RAPID CITY, S.D. – Several hundred people were on hand Wednesday night to hear from the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management on a proposed mineral withdrawal.
The withdrawal would close some 20,500 acres of land in the Pactola and Rapid Creek Watersheds to mining.
The Forest Service made the withdrawal application in February and it was published by the Federal Register in March. The filing initiates a two year segregation period and a 90-day comment period.
There was broad support for the plan at Wednesday’s meeting. Supporters, however, also wanted more land to be placed under the withdrawal and an extension of the 20-year period.
The Forest Service says they will gather application information and other analysis before sending it on to the Department of the Interior. If the Interior Department approves it, no new mining claims or activities would take place within the designated area for 20 years.
The Forest Service says the purpose of the withdrawal is “protect cultural and natural resources, and protect the water for Rapid City and Ellsworth Air Force Base, from the potential effects of mineral exploration and development.”
The request also comes as a response to the opposition by the Black Hills community against the F3 Gold Exploration Drilling Project at Jenny Gulch.
