The delights of Spearfish Canyon

As we enjoyed this leisurely Veteran's Day weekend, we were reminded of the many blessings that have  befallen us -- in no small way the result of sacrifices made by men and women of our U.S. military over the years.  

And we also took time to enjoy this little part of heaven called the Black Hills.

We often strike out to explore new and different areas of the Hills, but we keep coming back to one of our favorite places -- Spearfish Canyon.  After all, it's nestled right in our own back yard and offers marvelous scenery throughout the year.   We've peddled up the canyon several times to get an "up close and personal" view; but more often we drive the canyon, stopping here and there to enjoy the beauty it offers.

On our most recent trek -- in late October -- we took our camera along and captured a bit of video in Spearfish Canyon which we've posted in the right hand column of Black Hills Journal.  Click on the movie link and enjoy the ride!

The other video on the right is a short sampler of a program called Over South Dakota.  It's a breathtaking High Definition aerial tour of South Dakota, scheduled to be broadcast on South Dakota Public Television in March of 2012.  We're told by Fritz Miller at SDPB that the aerial work was done by an outfit named Skyworks, and it'll be well worth watching for it next spring!

Major league sluggers played in Deadwood

Babe Ruth excited Deadwood fans
...but local reporter was unimpressed

by Larry Miller

Babe Ruth played in Deadwood in 1922

The 1920’s hadn’t quite begun to “roar” yet, and the devastating dust bowl of the 1930’s was still a decade away.  Baseball had become the national pastime, and for residents of the northern Black Hills, it didn’t get any better than a fall day in 1922 when the legendary Babe Ruth came to Deadwood as part of a nationwide “barnstorming” tour with Yankee teammate Bob Meusel.

Although Ruth had begun to ascend as a baseball star by 1921, it was an unusual season — his second year with the New York Yankees, and he blasted 59 home runs that season, helping the Yankees to win the American League pennant and face cross-town rival the New York Giants in the World Series.  Ruth was injured in the second game of the series, however, hampering his performance for the remaining games.  The Giants won the series.

It wasn’t long before Ruth was on the road in a “barnstorming” tour, which was a violation of the rules for world series players.  Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis suspended Ruth for the first six weeks of the 1922 season.  Although he batted .315 that short season, it was rather a disappointing one for the Babe.  It ended with yet another lost world series – again to the New York Giants.

The Deadwood Daily Pioneer-Times
printed this image of Mrs. Ruth, who
apparently was not with "the Babe."

We don’t know if Ruth was suspended for his 1922 encore barnstorming tour, but he surely delighted folks in western South Dakota when he and Meusel appeared for the seventh in a series of exhibition games across the west one day in late October.  He and Meusel journeyed by train from Sioux City, Iowa, to Norfolk, Nebraska, and then on to Sturgis.  There, they were greeted by an entourage of Deadwood businessmen who drove the big leaguers by automobile over the “Boulder Park Highway” to Deadwood.

The Deadwood Daily Pioneer-Times, in its October 19, 1922 edition, reported their arrival in great detail.  “In honor of the event, practically all of the Deadwood business houses will be closed, most of the Black Hills will declare a holiday; the local schools and the Spearfish Normal will be closed this afternoon, and a general holiday will be in effect during the time of the game this afternoon between the hours of 2 to 4 o’clock.”  Ruth and Meusel were “entertained at a luncheon” and then transported to the Amusement Park for the game.

An advertisement in the paper encouraged readers to “See Babe Ruth and Bob Meusel, American League World Series Stars, hit a home run in an exhibition baseball game at Deadwood Amusement Park today.”  Ruth was selected to play with the Deadwood team, which had just won the 1922 Black Hills League championship, while Meusel played for the Black Hills All-Stars, a group of players from the other five teams in the league, Lead, Spearfish, Sturgis, Rapid City, and Aladdin. Both Ruth and Meusel would play first base.  By all accounts, it was a good game, but the big league sluggers provided no home runs.  

