The USDA Forest Service has submitted an application to the USDI Bureau of Land Management requesting 20,574 acres of National Forest System lands in the Pactola Reservoir – Rapid Creek Watershed in Pennington County, South Dakota be withdrawn from settlement, sale, location or entry under the public land laws, location and entry under the United States mining laws, and leasing under the mineral leasing and geothermal leasing laws, subject to valid existing rights, for up to 20 years.
The public is encouraged to comment on the requested withdrawal. Comments will be accepted for 90 days following the publication of the Notice of Intent in the Federal Register. The Notice of Intent was published on Tuesday, March 21, 2023, and the comment period closes on June 20, 2023.
The 90-day public comment period is required by the withdrawal regulations at 43 CFR 2310.3-l(b)(2). This comment period also serves as the scoping comment period for the environmental analysis process.
Black Hills National Forest and the Bureau of Land Management will host a public meeting to discuss the requested withdrawal on Wednesday, April 26, 2023, at 4:00-8:00 p.m. at the Best Western Ramkota Hotel, 2111 North Lacrosse Street, Rapid City, South Dakota.
The form below can be used to submit your comments to the responsible project official.
National Forests have the option to post comments for public viewing on this web site via a public reading room. Active reading rooms allow the public to read or download your letter, including your contact information. If this project has an active reading room, a link labeled “Public Comment Reading Room” will appear on the main project page. The agency may withhold letters containing proprietary information, sensitive cultural or habitat locations, profanity, etc. All letters, including those not posted, will be considered and included as part of the project record.
Disclaimer: All contact information is optional; however, anonymous comments will not provide standing to object.
