GF&P Ends Consulting Contracts on Unpopular Spearfish Canyon Park Plan

Governor Dennis Daugaard’s plan to create a state park in Spearfish Canyon is even deader. Game Fish & Parks says it is ending public meetings and closing its consulting contract for the plan:

Katie Cerrol is with the South Dakota Game Fish and Parks department. She says the consulting firm Peaks to Plains will finish up an inventory analysis of the proposed areas…

“Then we’re going to close out their contracts,” Cerrol says. “So, in other words, there won’t be any formal meetings taking place in May, they’re postponed. And really that allows us to pause. So we’re pausing those planning efforts” [Lee Strubinger, “State Cancels Contracts with Consulting Firm of Spearfish Canyon Land Transfer,” SDPB Radio, 2017.04.10].

The public and the revenue-starved Legislature balked at the Canyon park plan; so did the federal Forest Service:

Ceroll said between 175-200 online comments were received. Additional e-mails, calls, and letters were sent in to the GF&P. She did not have an accurate estimate of how many were received, but they carried the same theme: “No.”

Ceroll said another consideration to “pause” its planning process is that the state is having a difficult time getting Black Hills National Forest representatives to the table to discuss the matter [Mark Watson, “GF&P to ‘Pause’ Spearfish Canyon State Park Plan,” Black Hills Pioneer, 2017.04.11].

So nuts to that! Leave the Canyon as it is… and visitors, that goes for you, too. Tread lightly on the trails!