South Dakota Black Hills Group

	South Dakota Chapter
Explore, enjoy and protect the planet

South Dakota Chapter of the Sierra Club
PO Box 1624
Rapid City, SD 57709-1624

Chapter Officers

Spring 2012 Newsletter

Overgrazing of the Black Hills National Forest

The Black Hills are known for its pine forests; but a significant portion is made up of grassy meadows. The Sierra Club has studied livestock forage use on the Northern Hills Ranger District of the Black Hills National Forest for two years. Although our scientific evidence demonstrates unequivocally that overgrazing is widespread, the Forest Service is unwilling to accept our conclusions. Click here to see a presentation about overgrazing made by Tom Juntti to the Black Hills Group.

Overgrazing leads to soil erosion, reduced water quality, impaired sport fishing, wildlife mortality and unpleasing esthetics. The Forest Service is required by law to manage for multiple uses, not just commodity production like livestock grazing. In fact, it is likely that sport and recreational uses of the Black Hills National Forest have a larger economic impact than that of livestock grazing.

The Black Hills are beloved of all South Dakotans, not just those who live in and around them. And it’s your land—although those holding grazing permits tend to treat it as if it was theirs alone.

The only way left for us to effect change is through the political process. Please sign a petition to the Undersecretary of Agriculture responsible for oversight of the Forest Service and to South Dakota’s congressional delegation asking them to bring a halt overgrazing and to force the Forest Service to adhere to its own land management plan. Log on to http://www.change.org/petitions/halt-livestock-overgrazing-on-the-black-hills-national-forest and sign the petition. For more information, contact Tom Juntti at tjuntti@rushmore.com.