in the future. The only sure way to preserve the area immediately surrounding Bear Butte is for someone who wants to protect the land to buy it. There are probably plenty of people and groups who would donate to such a cause.

There are plenty of places near Sturgis for biker bars and concert venues that don't encroach on Bear Butte. However, it's not fair to deny current property owners the right to develop their land. If groups want to ensure protection of Bear Butte from nearby development, they should raise money and buy the land.