Buffalo Gap National Grassland (scholarship)

Location: Western SD (near Badlands National Park)
Strenuous. ~2-3 miles daily
Front country: dispersed tent camping near cars

This project is open to women only. Our project will focus on closing and naturalizing unsanctioned campsites in the Pinnacles dispersed camping area, including building fencing, signage, and seeding. 

This project is sponsored by:

Service Project Details

Five spots on this project are reserved for scholarship recipients. Please complete a scholarship application here, in addition to applying for this project below. You must complete both a volunteer application and a scholarship application to hold your place on the waitlist line. Once your application is approved, a $100 fully refundable deposit will be due within 14 days. Please contact us at info@wildernessvolunteers.org or carrie@wildernessvolunteers.org with any questions.

This project is open to women only. This project is part of our grant-funded Empowering Women and Developing Leaders through the National Forest & Grassland Stewardship project and is made possible by support from the National Forest Foundation and Athletic Brewing’s Two for the Trails grant. Through this project, we seek to increase female participation in stewardship and empower women to become leaders in outdoor spaces. By offering women-only projects, we seek to give women a safe space to offer their own ideas, step into leadership roles, and have a stronger sense of accomplishment and ownership over stewardship projects. 

Our project in Buffalo Gap National Grassland will focus on improving public safety and erosion issues caused by overuse of the Pinnacles dispersed camping area, located just north of Badlands National Park. The Pinnacles sees over 400 campers most weekends during peak seasons, who typically park on the east side of the road that overlooks the Badlands “wall” (cliff face). Increased use has prevented grass from growing, leading to increased erosion of the loose soil, which also becomes slippery with a small amount of rain. These conditions have become a public safety concern: campers park too close to the eroding cliff and both tents and people have gone over the edge. Closing camping access on the east side of the road and opening designated dispersed camping on the west side of the road is a high priority for the Forest, which severely lacks the material and human resources to accomplish this project. 

Our project scope includes closing unsanctioned dispersed campsites and naturalizing and seeding these areas; building fencing; installing signage; and creating designated dispersed campsites on the west side of the road.

Project Leaders: Carrie Henderson and Andrea Fountain

Agency Website

Itinerary:

Sunday, June 1st. The Volunteer group meets in the afternoon at a time/place TBD. The group will go through check-in, introductions, and orientation, and will help set up camp in preparation for the work week ahead.

Monday, June 2nd. Workday.

Tuesday, June 3rd. Workday.

Wednesday, June 4th. Day off.

Thursday, June 5th. Workday.

Friday, June 6th. Workday.

Saturday, June 7th. Break down camp, goodbyes, and depart.

Nearest Cities
Custer, SD

Nearest Airports
Rapid City Regional Airport (RAP) – ~51 miles away

Free Time Details

• Hiking in Badlands National Park, Black Hills National Forest, or Custer State Park
• Go on a cave tour at Wind Cave National Park or Jewel Cave National Monument
• Visit Devils Tower National Monument or Minuteman Missile National Historic Site
• Wildlife photography at Badlands National Park or Wind Cave National Park
• Rock Hunting in Buffalo Gap National Grassland
• Visit the Journey Museum or Mammoth Site

Accommodations

Front country: dispersed tent camping near cars

Difficulty

Task Details

Equipment List