Spearfish Canyon State Park proposal spurs more opposition

First announced by South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard a year ago, public hearings on a proposed Spearfish Canyon State Park are drawing lots of interest.

Spearfish Canyon along U.S. 14A

And there doesn't seem to be a lot of support for the concept, which hinges on a "land swap" of state land for U.S. Forest Service land.

Even Forest Service officials expressed opposition to the land swap deal, despite early support from U.S. Senators John Thune and Mike Rounds.

Yesterday (1/26/17) at a public forum in the Spearfish Park Pavilion, the public weighed in on the proposal.  According to the Rapid City Journal, it was a "raucous crowd of about 400 people," most of whom strongly oppose the plan. (Read the RC Journal story here.) 

We were supportive a few years ago when South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks developed and improved the facilities around Roughlock Falls, which would appear to be smack-dab in the middle of the proposed new Spearfish Canyon State Park.  But there was no revelation  back then that state officials would return a few years later with plans for a Spearfish Canyon State Park.

To learn more about the proposed state park, you can take a look at the website Spearfish Canyon.sd.gov which was developed by the State of South Dakota.  It provides background information on the project, including information about the master plan, maps, history, and other updates. 

And, if you're so inclined, you'll find our views on the proposal at Black Hills Monitor.