Gov. Dennis Daugaard didn’t miss a beat today when he sent a letter to the dirrector of the National Park Service offering to take over operation of the 64-site Elk Mountain campground in Wind Cave National Park. His proposal suggests the state Game, Fish and Parks Department could run it. The National Park Service otherwise plans to close it for all of 2013 because of the federal budget sequestration. More than 270,000 campers used GFP’s parks and recreation areas in 2012. And Doug Hofer, director for the state Division of Parks and Recreation, never seems to pass up an opportunity to expand the GFP network. South Dakota has a positive record in converting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer sites along the Missouri River as part of the federal transfer of corp shorelands a decade ago to South Dakota and two tribal governments. Daugaard said 6,600 people used Elk Mountain campground last year — a fact he says indicates GFP could turn a profit running the site this year.
Taking this another step, you have to wonder if the National Park Service might be better off making some of its sites available to the state governments in which they are located. The park service has been frustrated in its budgets for many years. If a state government can effectively manage a site and be responsible for its maintenance and repair as part of the contract, that would mean the park service could concentrate its resources on sites that probably should remain in federal control as part of protecting the national interest. The NPS could keep Yellowstone, for example, and contract Wind Cave and Jewel Cave to the South Dakota GFP.
Make some lemonade out of these lemons?
#1 by interested party on March 12, 2013 - 3:48 pm
DD may be in over his head here: remember that the beginning of the end of Bill Janklow’s career started when he tried to ramrod a federal incident.
It’s important to remember that not only the mountain pine beetle can ride in on vehicles that have visited infected areas, but that demands on depleted water supplies could threaten meager recharges.
#2 by Casual Observer on March 12, 2013 - 7:20 pm
While I would not expect the state to fund management of federal government property, the wave of the future will be for the state, counties, cities to take over funding from the federal government for more of their own local needs and wants. Should the feds pay for a bridge in Sioux Falls, or throw money at a new state park near Canton? The answer is no, and eventually, when state and local taxpayers have to pay for their own projects then local officeholders will truly have to decide what is a “need” and what is a “want”. The federal government simply can’t afford to have skin in every game everywhere.
#3 by Angus on March 15, 2013 - 6:00 am
IP a casual observation from Haystacker land back when Janklow forced the 18 Wheelers loaded with Canadian live animals to stop at the border was how much every producer in SD respected him for at least trying to force the Federal government to enforce our laws. DD is getting that same respect from everyone in SD today. Remember if you run a $40,000 budget per year Sequestration will cut out $80 a month. Closing parks, shutting out little kids from the White House, telling us TSA agents won’t be there to check us into security, saying our borders will be overun by drug runners—all a lie hoping American’s are stupid enough to believe the World is Coming to an end. (over eighty bucks a month)
#4 by sdsenstan on March 15, 2013 - 4:16 pm
Gosh, why should the State go further into campground management. Why should we get into a business that should probably run by one of the many South Dakotans that are in that business now?
After spending two months looking at expenditures by State Government, I suspect that government is not the best manager.
Stan Adelstein State Senator and member of Appropriations
#5 by Stace Nelson on March 17, 2013 - 9:38 am
Senator, too bad more of our supposed limited government & fiscally conservative Republicans did not believe in such free market principles.
Sadly, this legislature & governor grew state government with numerous new programs, increased state spending by almost $100 Million, and added another 120 FTE’s. The good news is, though, they did it in a bipartisian fashion!
You better schedule more time for appropriations next year, you are going to need it…
#6 by Les on March 17, 2013 - 12:54 pm
I love it when our governors intervene the feds on our behalf. That being said, it is more than obvious our private entrepreneurs in SD should be put in the drivers seat at every opportunity. Thanks good Senator and Reps for your comments, all good words to my ears.