Eagles nest in Black Hills

After walks in rain and fog earlier this summer, hikers on the final Black Hills National Forest Moon Walk for 2009 enjoyed perfect weather! Nearly 160 people turned out for the short trek to the north shore of Deerfield Reservoir west of Hill City last Saturday (9/5/09) to learn about bald eagles. That may not be a record number of hikers, but it certainly exceeds numbers we’ve seen this year.

It’s a testament to a wonderful program sponsored by the U.S. Forest Service. While the Forest Service gets thumped alongside its head for a variety of decisions it has made across the country, they surely deserve a pat on the back for their Moon Walk program.

Of course, the monthly hikes – scheduled around full moons during the summer months – give USFS personnel a chance to mend political fences and increase public understanding about the terrific resource available to citizens in this region: the Black Hills National Forest. They’ve been doing the walks for 14 years, according to Amy Ballard, who’s been coordinating the events since their inception,

Our guide for the September outing was Lou Conroy, a native South Dakotan who grew up at Pine Ridge and later earned a degree in Biology from Black Hills State University in Spearfish. A wildlife biologist out of the Mystic District office, Conroy also has a Master’s degree from Colorado State University in Fort Collins and has been with the Forest Service for some 12 years.

The real stars of this Moon Walk were bald eagles. Alas, they were in absentia, but that didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of Conroy or the throng of hikers who eagerly listened to the story about bald eagles and the discovery of their nesting at Deerfield Reservoir – believed to be a first in the Black Hills.

Perched in the trees along the north edge of Deerfield Reservoir is a nest that Conroy and his cohorts say is the first nesting site for bald eagles in the Black Hills. While it’s fairly common to see bald eagles wintering in this region, it’s a first to find them nesting and raising their young here.

Conroy says the Deerfield Reservoir nest was started in 2007, but then abandoned for some unknown reason. The bald eagles came back in 2008 and were successful in raising at least one eaglet that flew from the nest. Observers were anxious to see similar results this spring.

“Everything was on schedule this year, but by the second week in May they were gone,” said Conroy, who believes that April and May storms may have caused a problem in the nest. Whatever the reason, the nest was again abandoned, but hopes are high that the eagles will return and begin the nesting process again this winter.

You’ll find more information and photographs of the “Bald Eagles” Moon Walk to Deerfield Reservoir in our Moon Walk Gallery.

A tip of the hat to Amy Ballard and the many other Forest Service specialists who contributed to another great year of Moon Walks across the Black Hills National Forest.

We’re already anxious to see the schedule for next year – perhaps visiting some new locations and re-visiting other favorites for 2010.

Partners saving Meeker Ranch

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The weather simply wasn't cooperating.

Early evening rain and lightning nearly caused cancellation of the August Moon Walk to the historic Meeker Ranch homestead near Custer on Saturday (8/8/09). But Mother Nature relented, and about 100 people weathered the storm to enjoy another terrific educational hike sponsored by the U.S. Forest Service.

At first, the weather was sunny and mild, followed by clouds, rain, and then – the bane of all hikers – lightning! They tell us that only lightning will force cancellation of a Moon Walk. Fortunately, the small storm pushed rapidly through the hills east of Custer, and by 7:15, skies were clearing. It turned out to be a delightful evening for a hike – even with a few pesky mosquitoes nipping at our necks.

This place has been the catalyst for some interesting partnerships.

Five years ago this month – August 2004 – the Meeker Creek Habitat Conservation Project celebrated a partnership between the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Ina Davis family. The goal was to conserve the 278-acre parcel of land known as Meeker Ranch.

But it wasn’t until 2008 that the ranch captured more widespread attention. That’s when well-known Black Hills artist Jon Crane (left) helped elevate it into public consciousness. Crane’s advocacy in getting the Forest Service to alter plans to either burn down or tear down buildings on the scenic ranch had all the elements of a good news story. Bernie Hunhoff wrote one such story for the March/April 2008 edition of South Dakota Magazine.

Crane, like most of us, was apparently mesmerized by the beauty of the ranch, and enlisted others – including the media – to get the government to reconsider its initial plan to get rid of buildings on the ranch. The Forest Service was confronted with a myriad of safety and liability issues; retaining the buildings and fixing them up would be costly.

One senses that the road to the current “partnership” between the U.S. Forest Service and the Black Hills Historic Preservation Trust – which Crane helped organize – was probably full of potholes and detours. Nonetheless, there now seems to be a united effort to preserve and restore the Meeker Ranch property, including volunteers and private contributions.

As one meanders down the road to the open meadow that is home to the Meeker Ranch, it’s easy to see how Jon Crane, and all of us, could fall in love with this place. Crane has also dedicated a portion of his Meeker Ranch artwork sales to help with restoration.

On this particular cool August evening, Forest Service archaeologist Matt Padilla (left) was our Moon Walk guide, providing not only a good overview of Meeker Ranch history – but sharing a few early photographs of the ranch and its founder, Frank Cunningham Meeker.

Born in Ohio, Meeker made his way west in the late 1870s and worked on cattle drives from Texas to the northern Plains. Padilla says the young Meeker also worked as a Pony Express rider before pursuing a ranch of his own in the Black Hills. After working on a ranch south of Custer, he homesteaded on the current ranch site in 1882. They called it “Willow Creek.”

According to Frank Meeker's granddaughter, Nancy Suzanne Meeker Wolfe, title to the ranch passed from the Meeker family to Dave and Iney Davis in May of 1973. Some 31 years later, in 2004, the property was purchased by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, which subsequently sold it to the U.S. Forest Service. All have seemingly agreed to the Davis’ intent that the land not be developed. Less certain was how to deal with the buildings.

Perhaps the oldest building on the surviving ranch site is the Meeker home, built in 1887. Several additions have been built over the years, but no one has lived in the structure for more than 50 years. There’s a cool cabin about a half mile southwest of the main house, and it’s there that the Davis family – Dave and Ina – chose to live in the 1950s.

Each of the buildings on the Meeker Ranch has its own story – and this Moon Walk stirred up considerable interest in the venerable ranch. The huge turnout for the August event (including U.S. Forest Service District Ranger Craig Bobzien and his wife) is a testament to its popularity.

Our Moon Walk Gallery offers several photos and a bit more information. More importantly, perhaps it’ll stir your curiosity and put you on the road to Custer to explore the remarkable Meeker Ranch.

No April Fool's Joke!

One of the joys of living in the Black Hills region is the amazing scenery and the friendly people. Having deer wander into the neighborhood -- hopefully not too often -- makes it seem like we're almost living in the woods!

This morning (4/1/1), however, we had a new experience, when we spotted some very big animal prints out in the back yard. We seldom have dogs running loose in this area, although we do have lots of deer. Upon closer examination, it was apparent that these prints, which measured six inches across and eight inches in length, belonged either to a big dog or a mountain lion. The photograph on the left is shown with my ballpoint pen included to illustrate the relative size of the animal track.

I shared my photographs with a biologist at the U.S. Forest Service office. He indicated that the tracks could very well have been from a mountain lion -- but the pictures were inconclusive. Upon returning to our Yellowstone Place neighborhood in north Spearfish, I spotted two police officers walking into the street from the yards behind our house. I asked if they'd been investigating the tracks -- and what they thought.

There was no doubt in their minds that the prints were made by mountain lions.

We enjoy our environment. And this bit of news provided the neighborhood with a bit of excitement; however, we've decided it's an excitement that we'd just as soon not experience very often.