THE FIRST THIRTY YEARS
BLACK HILLS RESOURCE CONSERVATION
AND DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION, INC.
The original draft application for the Black Hills RC&D was sent to the Soil Conservation Service in Washington DC in March 1966. The primary source of information was the Black Hills Area Resources Study Report. This study was conducted by agencies of the department of Agriculture and the Department of Interior during 1965-1966. The study pointed out quite specifically that all major segments of the Black Hills economy depend on and use the same basic resources, land and water. The solution being “true multiple uses must be practiced, now and in the future.”
The sponsors, all from South Dakota, for this application were the Conservation Districts of Custer, East Pennington, Elk Creek, Lawrence, Pennington and Tri-County. Other sponsors were the Boards of County Commissioners from Custer, Lawrence, Meade and Pennington.
After many public meetings in the Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming, the final application was developed with input from state agencies, “Grass Roots” citizens, and other groups that would be involved. Soil Conservation Service (NRCS) personnel provided guidance and help from the local, state and Washington levels.
The area involved some twelve and one-half million acres in nine counties, six in South Dakota and three in Wyoming, making it the largest RC&D project in the nation.
The Congressional delegation and governors of both states supported the application and all major towns in the Black Hills sent letters supporting the project even though they were not sponsors. The sponsors were:
Black Hills Conservancy Sub-District.
Boards of County Commissioners:
South Dakota (Butte County, Fall River County, Meade County, Custer County, Lawrence County, and Pennington County).
Wyoming (Crook County, Niobrara County and Weston County).
Conservation Districts: South Dakota (Butte, Elk Creek, Tri-County, Custer, Fall River, Pennington, East Pennington, and Lawrence.
Soil and Water Conservation Districts: Wyoming (Beaver Skull, Red Water, Niobrara, Buffalo-Belle, and Devils Tower).
After reading hundreds of letters and minutes of meetings that led up to the formation of the Black Hills RC&D, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention the Black Hills Conservancy Sub-District and its able manager Ed Glassgow, who served as a lead group to pull people from two states together. Ed was also the first Secretary-Treasurer. The following letter from Ed announcing the first official meeting shows the enthusiasm and pride of accomplishment of the group.
BLACK HILLS AREA
RESOURCE CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECT.
STEERING COMMITTEE
P.O. Box 1692
Rapid City, South Dakota
October 9, 1968
Dear Conservationist:
Good News!! The Black Hills Area Resource Conservation and Development Project is now authorized, funded and staffed. On September 24, Secretary of Agriculture, Orville Freeman, signed the authorization and directed the specific cooperation of each agency of the Department of Agriculture. A few days later an initial amount of funds was forthcoming and just last Friday the official announcement was made by Vince Shally, that our friend Jim Larsen, Work Unit Conservationist from Sundance, will be out Project Coordinator. We are very happy for these developments and especially that Jim will be the Coordinator. Jim has spent 15 years at Sundance assisting the three Soil Conservation Districts in Crook County. Jim is well acquainted and well established in this area and has been following our project from its very beginning and has had an active part since the first of the year so he will hit the ground with his feet in motion.
These developments lend a whole new dimension to the importance of our meeting on Tuesday, October 15, 1968 in the Extension Building on the Pennington County Fairgrounds in Rapid City, South Dakota. The meeting will begin at 10:00 A.M. and another session of the full committee at 2:00 P.M. It is expected we will have a number of important people at this meeting.
We have a healthy “Tiger by the Tail” and it appears as though somehow it has been turpentined and it is extremely vital that everyone put their shoulder to the wheel at this time. We now have only 6 months to develop the best initial work plan ever submitted for this – the largest RC&D Project in the Nation. For these reasons, we will expect to see you at 10:00 A.M. Tuesday, October 15, here in Rapid City
Sincerely,
Ed Glassgow, Secretary-treasurer
Black Hills Area RC&D Steering Committee
The first meeting was chaired by Stanton E. Selway from Deadwood, who had been chair of the Steering Committee. Mr. Selway continued as chairman until January 1982. Items discussed were: (1) The need of coordinated zoning and planning for the nine county area. (2) The need to support the South Dakota Water Development Association proposal to establish a remote sensing institute within the state. (3) The need for all sponsor representatives to attend each meeting. (4) Noxious weed problems on public lands and its adverse effect on private lands. Do any of these sound familiar?
In the months that followed as the Council became more organized, many project proposals were discussed and/or submitted. They included the possibility of a monorail system in the hills, noxious weed control, clarification of the use of chemicals in close proximity to streams, lakes and dams, custom mineral ore processing, sewage systems, pipelines, timber improvement and marketing resources, hydrologic studies and well improvements, just to name a few. In fact, by February 1969 over 200 proposals had been submitted.
It appears funding for most projects came from government agencies. At one time a meeting in Rapid City of 75 representatives of federal, state, and local governments met to discuss the role each of them would play in contributing to the RC&D program. Project work plans were developed and handbooks for sponsors were issued and have been updated through the years.
Major changes in the Council through the years until today include a by-law change in 1991 to include municipalities. In 1992 the Council was incorporated as a non-profit organization and in 1993 another by-law change included as sponsors, West Dakota Water Development District, Water Project Districts, Sanitary District, Subdivisions of State Government including Boards, Commissions or agencies thereof or created pursuant to state law, Non-profit Corporations organized to promote any of such members including Non-profit Economic Development Corporations and Rural Electric Cooperatives.
In February 1991 the size of the Black Hills RC&D was reduced when a new RC&D in Wyoming was established taking in the counties of Crook, Niobrara, and Weston. This move was welcomed by all concerned and made the management of funds, time and travel much more efficient.
Some of the projects through the years were city and county parks, stream bank improvements, flood control, economic development programs, rural leadership workshops, and building a rural fire station.
Recent projects include a Cost of Community Services Study, noxious weed control, Alternative Energy Workshops and an EPA 319 Watershed Project.
DID YOU KNOW? President John F. Kennedy signed the legislation creating the RC&D program in 1962.