CUSTER, S.D. — In celebration of Smokey Bear’s 80th birthday, the Black hills National Forest is hosting its third Moon Walk this year on Saturday, August 17th.
The public can join the forest staff for a walk in the Victoria Prescribed Fire area and discover the benefits of fire on the landscape, according to the USDA Forest Service.
Land managers conduct prescribed burns to reduce hazardous fuels that feed wildfires. The burns recycle carbon and nutrients into the soil, controls forest insects and improves forage conditions for better wildlife habitat.
This is the third of four Moon Walk events in 2024. This is a family-oriented activity that introduces visitors to the Black Hills. In past walks, visitors have been taken to fire lookout towers, mining towns, beaver dams and caves.
Since 1996, more than 16,000 visitors have attended the 160 Moon Walk programs with about 100 people attending each time.
The walk begins at 7:00 p.m. with a short introduction to the program. The walk is about one mile round-trip and takes about one to two hours, which includes a 30-minute program from experts in the field.
