126 



Histor>- docs not teach us much. Already some Rapid City Council members arc 

 advocating getting rid of water restrictions because our reservoirs are tiill. 



Now the Sierra Club is tellmg us we need more wilderness instead ot more timber 

 management in these watersheds. It seems to me that the Sierra Chib and their allies did 

 very little homework on this proposal. They do not addiess water cousei-vation and ihc 

 amounts of water we would lose in our reservoirs if these wilderness areas become a 

 reality. 



Last winter the Siena Club had a public meeting on tlie original wilderness pioposal. 

 Over 500 people crammed the room at Howard Johnsons and during a three-hour period 

 waited in line to speak against tlie SieiTa Club's proposal. During the meeting tlie only 

 people who spoke for the proposal were those who were on the stage. These people on 

 the stage were all from out of state, except one. In other words, none of these people had 

 to worry about how to make a livmg here m South Dakou. Dunng ihis meexmg 1 asked 

 about the hydrologiccil consequences of this proposal. One man's answer was that usually 

 you did not have to worry aboul thai because snow pack would Iill the reservoirs. 1 gol 

 this answer after fighting low water in our marina for six pre\Hous years. Great research 

 by a group ihax should have had this iiuormaxion before making a proposal ihat is so 

 critical to the people of this area. 



T have cr)mpiled some hydrologic tacts on the Pactola Watershed area: 



The Sierra Club's proposal includes 14.900 acres of wilderness in the Pactola 

 watershed area. 



Pactola's average precipitation is 20.13 inches per year. 



This data was collected at a Pactola study site in 1993: 



Precipitation recorded beneath dense pine canopy and in open grassland is as 

 follows: 



Open areas had 22,89 inches of precipitation. 



Dense areas had 16.35 inches of precipitation. 



This is a difference of 28.4 % of moisture actually getting to the soil. 

 If moisture does not reach the ground it cannot run off. 



There is much more data in this hydrologic stud>'. It was started! in 1990 and is still 

 ongoing, ihe study is supported by South Dakota Stale Umversily, Umversily of South 

 Dakota, Soil Consef.'ation Service and the IJSD.A Forest Sen'ice. More information on 

 this sttidy can be obtained from Dr. F. Roben Ganuer, Professor SDSU, Depx. of Animal 

 and Range Science or Keith J Wrage, Research Assistant, University of SD, Dept. of 

 Biology, 414 E. Clark St., Vermillion, South Dakota, 57069. 



