Cheyenne River Valley Grasslands Heritage Wilderness Proposal

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the South Dakota Wild Grassland Coalition?
The South Dakota Wild Grassland Coalition is comprised of sportsmen, ranchers, conservationists, Native American tribes, and local business owners who would like to see a small piece of South Dakota’s prairie grasslands preserved in its wild state for generations to come.

What is the Coalition’s “wilderness proposal”?
To achieve this goal, the Coalition has developed a proposal to designate approximately 50,000 acres of existing Forest Service land in southwestern South Dakota as wilderness. The wilderness would consist of three non-contiguous areas: Indian Creek, Red Shirt, and Chalk Hills.

Designation of wilderness requires an act of Congress. The Bush Administration, in its 2002 management plan for the Northern Great Plains region, recommended wilderness for two of the areas (Indian Creek and Red Shirt) included in the Coalition’s proposal.

What exactly is wilderness?
The Wilderness Act of 1964 defines designated Wilderness as “land retaining its primeval character and influence, without permanent improvements or human habitation, …which generally appears to have been affected primarily by the forces of nature, with the imprint of man's work substantially unnoticeable…" Wilderness can only be designated by an act of Congress and can be established only on federal lands. These lands are typically managed by the U.S. Forest Service, the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

What land uses are permitted in wilderness?
Hunting, established grazing, fishing, hiking, camping, canoeing, kayaking, swimming, mineral activity on claims established prior to designation, bird watching, horseback riding, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, rockclimbing, caving and ecological research are permitted.

How are motorized and mechanized access restricted in wilderness?
The Wilderness Act prohibits use of motorized/mechanized equipment and general access by motor vehicles and mechanical transport such as mountain bikes. However, the law makes exceptions for situations such as search and rescue operations, fire fighting to protect adjacent private lands, and insect and disease control. Grazing permittees are allowed to use motorized vehicles to rescue livestock, and the occasional use of motorized equipment is allowed to fix fences and maintain springs and livestock dams. Additionally, private inholders are guaranteed reasonable access to their land.

A grasslands wilderness in southwestern South Dakota would represent only 0.15 percent of South Dakota’s total land mass. Hundreds of thousands of acres would still be open to all types of motorized recreation.

How is grazing impacted by wilderness designation?
Domestic livestock grazing, where established prior to wilderness designation, shall be permitted in wilderness. Maintenance of fences, livestock dams and springs is allowed, along with the occasional use of motorized equipment in accordance with the 1980 Congressional Grazing Guidelines.

Does wilderness designation prohibit rock collecting?
Wilderness designation does not curtail rockhounds’ ability to remove rocks from the wilderness area for personal use. However, commercial use and selling of rocks collected within wilderness is not allowed, as the Wilderness Act expressly prohibits commercial enterprises within wilderness boundaries (with exceptions for outfitter and guide services).

Are private property rights adversely impacted by wilderness designation?
No. Wilderness designation will not adversely affect private property. Wilderness designations apply only to federally owned lands. If you own property outside the wilderness boundary (even land near or adjacent to the federal Wilderness), wilderness designation does not infringe on your ability to use or develop your land. In fact, studies show that property values go up in areas near protected federal lands and rivers.

If you own land completely inside the designated wilderness area (often called an “inholding”), management restrictions for wilderness areas do not apply to private land. Additionally, private property owners are assured adequate access to their land, and that may include permission to drive through a portion of the wilderness area to get to their land. The federal government may only acquire an inholding if the owner is a willing seller.

Would the risk of uncontrolled fire, disease, or insects be greater in wilderness?
No. The Wilderness Act allows for flexibility to deal with catastrophic wildfires should they occur. Section 4(d)(1) of the Act states that "such measures may be taken as necessary in the control of fires, insects and diseases" within wilderness. House Report language for the Endangered American Wilderness Act further clarifies that actions to address fire, insect outbreaks, and disease in wilderness areas include, ‘‘the use of motorized equipment, the building of fire roads, fire towers, fire breaks, or fire pre-suppression facilities where necessary and other techniques for fire control. In short, anything necessary for the protection of public health and safety is clearly permissible.’’

Under an approved Wilderness Management Plan, some wildfires may be allowed to burn, and some prescribed burning (to prevent large-scale wildfires) may be approved on a case-by-case basis. Additionally, by restricting the construction of new roads, wilderness may help prevent human-caused fires.

Would wilderness interfere with our ability to stop the spread of invasive species?
While the Wilderness Act does not specifically address the issue, both the U.S. Forest Service Manual and Bureau of Land Management regulations permit measures to control noxious weeds and non-native invasive plants when they threaten lands outside wilderness or when they are spreading within the wilderness, provided it is possible to effect control without causing serious adverse impacts on wilderness values.

