Custer State Park Camping Proposals

South Dakota is known for its wide-open spaces, independent citizens, and a hands-off approach to government involvement in traditionally private-sector activities. That’s why it was quite a surprise to many South Dakotans to hear of a new $10-million proposal for 176 camp sites at Custer State Park. Governor Noem rolled out a proposal to increase the park’s campsites by 50%, noting that there had been no expansion in 41 years. 

Government involvement in traditionally private business has long been remembered in South Dakota, going back 100 years to the Republican Progressive Peter Norbeck, South Dakota’s 9th Governor. Norbeck is admired by many, and rightly so. He changed the landscape and had numerous accomplishments under his belt that would be the envy of any politician today. A few of his accomplishments, however, are etched into the minds of South Dakotans as much as Mount Rushmore, Needles Highway, or Badlands National Park. 

Those are the South Dakota cement plant, the formation of a state-owned hail insurance program, stockyards, grain elevators, and even a coal mine. Only the first is generally accepted as a financial success. The detractors would say that the cement plant stymied private businesses from entering the field. They’d be right, and as with most state enterprises, it provides an unfair advantage in an otherwise balanced ecosystem. 

Custer State Park is the second-largest in the country. It’s comprised of 71,000 acres thriving with herds of Bison, Elk, Pronghorn (Antelope), Bighorn Sheep, and deer. It was an accomplishment to create, restore, and preserve.

Peter Norbeck had quite a hand in creating the park, and hats off to him for it. Since its creation in 1906, Custer State Park has served as a sanctuary for many animals and has been credited with helping restore the bison from extinction. Countless visitors from across the nation have come to the area, creating long-lasting memories for families who include the park in their vacation planning. 

Custer State Park is extraordinarily special. So special is the park that it hasn’t added campsites in 41 years! There’s no doubt the demand exists, but at what cost? Projections show revenue generated from the proposed campsite would reach $500,000 a year, paying the State of South Dakota back in only 10 years. While this might be true, there comes a ripple effect that goes beyond dollars. 

A 50% increase in campsites opening in year one would affect privately owned campgrounds, a serious concern for those involved. Beyond that, the two-lane Wildlife Loop Road would become increasingly congested. At the peak of the season, Wildlife Loop Road is already overburdened. Standstills occur at the sight of an antelope, or when the Bison freely cross the road. Rangers do their best to untangle these “Buffalo Jams.” More people mean more traffic, more accidents, more trash, more noise, more pollution, and less nature. 

Migration patterns within the park would change along with the look and feel. While creating more tax dollars widens politicians’ eyes, it isn’t a plus in many locals’ minds. South Dakota is a state whose residents want to protect, and for good reason.

Governor Noem has done her part to bolster the friendly business environment and appears headed for reelection on November 8, 2022. This doesn’t mean that a popular politician is immune to putting forth ideas with good intentions but bad outcomes. Noem, like Norbeck, faces a decision that could drastically alter the future of Custer State Park. Its trajectory could end up looking a lot like a Busch Gardens Safari experience if care isn’t taken. If you think that’s far-fetched, take a look at just about every National Park in the country. 

At a time when the National Park Service struggles to find solutions to overcrowding, proposals for Custer State Park seem to run headlong into the problem. Many parks are already implementing programs to reduce overcrowding by limiting the number of visitors on a given day. Many working in the park will tell you, we’re approaching those limits right now. Little has been said about the impending “event horizon” that South Dakotans will no doubt face in the near future.

Suppose 10 million dollars can be made available to Custer State Park. In that case, the government may want to get ahead of the issue and use the money to improve the existing experience. Perhaps low-interest loans could be made to the current campsite owners to improve their facilities. More funds are needed for conservation. Currently, 50% of the radio-collared bighorn sheep are dead due to Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae, a pneumonia-causing bacterium that nearly wiped out the herd in years past. 

Park Rangers are stretched thin trying to curb the number of UTVs leaving established trails. One doesn’t have to look far to find the scars across beautiful meadows and fields. Forestry management braces each year for the fire season and watches for the infamous pine beetle, which devastates swaths of trees due to a denser canopy and increased heatwaves. The streams and creeks of the Black Hills have been reduced to a trickle, with a significant impact on the ecosystem. The riparian habitats are shrinking, a bellwether of what may come. 

There are many reasons to spend money in Custer State Park, but expanded access and government interference in private business are not among them. Norbeck was a visionary, a conservationist, and a republican. His vision has been realized; now is the time to manage it properly.