Saving Our Native Prairie
By Jerry Wilson ((img|native-prairie-10-23-15-2.jpg|width=759)) Some ranchers protect native grasses for their exquisite beauty, but they also know of the prairie’s nutritional value. I sprawl in...
View ArticleOpening Day
By Bernie Hunhoff Teenagers who help at Louise’s Cafe in Fairfax, population 115, are about to get a lesson in communications. That’s one of several side benefits to the hunting season for Gregory...
View ArticleThe Burnt Hills
By Edward Raventon ((img|burnt-hills-11-4-16.jpg|width=759)) Smoking hills of sulfuric acid emissions can still be found along the Missouri River in south-central South Dakota, but they should be...
View ArticleRails to Trails
By Paul Higbee ((img|Rails-to-Trails-11-29-16-3.jpg|width=759)) The Mickelson Trail follows the old Burlington Northern railroad line through the Black Hills. Photo by Chad Coppess/S.D. Tourism. For...
View ArticleColdlands Beauty
By Katie Hunhoff The Badlands are a solitary destination even in temperate seasons, but frigid temperatures ensure more privacy. Photographer Carl Johnson likes the Badlands for its seclusion, in...
View ArticleHigh Mountain Gardening
Story and photos by Debra Opland McLane ((img|BH-Garden-03-13-17-6.jpg|width=400)) Crocus in late snow. To escape stress-filled days of work in Rapid City, my husband and I endure a daily 50-mile...
View ArticlePrairie Isn’t Prairie Without Sky
By Linda Hasselstrom Photography by Greg Latza ((img|prairie-sky-03-30-17.jpg|width=759)) Sunlight illuminates the rolling prairie north of Mission Ridge, near the confluence of the Cheyenne and...
View ArticleDakota Skies
By Robert Adams ((img|Eric-Sprecher-Milky-Way-06-02-17.jpg|width=759)) The Milky Way can easily be seen in rural South Dakota, where light pollution is minimal. Photo by Eric Sprecher Earth-orbiting...
View ArticleThe Joys of Cactus
By Michael Melius ((img|Cactus-06-22-17-1.jpg|width=759)) Six species of cactus, including these prickly pears, can be found in South Dakota. Photo by Chad Coppess/S.D. Tourism One time I walked...
View ArticleThe Birdwatcher’s Wings
By Juli Wilcox ((img|SD-BirdWatcher-08-02-17.jpg|width=400)) Willis Hall used a trip wire to photograph himself with a trio of red-tailed hawk fledglings. I sat in the hospital room, watching my friend...
View ArticleWhere Elk Speak
By Paul Higbee ((img|elk-10-04-17-3.jpg|width=400)) The bugle of an elk is unmistakable and unique. Seasoned buglers can identify individual elk based solely on the animal's call. Photo by Chad...
View ArticleTen Years of Hiking Black Elk Peak
By Rebecca Johnson Doing the same thing repeatedly may sound boring but it hasn’t been for Matt Jackson, a Rapid City carpenter who has hiked Black Elk Peak once a month for the last 10 years. His...
View ArticleThe Creek That Thinks It’s a River
By Jeanne Richardson ((img|split-rock-creek-01-02-18-2.jpg|width=759)) Split Rock Creek flows 55 miles through lush woodlands accentuated with quartzite outcroppings. They call it Split Rock Creek,...
View ArticleThe Quest of the Lost Henry Arch
By Phillip Henry ((img|henry-arch-01-26-18-1.jpg|width=759)) Beth Krueger is dwarfed by the rediscovered lost Henry Arch. We were lost. Not the kind of lost where you wander around for days trying to...
View ArticleNavigating the Wild Missouri
By Jim Peterson ((img|wild-missouri-03-01-18-1.jpg|width=759)) Although dams are scattered along the upper reaches of the Missouri River, the stretch from Yankton to Ponca, Nebraska remains wild. For...
View ArticleAngels Along the River
By Jarett C. Bies ((img|missouri-river-angels-04-30-18-2.jpg|width=759)) Kayakers paddling the Missouri River from source to mouth find South Dakotans willing and eager to help. Photo by Jessica Giard....
View ArticlePrimitive Camping
By Rebecca Johnson ((img|primitive-camping-06-04-18-2.jpg|width=759)) Anna Fleming of Rapid City stokes a fire at Snake Creek Recreation Area near Platte. Photo by Bonny Fleming. Mention the word...
View ArticleTrial and Error at the Community Garden
By Rebecca Johnson ((img|community-garden-07-26-18.jpg|width=400)) The Johnsons hone their gardening skills in Yankton's community garden. Our lawn is too shady to grow vegetables, so my husband and I...
View ArticleSailing by Balloon
By Jerry Wilson ((img|balloons-08-28-18-1.jpg|width=400)) Balloonists at the Great Plains Balloon Race in Sioux Falls. Photo by Greg Latza. The summer solstice sun rose above Beaver Creek as Kay West...
View ArticleProspecting in the Hills
By Rich Jensen ((img|prospecting-02-18-19-5.jpg|width=759)) Gary Mallams and fellow miners welcome opportunities to introduce youth to the adventure and intrigue of prospecting. “We never sell the...
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