Moon walks
Beginning at 7 p.m. on Saturdays close to the full moon from May through October, Moon Walks, sponsored by Black Hills National Forest, give participants insight into the beauty and history of the Black Hills. The 2007 schedule follows:
- May 5 — Big Horn Sheep, Silver City near Pactola Reservoir. GF&P wildlife biologists will discuss the habitat, biology and survival challenges of big horn sheep in the Black Hills.
- June 2 — Sink Holes and Hydrology, west of Sturgis off Vanocker Canyon. Participants will watch a stream disappear underground as the speaker discusses the geology and mining history of the Bear Butte Creek drainage.
- June 30 — Civilian Conservation Corps Contributions, west of Custer at TeePee Work Center. Forest archaeologists will impersonate a forest ranger and a CCC enrollee to provide a look at life in a CCC camp in the 1930s, and discuss the contributions of the CCC to forest development.
- July 28 — Stewardship and Conservation Partners at Slate Creek, located near Slate Creek dam west of Hill City. The Nature Conservancy, Black Hills Flyfishers and Norbeck Society will discuss how a stream, hiking trail and land exchange project fulfills the Black Hills National Forest mission on multiple levels.
- Aug. 25 — Secluded Niches of the Forest, located in the western half of the forest. Forest botanists and Research Station staff will discuss ongoing research projects and plant communities of a Research Natural Area on the forest.
- Sept. 22 — Clean Water, A Forest Product, on Rapid Creek west of Rapid City. Local hydrologists and biologists will discuss the challenges of increasing development and drought in maintaining water quality for wildlife and people in the Black Hills.
- Oct. 27 — Gold Mountain Mine, located west of Hill City. A professor from a local university will discuss the history, claims and methods of processing ore by hard rock mining at the last standing mill left on the forest.
All Moon Walk times and places are subject to change due to the weather or other unforeseen circumstances. Before each Moon Walk, please check the newspaper or call the Mystic Ranger District Office at 605-343-1567 to confirm details and directions.
Moon Walk brochures are available online or at all Black Hills National Forest offices and Pactola Visitor Center. To be placed on an e-mail list to receive specific information on the walks or to receive a brochure, call 605-343-1567.