The newspaper reporter who covered the event seemed not terribly impressed by the two Yankees.  “The high altitude or the background may have affected the sluggers.  At any rate, those who saw  yesterday’s contest saw nothing that should cause thirty-five thousand New York fans to stand in line from daylight in the morning until two o’clock in the afternoon to secure a ticket, permitting them to see these fellows perform,” he wrote.  Meusel was an unimpressive one for four at the plate for the day, while Ruth was two for three.  But it was the bottom of the seventh inning that seemed to especially delight the reporter.

Teammates Bob Meusel, Lou Gehrig and
Babe Ruth pose for this undated photograph.

“It seemed that he (Ruth) really did try this time to knock one over the mountain, but the balls had a tendency to cross the mountain at his rear instead of traveling toward the outfield hillside.  Here it was that the fans, realizing that this would probably be his last time at bat, were in a state of great expectancy.  The big “Bam” gripped his 48 ounce bat with a firm grip and prepared to do things.  After two balls had been called, he fouled one and then let the third ball pass him.  On the next one, he slashed mightily at the crack of his bat as it met the white horsehide sphere, resounding throughout the park but the ball went for a foul, number two.  Six more fouls followed in quick succession, some of them going over the grandstand, some of them into the grandstand, and some of them out over the line of cars, but none over the outfield fence or even close to it.  Finally after sending eight foul balls into the air, causing a happy uprising of merry yells which died out almost as quickly as they arose, he managed to hit a Texas-leaguer over second base for a trip to the second sack where he was left when the side was retired.”

Ruth and the Deadwood team prevailed over Meusel and the All-Stars, 4-2.  And while there were no dramatic homeruns by anyone, everyone seemed to have a good time.  The Pioneer-Times writer finally offered that “…It may be that the local pitchers, Gorum and Gill for the Deadwood team and Meade and Hedje for the All-Stars are not as back-woods in their ball playing as might be supposed by two star homerun hitters who have played before audiences 34 or 40 times as large as the one yesterday.”

After the game, Ruth and Meusel boarded the Northwestern passenger train headed south to Scottsbluff, Nebraska, for yet another exhibition game – and no doubt more thrills for local fans.  Maybe even a home run for the Babe, which he was denied in Deadwood that fateful day in 1922.

Postscript:   A 16-page card booklet was published for the special day that Meusel and Ruth played ball in Deadwood.  Perhaps one of these rare booklets still exists somewhere?  Please take time to drop us an e-mail if you know where such a booklet might be located.

2011 Moon Walks conclude at Gold Mountain Mine

For a few of the 150 people who wandered up a hill about four miles northwest of Hill City last Saturday evening (9/10/11), it was an opportunity to see just how much has been completed in the restoration and preservation work at an old gold mine.  They had visited the site a few years ago on an earlier "Moon Walk" sponsored by the Black Hills National Forest.  The Gold Mountain Mine was built long after the first rush for gold in the hills, but it’s likely to grow in popularity in coming years.

The mill frame and boiler building of the old mine were the focus of the final Black Hills National Forest Moon Walk 2011 series, completing another season of diverse and educational treks through various parts of the Black Hills.

Amy Ballard, Recreational Forester with the U.S. Forest Service has been coordinating the popular hiking series, which began in 1996 and has accommodated more than 12,500 participants in some 121 programs.

It was encore time for Forest Service archaeologist Michael Salisbury, who has served as project manager on the Gold Mountain Mine effort, a coordinated effort between the Black Hill Historic Preservation Trust, the U.S. Forest Service, and a bevy of volunteers who’ve donated their time and talent to the project.

Construction on the original mine started in 1924.

“They finished it sometime around 1929,” said Salisbury, “and it operated all the way up to the beginning of World War Two, and that’s when War Order L208 was enforced and all precious mineral mining in the United States was shut down, and all of that energy was targeted into the war effort and the manufacture of war goods.”

Like so many such operations that closed down at the onset of the war, the Gold Mountain Mine simply never reopened (but then gold prices weren't  $1,800 an ounce either!).

