Out in the parks
Step into Black Hills history at Meeker Ranch, built in 1887 by former Pony Express rider Frank Cunningham Meeker and acquired by the Forest Service in 2004. Just outside Custer, the ranch is undergoing historic preservation and restoration, including work on the buildings and on nearby riparian and wetland areas. Forest Service recreation, heritage, and […]
Wind Cave National Park protects two very different worlds: the open prairie above and the intricate cave below. On clear nights a third world blankets both, the brilliant night sky over the southern Black Hills.Join a park ranger who ties the majesty of the night sky to the story of the park, pointing out and […]
Spend a Friday evening at the BHPFA Nature Shop in Custer learning to read the landscape like a naturalist. Join Education Specialist Tom Tonkin for Field Notes: An Introduction to the Art of Nature Observation, an engaging 1.5-hour look at how naturalist skills can deepen your understanding of the natural world around us, told through […]
Some guests overstay their welcome. The Unwanted Guests: When Nature Goes Rogue explores invasive species in the Black Hills: what makes a plant invasive, how to recognize one, and how you can help the ecosystem when you spot them. The program runs from 1 to 4 p.m. Check the Forest Service and association channels for […]
Close out the summer with a lakeside campfire sing-along at Sheridan Lake. Sally Svenson, the Songbird of the Black Hills, plays her original songs and the Black Hills stories behind them as the evenings turn cool. Music starts at 7:00 p.m.Getting there: Sheridan Lake South Campground is on Sheridan Lake along Highway 385 near Hill […]
National Grasslands Visitor Center staff will be presenting interpretive programs every other Monday at Badlands National Park’s Cedar Pass Amphitheater throughout the summer.
Throw a spear the way hunters did for thousands of years. Join a Nebraska National Forest ranger at the Pinnacles for a hands-on look at the atlatl, an ancient spear-throwing tool that came long before the bow and arrow, then step up and launch one yourself.The program covers how the atlatl worked, why it mattered […]
The forest around you is never silent. Every chirp, alarm call, and sudden hush carries information that birds, deer, and predators already know how to read. In this guided hike through Wind Cave National Park, Education Specialist Tom Tonkin teaches you to do the same.You will learn the difference between animals at baseline and alarm […]
Musician and composer David Boye performs original instrumental guitar compositions inspired by the natural landscapes of American national parks. His music weaves in recordings of wilderness sounds gathered during his travels across the country, capturing the character of the American West.Boye is a former Artist-in-Residence at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and North Cascades National […]
Join park rangers at Wind Cave National Park for one of autumn’s most thrilling wildlife experiences. Bull elk bugle across the mixed-grass prairie and ponderosa pine forests as the fall rut begins, their eerie calls echoing through the hills at dusk. Meeting point: Wind Cave Visitor Center at 7:00 p.m. Rangers lead a caravan to […]
Musician and composer David Boye performs original instrumental guitar compositions inspired by the natural landscapes of American national parks. His music weaves in recordings of wilderness sounds gathered during his travels across the country, capturing the character of the American West.Boye is a former Artist-in-Residence at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and North Cascades National […]
Join park rangers at Wind Cave National Park for one of autumn’s most thrilling wildlife experiences. Bull elk bugle across the mixed-grass prairie and ponderosa pine forests as the fall rut begins, their eerie calls echoing through the hills at dusk. Meeting point: Wind Cave Visitor Center at 7:00 p.m. Rangers lead a caravan to […]
