Mission 20 · Black Hills National Forest · SD · 2026

Roby timber

The U.S. Forest Service has a decision open here and is taking comments on it. Black Hills National Forest, South Dakota.

The agency files it as “Roby Forest Management Project”

Record openthe agency stopped taking comments October 5 · what you find still counts

Places to check

People it would take

Said they’ll go

Photographs filed

Opened

September 7

Window closed

October 5

Evidence

Nothing filed yet.

No photograph has been filed on this mission yet. The first one lands here with its fingerprint, where its location came from, and how far inside the agency’s own boundary it was taken. The places to check are below.

The objective

What we are testing.

Black Hills National ForestRecreation use

“There are no developed recreation areas, non-motorized trails, wilderness areas, or wilderness study areas within or adjacent to the project area.”

The agency wrote that in its own document, under Recreation. Nobody has been out to check it.

Drive and walk the Roby project area near the Antelope Springs trailhead and along Boles Canyon, Redbird Canyon and Gillette Canyon roads, looking for any hiking-only trail or developed recreation site. A photo of a signed foot trail, campground, picnic area, toilet or fee post inside or right beside the project area.

0 of 6 going · nobody lives near it yetWhat to look for, and how to file it

The paperwork

Everything else the document says about the ground.

7 more sentences, in the agency’s own words, with where each one sits in the document. Any of them is fair game for a photograph.

“Most streams (97 percent of stream miles) are ephemeral or intermittent.”
Under Water QualityWhere: any stream crossing in the Roby project area, e.g. along Boles Canyon Road, Redbird Canyon Road, or Gillette Canyon Road
“The RNA comprises 313 acres in the southwestern part of the project area, primarily along a ridgeline with exposed limestone outcrops.”
Under Research Natural AreaWhere: the Fanny/Boles Research Natural Area, southwestern part of the project area
“There are no snowmobile trails in the project area.”
Under RecreationWhere: throughout the Roby project area
“Aside from a short section of U.S. Highway 16, there are no paved roads.”
Under Transportation SystemWhere: the road network throughout the Roby project area, including U.S. Highway 16
“The Antelope Springs motorized trailhead is in the northern end of the project area.”
Under RecreationWhere: northern end of the Roby project area
“The project area contains four American goshawk territories that have been documented as active within the last seven years.”
Under Wildlife Species and HabitatWhere: the four documented goshawk nest area stands within the project area
“Ponderosa pine is the dominant vegetation cover on approximately 82 percent of the project area.”
Under Forest Species CompositionWhere: throughout the Roby project area, Hell Canyon Ranger District

The decision

Who is deciding, and when.

Deciding: U.S. Forest Service
Kind of decision: Comment period
The agency’s title: Roby Forest Management Project
Published: September 4
Comments closed: October 5
The notice: The agency’s own page

Read the whole decision, and write to the agency

Status

Record open.

The window shut October 5. Evidence still counts: it backs the objections from people who did comment, goes to the lawyers, and outlives the decision.

What you can do

Join the Corps Write to the agency

More Than Just Parks doesn’t direct where you go or what you do. Terms.

Loading the map

The agency has not published a map we can check of the exact patches this covers, so the map draws the whole place.

How to record it so it counts

Recreation use

The whole checklist, with the phone settings, is in the field guide.

Before you go

Public land only. Plenty of land inside a national forest or park boundary is privately owned, and that is not yours to walk on. A gate or a closure sign means stop. Check the rules for the specific place you are going, because they differ.
Don’t touch survey stakes, flagging, equipment or anything a crew left. Photograph it; leave it.
Don’t approach crews, contractors or agency staff about the project. Don’t interfere with any operation.
Wildlife at a distance. No drones in wilderness or anywhere they’re prohibited. Stay off closed roads and trails.
If you’re not sure, don’t. Weather, terrain, water, fire and people are your call, and yours alone.

Working this fight for a group?

The evidence desk for this mission is at corps/desk/20. One grant per fight, every open logged, members appear as numbers. Write to ask@morethanjustparks.com and say which fight and why.