In the years following, while the site was likely a popular destination for history buffs and weekend hikers, the property continued to deteriorate and became something of a safety hazard.  Finally, in 2007, the old mine was scheduled for demolition.

But through the vision and hard work of the Black Hills Historical Preservation Trust, the U.S. Forest Service, and an energetic group of folks from the Passport in Time – who volunteered their time and many talents – this last standing piece of Black Hills mining history has been preserved.

Last summer, more than 30 volunteers from Passport in Time participated in two separate sessions that first concentrated on replacing missing cross members and rehabilitating existing structural braces, while refurbishing the interior and exterior of the lower ore bin.

Then they rehabilitated the upper ore bin and the main roof, installed the iron “grizzly” ore separator and reconstructed the upper head house. 

Salisbury noted that the Gold Mountain mill frame now looks pretty much as it did during its original period of activity before World War Two, when there were as many as seven steam engines operating on the site, providing much-needed power to the mining operation.

“Thanks to the countless hours of dedication and hard work of many, Gold Mountain will stand as a glimpse into the past of an industry that was a primary driving force behind the settlement of the American west,” said Salisbury.  He said he expects that interpretive signage will be in place at the mine by next August, capping a very successful join endeavor.

Volunteers who worked on the project “did not disappoint,” observed Salisbury.

And the same may be said about the 2011 season of the Black Hills National Forest Moon Walks.  Amy Ballard and the entire U.S. Forest Service gang did a great job organizing and conducting these excellent  forays into different areas and aspects of the Black Hills.

Want to know more about the 2011 Moon Walk season?  You'll find narratives right here on Black Hills Journal and an abundance of photographs from the walks in our Moon Walk Gallery.

We’re already anticipating the 2012 season!

"On the Trail" with pack mules and the U.S. Forest Service

We may think of mules as homely and rather ornery critters, but as participants in the latest Black Hills National (BHNF) Forest Moon Walk found out last weekend, they’re valuable assets for workers on high mountain trails and other remote locations.  And that includes the U.S. Forest Service.

About 60 folks showed up at the BHNF Tepee Work Center about 26 miles west of Custer for the August Moon Walk Saturday night (8/13/11), and a bit of enlightenment provided by Forest Service packer Glenn Ryan, who travels the western national forests using his mules to accomplish back country work.

Ryan’s been doing the work for some 21 years and shows no signs of cutting back on his wilderness adventures.  And, of course, mules have been reliable pack animals for a long time.  We've posted a couple of videos (right panel) illustrating their use during the Spanish-American War in Cuba.

Moon Walk coordinator Amy Ballard welcomed walkers to the well-groomed Tepee Work Center grounds by announcing that there would be no hike this month, since some of the archaeologists scheduled to be a part of the program had to rush off on another more important task:  working the Coal Canyon fire some 15-20 miles to the south.  That blaze, in the rugged range and canyon area northwest of Edgemont, claimed the life of one firefighter while consuming nearly 5,000 acres of grass and timber in the southern Black Hills.  The fire is now (8/17/11) nearly fully contained.

Ranger Dave Pickford

Ranger Dave Pickford, who works out of the Hell Canyon ranger office at Custer set the stage for this Moon Walk, providing a bit of Black Hills National Forest history, reaching back to 1892 when the forest “reserve” was created.  Eight years later, the first sale of timber from a U.S. national forest took place near Nemo, South Dakota, when Homestake Mining Company was expanding its operation.  In a sign of the times, Homestake paid a modest rate of 75 cents per thousand board feet. Today, according to Pickford, the market will fetch about $10.00 per thousand board feet!

In 1901, Deadwood resident Seth Bullock was tapped by President Theodore Roosevelt to serve as the first “supervisor” of U.S. forest lands.  In those early years, two national forests were created in this area:  the Black Hills National Forest was in the northern Black Hills and was headquartered in Deadwood; Harney National Forest encompassed the southern Black Hills with its headquarters in Custer.  By 1954, the two forests were merged into a single Black Hills National Forest.

