Stop unreviewed burning and thinning in Black Hills National Forest
Grizzly Prescribed Burn
U.S. Forest Service· Black Hills National Forest, Hell Canyon Ranger DistrictU.S. Forest Service project page ↗
Forest ServiceWe track this on the agency’s own system of record, where most on-the-ground decisions live.
The groups on this fight
4 groups work South Dakota
By footprint, from the same match the STAND matchmaker runs; none is linked to this decision in our record yet. Give straight to them; nothing routes through us.
- Badlands Natural History Association
Works South Dakota: they work only in South Dakota.
- Honor the Earth
Works South Dakota: on the ground in South Dakota.
- Intertribal Buffalo Council
Works South Dakota: based in Rapid City, working South Dakota.
- Wind Cave National Park Friends Group
Works South Dakota: they work only in South Dakota.
Every group above is on STAND for Public Lands, with its court record, its filings and who backs it.
The Forest Service plans to burn and thin trees near Hell Canyon without full public scrutiny.
What’s at risk
Forest habitat and recreational areas in the Hell Canyon Ranger District face permanent alteration through prescribed burning and tree removal. The project is moving forward with a narrow comment window and limited transparency about scope.
If this goes through
Trees will be cut and land burned across Black Hills National Forest near Mount Rushmore, changes that cannot be undone once completed.
Our plain-English read of the official notice ↗. Check it against the agency’s own words below.
3 holes in the agency’s own analysis
What the public could have raised, from the agency’s own document
- I oppose this action as proposed, and I ask the agency to weigh the specific harms below.
- I urge the Forest Service to fully disclose which specific recreational residences in the Hell Canyon Ranger District will be affected by thinning activities before approving this project.
- The NEPA review for this prescribed burn must clearly explain how the collaborative burn with Mount Rushmore National Memorial will be coordinated across two separate federal jurisdictions.
- I oppose moving forward with this prescribed burn until the public comment period produces a transparent plan showing exactly which areas of Black Hills National Forest will be burned and thinned.
- Say something only you can say. The law requires the agency to consider and respond to substantive comments, and specifics are what make a comment substantive.
In the agency’s own words
Collaborative prescribed burn with Mount Rushmore to promote forest health and improve wildfire resilience. Additionally, protect recreational residences through thinning activities.
The reporting behind this
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More actions that need you
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