How would wilderness affect prairie dog management?
Wilderness designation should not affect the authority of the U.S. Forest Service and the South Dakota Game Fish and Parks Department to address the prairie dog issue. All wildlife in South Dakota, including prairie dogs, is owned by the State of South Dakota, even in wilderness. Wildlife is cooperatively managed on U.S. Forest Service lands through a Memorandum of Understanding and mutual planning efforts. The Wilderness Act assures that state wildlife management responsibilities continue. Currently, the State of South Dakota is developing a prairie dog management plan so that it can better manage these animals on both public and private lands. The State’s completion of this plan will clarify management methods for prairie dog populations in the future. In addition, the Forest Service has informed the State that it will adopt the goals and objectives noted in that plan.

How does wilderness designation impact disabled individuals?
Those with disabilities may use wheelchairs within Wilderness. The Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 reaffirmed that nothing in the Wilderness Act should be construed as prohibiting the use of a wheelchair in a wilderness area, although agencies are not required to provide special wheelchair access. A 1992 report by the National Council on Disability found that a “significant majority of persons with disabilities surveyed very much enjoy the [National Wilderness Preservation System], and 76 percent do not believe that the restrictions on mechanized use stated in the Wilderness Act diminish their ability to enjoy wilderness."

Does South Dakota already have any wilderness areas?
Two federally designated wilderness areas exist in South Dakota. The Black Elk Wilderness Area was designated in 1980, comprising 13,426 acres within the Black Hills National Forest, managed by the U.S. Forest Service. The Badlands Wilderness Area, established in 1976, includes 64,144 acres located within Badlands National Park, managed by the National Park Service. These two wilderness areas equal only 0.16% of South Dakota’s total land mass.

Is the grasslands ecosystem currently represented within the National Wilderness Preservation System?
No. The National Wilderness Preservation System does not include any national grassland areas. Designation of recommended areas in the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands in South Dakota would be the first grasslands wilderness in the nation.

Why is official wilderness designation necessary? Aren’t National Grasslands in South Dakota protected already?
Wilderness designation would provide portions of the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands with lasting protection from development and ecological degradation due to uses such as motorized recreation. While there are existing prohibitions on motorized recreation in certain parts of the Grasslands, these prohibitions are regulatory in nature and could be withdrawn at any time.

What benefits would wilderness designation offer the people of South Dakota?
From an economic standpoint, wilderness designation would benefit adjacent communities. Businesses and individuals are increasingly looking to locate in areas that provide significant outdoor recreation opportunities, open space and scenic vistas. Also, having the nation’s first grasslands wilderness would complement South Dakota’s marketing as a tourist destination and a hunting paradise.

From an ecological standpoint, wilderness can help safeguard air quality, watersheds, biodiversity, wildlife habitat, open space and natural ecological processes. Once an area is designated as wilderness, existing human scars—like old mines and roads—can be mitigated and the landscape restored to its natural character.

What are the current threats to the proposed wilderness areas in South Dakota?
Increasing population numbers, paired with the increasing popularity of off-highway vehicles (OHVs) as a hobby is a growing threat to the preservation of South Dakota’s wild places. Erosion and noise are two major problems associated with OHV use. It makes sense to protect special areas now, before more damage occurs, rather than after the fact.

How would prohibitions and protections within designated wilderness areas be enforced?
Wilderness designation invariably brings more agency resources to the area. Additionally, wilderness legislation often includes authorization of specific enforcement funding. Such funding might be used for appropriate signage, educational materials, ecological monitoring and/or additional law enforcement.

What specific uses are currently allowed or not allowed in the proposed wilderness areas. How would these uses change?
Most recreational uses are now permitted under current Forest Service management plans for the Indian Creek, Red Shirt, and Chalk Hills areas of the Buffalo Gap National Grassland. Since 1979, motorized vehicles have not been permitted in the Indian Creek area, with the exception of the two-track road that bisects the region. Under wilderness designation, all areas would be off-limits to motorized and mechanized recreational uses.

Existing grazing would continue within wilderness. Grazing permittees would be allowed to use motorized vehicles and equipment to rescue livestock, fix fences, and maintain springs and livestock dams. Rock collecting for personal use would continue to be allowed.

Is the South Dakota Wild Grassland Coalition promoting wilderness designation for additional areas in the state?
No. The Coalition is presently working only to designate three grassland areas in southwestern South Dakota that total approximately 50,000 acres.

Does wilderness designation curtail the public’s opportunity to be involved in wilderness management decisions?
No. While there are certain statutorily mandated land use principles the appropriate federal agency must adhere to in managing wilderness areas under its jurisdiction, agency officials are expected to establish management plans for each unique wilderness area. A wilderness management plan is often developed as part of the broader forest management planning process, which includes a strong public involvement component. Wilderness planning must also comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which allows for significant public comment.

For more information, contact:

Cheryl Warren, South Dakota Wild Grassland Coalition, 605-673-3281
Jim Margadant, Sierra Club, 605-342-2244
Chris Hesla, South Dakota Wildlife Federation, 605-222-1002
Carrie Sandstedt, Campaign for America’s Wilderness, 775-329-9453