Local Organizations

Aside from the BHFRA, there are many local organizations who constructively involve themselves with forestry and management on the Black Hills National Forest.  Here are just a few:

Black Hills Regional Multiple Use Coalition:  BHRMUC is a broad, diverse coalition of groups, formed in 1991, who sought to speak with a unified voice in advocating continued sustainable management on the Black Hills National Forest, with all the multiple-users of the forest in mind.  Their motto is “finding common ground with common sense”, and their members range among all forms of recreationists and sportsmen, ranchers and stock growers, farmers, community development organizations, and the forest products industry (including BHFRA).   Annual membership for individuals is $15.00 and membership for organizations is $100, pending approval by the Board of Directors.  They can be reached by phone through the BHFRA at 605-341-0875, or by mail at:  PO Box 9496; Rapid City, SD 57709.

Black Hills and Wyoming chapters of Women in Timber:  Our local chapters of WIT are affiliates of a larger organization, Federated Women in Timber, who have for many years been a strong force in natural resource policy-making and activism.  Their members are composed of individuals whose livelihoods are directly or indirectly related to the forest products industry.  They often partner with the BHFRA to conduct training under the Logger Education to Advance Professionalism (LEAP) curricula, which schools forest harvesters in things like ecology, biology, silviculture, water quality, and on-the-job safety.  Black Hills WIT can be reached c/o Ms. Druse Kellogg, at 2310 Maitland Rd.; Spearfish, SD 57783; Wyoming WIT can be reached c/o Ms. Kathleen Jachowski, at 217 Rd. 6&H; Cody, WY 82414.

Black Hills National Forest Advisory Board:  The Black Hills NFAB is the first-of-its-kind citizen’s body created to advise the national   forest on forest management issues.  The Board is comprised of representative stakeholders from South Dakota and Wyoming, appointed by US Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman, from a myriad of interests including the BHFRA.  The genesis of this body came from a request on behalf of South Dakota Senator Tom Daschle, in his hopes that bringing parties together at the same table would quell some of the persistent controversy surrounding national forest management.  The board first met in March, 2003 and has since begun to delve into some of these contentious issues.  Meetings are open to the public, and time is reserved at the end of each agenda for public comments and questions.  

Keep South Dakota Green Association:  KSDG is an historic non-profit organization which was formed in 1952, after a severe 1949 fire season that destroyed 50 homes in the Black Hills, by foresters and citizens wishing to develop a fire prevention program for South Dakota.  KSDG is still active today through community programs, the Project Learning Tree environmental education curricula, and the American Tree Farm System.  You can reach KSDG at PO Box 3, Pierre, SD 57501 for more information; annual memberships range from $50 to $25. 

American Tree Farm System:  Tree Farm is a program, under the administration of KSDG, in which private landowners may enroll their forested acres in order to receive professional forestry assistance with the management of their property.  They can be contacted through the local offices of the SD Division of Resource Conservation and Forestry and the WY Division of Forestry.

Stay tuned...  More links and information to come!