Just as modern transportation has transformed the landscape of education with the consolidation and closure of rural schools, it also led to the reduction of ranger district offices in the Black Hills from 20 to just four.  They're located in Custer (Hell Canyon District), Rapid City (Mystic District), Northern Hills (Spearfish), and Bear Lodge District (Sundance, Wyoming).

The site of this Moon Walk, the Tepee Work Center, was constructed in 1936-37 by the Civilian Conservation Corps, which created a lot of the infrastructure on public lands across the country – and certainly within the Black Hills.  The four structures built on this site are still in use.  Pickford said that, as with all CCC projects, three principles were followed:  (1) use non-intrusive designs that blend with the environment; (2) use pioneer/frontier construction techniques; and (3) use native/traditional styles and materials. 

City kid Glenn Ryan has found a career "on the
trail" with mules and the U.S. Forest Service.

Our “keynote” speaker for this Moon Walk seemed an unlikely person to end up as a packer.  Glenn Ryan grew up not far from the teeming masses of Manhattan in New York.  The day after earning his Associates degree in Natural Resources from Columbia College in California, he went to work for the U.S. Forest Service.   According to his wife, Ryan had a few “sabbaticals” along the way, working as a cowboy, a stint with Hewlett Packard, and even some truck driving.

But his work with the Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the National Park Service, has been the most gratifying – allowing him to be a packer.

Ryan shared a brief bit of historical insight into working for the Forest Service.

“In 1905, the Forest Service “let” folks provide their own tables, chairs, their own houses, wood stoves, and even their own riding stock and pack stock.  The salary for a ranger was $75 a month.  If you paid more than $75 to feed your stock, you could submit a claim for repayment.”

He recounted that he had never read anywhere that those early foresters actually got paid for what they submitted.

While “packing” with the Forest Service still involves long hours – and “some use of our own tack and stock,” Ryan clearly enjoys what he’s doing.  In fact, earlier this year, during the Big Wyoming Horse Expo in Douglas, he taught a session on how you go about training a mule to be a pack animal -- sort of a Pack Mules 101 course.

“And we do get a bit more than $75 a month these days!”

“The mule is a cross between a donkey and a horse,” said Ryan, noting that the mule results from a jack donkey and a female horse.

“They’re stronger.  Their muscles are more dense, and they can consume poorer quality vegetation than horses – and their digestive system is slower.”

Ryan was quick to observe that while people say the mule is stubborn, “they’re not stubborn, they’re more intelligent!”

The Rocky Mountain Regional Specialty Packstring led by Ryan does work mostly in South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska.  And while they conduct training and frequently represent the Forest Service at events like Cheyenne Frontier Days, parades and other events, most of their time is dedicated to work projects across the region.

“Tomorrow, we’ll be off to the Big Horn mountains to remove a bunch of old bridges.”  It’s an on-going task over the past few years.  They’ve hauled out 150 mule loads of garbage, and about 215 tons of soil.  It’s the kind of work for which you’d expect a packer to use a strong and sure-footed mule.

“Mules usually carry about 60 to 80 pound loads per side, but they can carry up to 240 pounds,” said Ryan.  “They carry a lot of fence posts.”

Ryan demonstrated how to tie the mules together in a train using a series of half-hitches, stressing that it’s important not to tie pack mules together hard and fast, because “you can kill them that way.”  If they go over an edge, they’ll take another one with them.

And the most dangerous thing on the trail?

Bees.

Moon Walkers took a respite this month and
enjoyed a program all about pack mules.

Bee swarms can cause real havoc and – according to Ryan – are the most dangerous thing you can encounter.  This observation from a packer who’s encountered lots of critters on the trail, including mountain lions.

Ryan acknowledged that mules can be a bit testy if they don’t know what’s going on.  The absence of ligaments in their hind legs gives them flexibility to unleash lethal kicks sideways as well as to the rear.

“When mules have packs on, they can’t see what’s behind them.  So when linking them together in a string, I always approach them cautiously and call their names and talk to them.”

