RAPID CITY, S.D. – The South Dakota Army National Guard 842nd Engineer Company out of Spearfish, South Dakota will be performing road work on Bird Island View Road as well as making improvements at the Rocky Point archery range. A vertical construction platoon and two horizontal construction platoons will work at Belle Fourche Reservoir October 6-9, 2022.
Road work will consist of grading and crowning the new road base, installing culverts, and hauling and spreading gravel on approximately 1.5 miles of new road. Bird Island View Road and recreation area will be closed to public use during road construction activities, which will be conducted Thursday-Sunday. The public is asked to respect the temporary closures and remain patient while improvements are being made.
Recently, the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks has requested assistance from the South Dakota National Guard to construct a shooting line shelter at the archery range. The Rocky Point Archery Range located within Rocky Point Recreation Area was constructed with the help of the Center of the Nation Sportsmen’s Club in 2013. The shooting line shelter will provide a safe, shaded area to shoot targets from 10 yards to 60 yards. Archery range improvements will consist of constructing a shooting line shade shelter with a concrete floor and storage area. In addition, the Rocky Point Park staff plan to add an accessible sidewalk to the vault toilet, shooting line shelter and some targets to improve accessibility for all users. These improvements will provide an excellent area to host special events and school groups. The Rocky Point archery range is free for the public to use if you have a valid state park entrance license.
Recreational activity has increased substantially at Belle Fourche Reservoir over the past few years, prompting Reclamation and South Dakota Game Fish and Parks to make needed improvements for the public. The 2020 Belle Fourche Reservoir Resource Management Plan laid out improvements and changes to be implemented at the Reservoir. During the Resource Management Plan public involvement process, the public identified the need for road improvements, improved camping, and the addition of vault toilets.
For more information, please contact Jay Leasure (605) 519-5504.
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