South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem is making some changes to her proposal for new camping sites at Custer State Park after an overwhelming protest from legislators and her constituents.
The proposed project calls for building 66 campsites on 50 acres within the park. The original plan created 176 campsites across 75 acres, at a different state in the park altogether, according to a report.
Furthermore, the cost for the project is reduced to half, from about $10 million to about $5 million.
In a pamphlet distributed to legislators by the governor’s office promoting the new plan, it is stated that this proposal will not interfere with the migration patterns of elk, and it would not affect the buffalo herds that are already present in the park.
Still, some lawmakers think that the plan should be junked altogether.
“This change doesn’t address the primary concerns of the state competing with the private sector,” said State Sen. Julie Frye-Mueller (R-Rapid City). “The government should stay out of it because it can be handled there.”
The proposal, HB 1048, is yet to receive a first hearing date.