He has admittedly grown fond of his mules over the years, and he has special monikers for them, usually choosing the name of someone with whom he has worked.  There’s Rory, and Becky, and… well, several others.

When one of the Moon Walkers asked Ryan if he had a favorite among his mules, his wife Alice quickly retorted, “Yup, he has nine of them!” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

Note:  You'll find additional photos and information in our Moon Walk Gallery.

The Alabaugh fire....revisited

Al Stover (left-front) tells of the Alabaugh fire.

Extremely hot weather, tempered by a late afternoon thundershower and lingering sprinkles throughout the evening, did little to dampen the enthusiasm of about 65 Moon Walkers in the Black Hills National Forest last weekend (7/16/11).

This month, it was a visit in the Whitney Preserve, located about 10 miles southwest of Hot Springs, in the vicinity of the old Brainerd Indian School.  The property is now under the auspices by the Nature Conservancy, whose nature trail offers one of the finest hikes for birdwatchers in Black Hills.  The preserve is located on the eastern edge of a large, undeveloped landscape, where elements of sage lands, pine forests, and mixed grasslands come together.  It’s the convergence of those habitats that motivated the Nature Conservancy to push for its preservation.  It was named for Nathaniel and Mary Whitney, South Dakota conservation pioneers.

Mary Ellen Goulet

The focus of this Moon Walk was to explore the impact of the Alabaugh fire, which burned just over 10,000 acres across this region in 2007.   For a photo account of this hike, vist Moon Walk Gallery.  

The scene was set by area resident Mary Goulet, who shared a few of her personal experiences regarding the fire.  She and her husband, Bob Lee, had retired to the southern Black Hills from careers in Minnesota when – at about 7 o’clock, on the seventh day, of the seventh month of 2007. – the the Alabaugh blaze engulfed their fire-resistant home not far from Cascade Springs.  The fire ended up destroying 33 homes, claiming one life,  and injuring two firefighters.  Goulet was moved to write a book about the fire and its consequences for about 30 different families.   She entitled the book Cascade of Flames, and in it she wrote about the heroism of the men and women who fought the blaze.  In one chapter, she recognized the performance of the local sheriff in Fall River county.  “The sheriff headed evacuation efforts, and he pretty much knew where all the people lived,” she told the group.  Without that kind knowledge, the human toll of the fire could have been much worse.

After about a 10-minute presentation by Goulet, Bob Paulson of the Nature Conservancy led the group from the parking lot on the property to a nearby road where the hike began.  Along the way, Al Stover of Wind Cave National Park and Cascade Springs resident Mac Lamphere offered additional insight into the event.  Stover was formerly with the South Dakota Division of Forestry and served as incident commander for the Alabaugh blaze.  Lamphere was among the many local folks who fought the massive fire.

July Moon Walkers on the climb!

Billed as a “two mile roundtrip hike,” the huffing and puffing of many July Moon Walkers gave rise to skepticism about the accuracy of the advertised distance of this walk. 

“It’s at least four miles round trip” we heard one hiker observe while catching his breath midway up the side of a hill.

Organizer Amy Ballard of the U.S. Forest Service noted that she relies on the hosts and speakers regarding such matters – but participants were warned that it would be necessary for them to climb “400 feet in one mile uphill over uneven terrain to the top of the ridge.”  And, indeed, we had been warned.  Nonetheless, a mid-hike breather for all would have been good, and it would have allowed the group to stay together better.

Whether the difficulty of this hike was accurate or not, it was probably one of the more challenging hikes in recent years, but it offered some marvelous views and provided walkers with some good information about both the Alabaugh fire and U.S. Forest Service prescribed burns.

The Nature Conservancy, as they often have done, offered cookies, hot chocolate and lemonade to all participants following the walk.

Despite splendid views of a full moon just the night before, this Moon Walk was devoid of any such pleasurable lunar sight, leaving us to hope that we’ll fare better in August.  That’s when Moon Walkers will next gather – on Saturday, August 13^th – for a hike in the southern Black Hills to learn more about the use of pack mules within the U.S. Forest Service.

