Local News
Parks officials urged to move slowly in badlands management
del.icio.us
Digg
NewsVine
FarkMore than 30 people turned out Wednesday night in Rapid City to peer into the future of the south unit of the Badlands National Park.
And at least one of them cautioned organizers against seeing easy solutions to a complicated management challenge.
"I don't want to kill this thing. I just want to make sure we do it right," Oglala Sioux Tribe member Jim Wilson of Rapid City said. "I think we would all agree that we have to preserve the historical values of the area. I think that's a good thing. We need to keep working at it until we get it right."
That's the goal of a series of 13 public meetings that began Monday in Red Shirt and will conclude April 18 in Porcupine. And while there are four management options open now, they can be adjusted according to public wishes, Ruth Brown of the Oglala Sioux Tribe Parks and Recreation Authority said.
Members of the authority and National Park Service staff will ultimately selection a management option, but not before many voices have been heard, Brown said.
"We're hearing from ranchers and tribal elders, young people, everyone. And they all have different opinions," Brown said. "It's just awesome."
The south unit is awesome, too, encompassing more than half of the 244,000-acre Badlands National Park. Lesser known and more lightly traveled than the developed north unit, the south unit is owned by the Oglala Sioux Tribe but officially managed as part of the Badlands National Park.
Badlands Superintendent Paige Baker listed the four management alternatives for the south unit:
* Keep the status quo.
* Share management between the tribe and park.
* Create a new unit within the national park system managed by the tribe.
* De-authorize the south unit entirely and turn it over to the tribe.
"If you don't like any of these, give us another idea," Baker said.
Wilson said keeping park status is "probably the highest and best use for the land." Management should be respectful to the sacred nature of the land and also be designed to provide financial benefit to the tribe and its people, he said.
"I see nothing in the materials so far that relates to financial benefits to the tribe," he said.
Jan Schuler, who operates a business near the northeast entrance of the park, said she liked the idea of a new park unit managed by the tribe, with carefully planned tourism options. But the federal government should provide assistance and money until the unit was self-sustaining, she said.
"They're going to need that kind of support for a while, with money coming in," she said.
Contact Kevin Woster at 394-8413 or kevin.woster@rapidcityjournal.com
Badlands south unit management plan
Today's public meeting: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Wall Community Center.
The opinions above are from readers of rapidcityjournal.com and in no way represent the views of the Rapid City Journal or Lee Enterprises.
Rapidcityjournal.com provides this community forum for readers to exchange ideas and opinions on the news of the day. Passionate views, pointed criticism and critical thinking are welcome. Name-calling, crude language and personal abuse are not welcome. Moderators will monitor comments with an eye toward maintaining a high level of civility in this forum. Our comment policy explains the rules of the road for registered commenters.
If you don't see your comment, perhaps...
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy