With the Financial Help of the Spearfish Canyon Foundation, Spearfish Canyon Lands to Become State Nature Area

During an open house at Spearfish City Hall on May 11, 2006, The Department of Game, Fish & Parks, let by Secretary John Cooper and key staff presented their Spearfish Canyon acquisition and improvement plan with the public.

Secretary Cooper reported that the State of South Dakota and Barrick Gold Corp. had reached an agreement for the State to purchase three parcels of land in scenic Spearfish Canyon, including Roughlock Falls, one of only a few waterfalls in the state.

The lands purchased include: 38.5 acres along Little Spearfish Creek, including Roughlock Falls; 17.6 acres at the Savoy Intake, a small dam and pond on Spearfish Creek upstream from Savoy; and, 300 acres at the mouth of Spearfish Canyon. The negotiated purchase price for the 356 acres is $2.7 million. As part of the deal, the state Game, Fish & Parks Department will also set up a permanent, interest-bearing fund of $600,000 to pay for restoration and upkeep on the properties.

Most of the money for the deal will come from Homestake in the form of compensation awarded to the state for cyanide and other hazardous substances Homestake dumped into Whitewood Creek for decades. The nonprofit Spearfish Canyon Foundation will donate an additional $250,000 to the project

The new state lands will be managed as a State Nature Area. The centerpiece of the land sale is scenic Roughlock Falls west of Savoy, which for decades has been a popular picnic spot maintained by the Homestake Mining Co. In recent years, a trail from the top of the falls to the bottom has been closed to prevent erosion. The trail will be restored and viewing platforms will be added to protect the sensitive riparian environment in addition to affording the public the opportunity to view the falls. A portion of the trail will be fully accessible to wheelchair bound individuals. Other planned improvements include new vault toilets, picnic area improvements, upgraded parking lots, and an expanded hiking trail system that will link the Roughlock Falls area with the Spearfish Falls/Savoy area.

Although the sale does not, however, include Spearfish Falls at Savoy or Homestake's Hydroelectric Plant No. 2, which is about halfway between Savoy and the northern rim of the canyon, GF&P is working with Homestake on a management agreement that will allow the Department to manage and improve the areas. Planned improvements include habitat protection projects and enhancement to the hiking trail and waterfall viewing areas.

GF&P already has done some renovation to the small pond on Little Spearfish Creek, downstream from Roughlock Falls, and similar projects are planned for the Savoy Intake, a popular fishing spot readily accessible from the highway.

The Department intends to work out a management agreement with the City of Spearfish that will facilitate City management of the 300-acre parcel of land at the mouth of Spearfish Canyon.

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