140 hikers enjoy Wildflowers along Centennial Trail

A beautiful evening greeted participants for the June 18^th National Forest Moon Walk that explored a variety of prairie plants and wildflowers in the northern Black Hills.

Botanist Jill Larson

Sponsored by the Black Hills National Forest and the Black Hills Parks and Forests Association, the walk started at the Alkali Creek Trailhead just a couple of miles north of Sturgis off of I-90.

Ballard introduced botanist Jill Larson of the Northern Hills Ranger Station in Spearfish who was the principal speaker and our guide through Bureau of Land Management fields included in the walk.   A native of the Seattle area, Larson holds a B.A. from Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, and an M.S. in Botany from the University of Wyoming.  She provided participants with a list of some 112 plants that might be found along the route.  It included not only the common names of the plants, but their family, genus, and species – as well as the area of the walk where they’d likely to appear.

There wasn’t much time for using the list as a reference on this walk, but it’s a wonderful tool for returnees who want to take their time on a subsequent hike of the area.

The walk started northward from the Alkali Creek parking area along the Centennial Trail, and then crossed under Interstate 90 before winding its way toward a high meadow and the timber.

As usual, there was a very diverse group of hikers.  This time, younger folks – in particular – enjoyed sharing samples of their findings with Jill Larson, who displayed keen knowledge of the plants.  She usually was at the ready to give the official plant classification, only occasionally pausing to come up with its common name.

From soapweed yucca and poison ivy (yikes!) to blue larkspur and plains pricklypear, there was an abundance of wildflowers and a decidedly nice-sized group of people to enjoy them.

Timing is everything, and there was no full moon in which to bask on this hike.  Had there been a full moon available, we had some beautiful weather to enjoy it!

As always, we captured a few photos on the hike.  You’ll find them posted in our Moon Walk Gallery.

“This walk was dedicated to former Forest botanist Andrew Korth, who led a wildflower Moon Walk over Reynold’s Prairie last June,” said Amy Ballard, Forest Moon Walk Coordinator.  Andy died in a boating accident near Belle Fourche the next day.

The next Moon Walk outing is set for Saturday, July 16 and will be hosted by the Nature Conservancy.  They’ll be offering refreshments and a restroom for participants – and both of those items will be welcome additions for this somewhat more strenuous hike.  It’s a two-mile trek that will climb 400 feet uphill over uneven terrain.  The speakers will be May Goulet, author of “Cascade of Flames,” and Al Stover of Wind Cave National Park.  They’ll discuss the forest and grassland ecosystem that has emerged since the 2007 Alabaugh Fire in the area.

To reach the Moon Walk site, travel south of Hot Springs on South Dakota Highway 71 for 8.2 miles.  Pass the Cascade Springs Picnic Area at 7.9 miles.  Turn right just past the main house parking area and travel .4 miles to the guest house parking area.  Signs will be posted at major intersections to direct visitors to the site.

Walkers are encouraged to bring flashlights, water and bug repellant and to dress for unexpected weather and cooler nighttime temperatures.  Long pants are recommended as ticks and rattlesnakes could be encountered.

After fires and pine beetles: new life in the Black Hills

The first Moon Walk for 2011 took place near Horse
Creek Road south of Pactola Reservoir.  'Twas a bit
soggy, but mere rain isn't likely to cancel the event.

Despite drenching rains and brisk temperatures Saturday evening (5/21/11), a couple of dozen hardy souls braved the elements to help launch another season of Moon Walks in the Black Hills National Forest.

But with a surprising suspension of the downpour, Mother Nature delivered a rather pleasant evening for the Moon Walkers to learn about the Black-backed Woodpecker and the forest fires that provide the species with a habitat.  The setting for this event was in a high meadow of the Horse Creek area southwest of Pactola Reservoir about a mile west of U.S. 385.

