Rep. Kristi Noem and Gov. Dennis Daugaard complain that the federal government isn't accting fast enough to counter the pine beetle infestation of the Black Hills. Lawrence County commissioners appear to have the same gripe with Governor Daugaard. At their Tuesday meeting, commissioners pulled $200,000 of their original $300,000 commitment to the state's Black Hills Forest Initiative.
The $200,000 reallocation will instead fund a program under a logging contract between the county and the Forest Service, in which county-hired subcontractors will be allowed to enter Forest Service land to treat green-hit trees infested with pine beetles.
...With the state's resources tied up in treating Custer State Park for beetles, none of the county's money has been spent yet. Dave Heck, director of Lawrence County Invasive Species Management, said the county has already marked 15,000 acres and 25,000 trees, and that information is sent to the state weekly, but the state has yet to issue any letters to private landowners saying their property has been marked [Mark VanGerpen, "County Backs off State Program to Fund Local Beetle Fight," Black Hills Pioneer, 2011.12.14].
Wait a minute—did I read that right? The county is able to put its money to good use faster by working with the Forest Service—the United States Forest Service—than with an apparently pokey state program whose resources are "tied up" protecting its own (our own) state park before private landowners?
I welcome my conservative neighbors to sort that one out.
A friend called me asking whether Youth Forestry Camp or Job Corps can go onto private ground to thin. Anyone know?
LawCo often uses jail labor to perform contracts.
I think using jail labor may be against the Republican Platform.
"I think using jail labor may be against the Republican Platform."
Janklow did it.
"Janklow did it;" may i quote you, Steve?