Hiking trail proposed at Mount Rushmore

By Journal staff | Saturday, February 09, 2008

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Mount Rushmore National Memorial Superintendent Gerard Baker has announced a proposed hiking-trail system at the monument.

The trail would be part of a National Park Service Centennial Initiative celebrating 100 years of national parks in 2016.

The proposal calls for the creation of a trail system that would provide visitors access to areas of significant natural and cultural resources, according to a news release. Visitors would learn about the diversity of vegetation and the history of the ponderosa forest, as well as the geology and landscape of the park. Trailside interpretive displays would share the story of the relationship between the natural setting and cultural history.

The public is invited to share thoughts about the proposed trail system at a series of open houses in March.

The open houses will help fill a requirement from the National Environmental Policy Act that says federal agencies must prepare a detailed statement on how a proposed federal project impacts an area's environment. The statement includes a review of the environmental condition of the proposed project area and other alternatives to the proposed project.

The preparation of the environmental assessments has been awarded to Native American Environmental from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and Rapid City, and its subcontractor Matrix Consulting Group, according to the news release.

Have a say

The public is invited to presentations about a proposed hiking trail at Mount Rushmore.

Meetings will be at 2 p.m. and at 5 p.m. Thursday, March 13, at the Radisson Hotel, 445 Mount Rushmore Road in Rapid City, and at 11 a.m. Thursday, March 20 at Prairie Wind Casino, on U.S. Highway 18 on the western edge of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.