Recreation Forester Amy Ballard told the assembled group that this is the 16^th consecutive year of Moon Walks in the Black Hills, and she assembled a great cast of characters to guide the group through an informative evening.

USFS Fire and Fuels Specialist Chris Stover, who works out of the Mystic Ranger District, gave folks an overview of how prescribed burns and thinning projects help to improve wildlife habitat.  Such burns help move the land toward a more natural condition and allow a more rapid regeneration of the ponderosa pine trees that are so abundant in this region. 

“There are about 140 starts (fire starts) in the Black Hills every year,” said Stover. “Most of those are caused by lightning.”

He referenced two exceptional fires in the Hills:  the 1939 McVey Fire, and the more recent Jasper fire, which destroyed more than 90,000 acres in just three days.

“Then there was the 1991 Horse Creek prescribed fire.  We lost control of it – due to some unusual weather circumstances.”  Nonetheless, the success of prescribed fires has resulted in a greener forest and improved habitat for animals.

“The Horse Creek area is now an ideal elk habitat,” Stover added.

Chad Lehman and a
Black-backed Woodpecker

Wildlife biologist Chad Lehman is researching the effects of fire on woodpecker reproduction.  He observed that you can now see large patches of green forest, offering high quality forage for elk that now graze in the area. 

“In time, we may see grouse in this area, along with additional stands of aspen trees.”

After a short uphill hike, Chris Rota from the University of Missouri broadcast a Black-backed Woodpecker bird call through a portable amplifier – hoping to lure one of the birds to the high outcropping of rocks where the Moon Walkers were clustered.

At first, there was nothing.  Then we heard a response from a nearby woodpecker, but he only tempted us with his return calls – he (or was it a she?) wouldn’t hazard a flight to our location.

A doctoral student, Rota led our group to a nearby stand of pine trees, one of which had hosted a Black-backed Woodpecker nest, identified by a small hole about two inches in diameter.  Rota’s graduate work has been focused upon this species, which he says are attracted to habitat created by wildfire and mountain pine beetle infestations.

“Our research seeks to understand the role prescribed fire can play to simultaneously create habitat for this species while reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire,” he said.

"Both the male and female woodpeckers participate in building the nest, which is simply a hollowed out area within the tree, usually at a fairly low level.”

“Squirrels are perhaps the greatest predator for the Black-backed Woodpeckers,” said Rota, “but the birds will fight back at the squirrels.”

Rota has banded many of the birds, often cutting a hole in the side of the tree right next to the nest.  He can then reach in and band the smaller birds.

Chris Rota points to a nesting hole of a Black-backed
Woodpecker during the first "Moon Walk" of 2011.

“I’ve actually learned the genealogy of some of these birds; although we don’t know for certain what their life span is, some of the birds I banded back in 2007 are still around.”

The Black-backed Woodpecker is found primarily in western North America, but their range in Canada extends east to the Maritime Provinces.  It is not thought to be a migratory bird.  While not considered “endangered,” the bird is considered a “sensitive” species.  Their populations are high in areas that have endured wildfires and the onset of pine beetles.

The Moon Walkers trek back down the hillside to their vehicles was not any to soon; more rain was imminent.  By the time many of them reached U.S. 385 – less than a mile away – rains returned.

It was a fine start for another season of Moon Walks, especially since organizers were tempted to cancel the event because of the weather.

Normally, only lightning will cause cancellation of Black Hills Moon Walks, but this has been an unusual May.  Heavy snow just a few days earlier left many folks wondering if the walk would go on as planned. 

The next Moon Walk is slated for Saturday, June 18^th in the northern Black Hills and is entitled “Forest Wildflowers."  The event is dedicated to the memory of USFS botanist Andrew Korth, who led a similar outing last year but lost his life in a boating accident the following day.

Details about the June outing will be forthcoming.  Persons who want to be included on the e-mail notification list should contact Amy Ballard of the Mystic Ranger District..  

Don’t forget, we also post additional information and photographs in our Moon Walk Gallery.