Black Hills National Forest

News Release

USDA Forest Service

Black Hills National Forest

Contact: Lou Conroy (605) 716-1872, or email us at r2 blackhills webinfo@fs.fed.us

TRIBAL YOUTH WORK WITH FEDERAL AGENCIES ON NATURAL RESOURCE PROJECTS

RAPID CITY, SD: JULY 1, 2009

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Several tribal youth are working with the Black Hills National Forest and National Park Service on a wide variety of natural resource projects this summer.

This is the ninth year of the Youth Natural Resource Program (YNRP), a cooperative program between the Black Hills National Forest, National Park Service, and Sioux tribal governments. Through a cost-share agreement, about ten teens from area tribes have been given the opportunity to play an active role in the helping public lands. During eight weeks in June and July, the teens are participating in projects such as fencing, heritage restoration, trail maintenance, wildlife preservation, bench building, and other natural and cultural resource projects.

Participating tribes include the Cheyenne River Sioux, Yankton Sioux and Standing Rock Tribes, plus Little Wound and Pine Ridge high schools. The participating tribes and the U.S. Forest Service view the tribal youth program as a means to engage them with their sacred sites, employ youth, and also mentor them towards a career in federal or tribal land management.

“We want to show the youth that there are a lot of tribal people that are employed in the Forest Service and Park Service, and to show them the value of education and that someday they can become forest rangers or park rangers,” says Dorothy FireCloud, Superintendent of Devil’s Tower National Monument.

“I think what is most important about the program is just the connection to the sacred sites,” says FireCloud. “Because of the poverty level of the tribes, a lot of the kids don’t get an opportunity to get up into the parks and the forests.” Through the program, the YNRP teens get to see the places they have heard cultural stories about, but have never seen before.

Last week, the YNRP students were working at Devil’s Tower National Monument and building benches along the hiking trails. “It gets pretty hot during the summers, and a lot of [hikers] don’t take water and a lot of them are elders,” says FireCloud. “The basic reason for having those additional benches is to give people a chance to sit down and rest, and also to have different views of the tower.”

“This is a good opportunity for any kids that want to join. It’s a good chance to make a little money, do something for the summer, and it also looks good on a résumé,” said Wakinyan Zephier, YNRP student from Rapid City, SD.

“It’s pretty fun working with the crew,” said Anthony Rowland, YNRP participant from Manderson, SD. “We get to go a lot of places, see different sites, and have fun together.”

For more information about the program, call Lou Conroy, YNRP Coordinator on the Black Hills National Forest, at (605) 716-1872. For more information about the specific project at Devil’s Tower, contact Dorothy Fire Cloud, Superintendent of Devil’s Tower National Park at (307) 467-5283.

Caption: Two Youth Natural Resource Program participants learn about woodworking and building benches from a National Park Service employee.

Caption: A YNRP student hauls bench materials up the trail along Devil's Tower.

Caption: YNRP students assemble benches along the trail by Devil's Tower so that hikers can rest.