125 



Tnis decrease in nmorr could t>c disastrous Tor recreation, but could also stall economic 

 development in Rapid City, and have a negative etiect on agriculture on the lower 

 coniincs ox Rapia Creek. 



There are also 1 7,000 acres located in the Belle Fouche watershed and some in the 

 Angostura watershed in tiie Sieira Club's proposal. This whole proposal spells disaster 

 for water conservation and storage in Western South Dakota. 



I would appeal to the members of Congress to let the experts in forest management, the 

 USDA Forest Sei'vice, and private ciiteiprise, manage the Black Hills. These people 

 reside here, earn their livmg here, and would not jeopardize their children's and 

 giaudchildren's heritage. 



Don't let these organizations compare the Black Ilills to the Rock>- Mountains, the 

 Cascades or any other mountam region. We are umque m size and annual precipitation. 

 We need proper timber management, not more wilderness areas. 



It is unthinkable to me that the Sierra Club and allies would introduce a South Dakota 

 Wilderness Bill after the negative reaction their original bill received in Rapid City. 

 This bill should be called the Out-of-State Interest Bill, because the people of South 

 Dakota do not endorse this bill. I would hope thai Congress gives ihese people the same 

 consideration that they gave the people of Western South Dakota They did not listen to 

 us at all. 



Concerning the Black Hills National Forest Revision Plan, w-c sec some forward-thinking 

 recommendations have been made by committees and professionals. These people have 

 spent long hours studying the problems. 



The proposal in this plan to manage the timber above Pactola Reser\'oir to attain 

 maximum water yields is commendable. Water is our most imponaut uatuiai resouiee 

 and the conservation and storage of \\'ater is critical to this area. The USDA Forest 

 Service should be commended for implementing the following recommendation's to the 

 drought committee; 



1. Maximum flow of forest products. This would maintain oui local timber 

 economy 



2. Their plan also increases back-coimtry recreation, which is commendable. I 

 deal with thousands of tourists and locals each year and the one thing they 

 enjoy about the Black Hills is that they are accessible by roads, hikmg, 

 horseback riding, mountain biking, trail biking, four- wheeling, snowmobiling 

 and cross-eounLry skimg. 



3. The only part of this revision plan I would question is the wilderness area 

 proposed in the Belle Fouche watershed. I believe before this happens there 

 should be a hydrologie study to see the eflects of runoff and storage in the 



Belle Fouche watershed. 



74-343 0-94-5 



