Campaigns Pesla (Rochford) Road Project Pe Sla also known as Reynolds' Prairie
Pe Sla also known as Reynolds' Prairie
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Hello Defenders,
The following is information collected and sent by Nancy Hilding, the chairperson of Prairie Hills Audubon Society.
We have been encouraging comments on the South Rochford Road for a number of years. Now, the Reynold's family is selling land that they say they own due to the illegal homesteading allowed by the US federal government in violation of the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868, the March 3rd Act of 1871, and Article VI of the US Constitution.
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We, Defenders, are also looking for an attorney to file an injunction due to the illegal land title held by the Reynold's family. The 1980 US Supreme Court decision said the taking of the Black Hills was illegal, and as the tribes have not accepted a penny for the settlement, the title still resides with the Sioux Nation. As a non-profit, environmental organization, also called an Indian organization as the majority of our Board is Indian, then we are able to file in a US court.
If you know an attorney with the courage to help us fight this new illegal sale, you can't sell stolen land, then please have them contact us.
In the meantime, we thank the Rosebud Sioux Tribe and all the others for their efforts to buy these areas and help protect this sacred place. I would still donate to the Rosebud Sioux Tribes efforts, immediately, as the auction is Saturday.
Charmaine White Face, Coordinator Defenders of the Black Hills PO Box 2003 Rapid City, SD 57709 www.defendblackhills.org
Reynolds Prairie (Pe Sla) is being sold at Auction on Saturday August 25th, 2012.
This is a sacred place for Native Americans and important for environmentalists as a large example of the rare Black Hills Montane Grasslands ( Pe Sla is located north of Deerfield Lake in Pennington County) .
Various tribes are uniting in an unprecedented effort to pool resources, pledges and buy the land. Scoll down to read a press release by Rosebud Sioux Tribe.
Individuals are also all invited to help the Tribes raise the necessary money via individual donation
There is a web site to go and donate money by credit card (visit before Thursday evening)- As of Tuesday night at 10:00 pm. - $171,606 dollars have been raised via this on-line effort
(http://www.indiegogo.com/PeSla-LakotaHeartland)
A postal address is provided to send checks (Send to Rosebud Sioux Tribe, scroll down to Tribes press release for address). While those of us who are not Native American were not alive when our ancestors took the Black Hills by treaty violation, we are alive today and are offered this personal opportunity to help Native American's get some of their sacred land back on Saturday. You can also help by forwarding this e-mail to a friend.
The purchase price may necessitate tribes receiving a loan from a non-profit, thus donations that are received after Saturday, will likely also be welcomed/needed to help clear debt.. Various contacts are listed below.
I have been advised that the property will go for $3,000 - $5,000 dollars per acre and as there is about 2,000 acres for sale - the price for all acres would be: $6- $10 million. At auction the1,942 acres ranch, will be offered broken up into 5 pieces , varying in sizes from 300 to 440 acres. The auction will try to find the bidder offering the highest per acre. The auction will allow the bidder offering the highest price per acre the choice to purchase only one of the 5 pieces, or some pieces or all 5 pieces. If any pieces are left over after first winner decides what he/she wants, the bidding starts again seeking the highest per acre price. Thus the lowest possible price of the day might be a 300 acre subset sold at $3,000 per acre (or $900,000) or the highest possible bid, might be all the 1,942 acres sold at at $5,000/acre which would be 9.7 million dollars. If someone other than the tribes buy it, it may in future, be broken up further into 40 or larger acres pieces and sold as a subdivision at some future point. For information on the Auction
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrfRyPNrqc0
http://www.brockauction.com/images/Reynolds/Reynolds%20Ranch%20Poster%20Web.pdf
The Nature Conservancy identified Reynolds Prairie, as one of "Areas of Biodiversity Significance within the Black Hills Ecoregion" due to the rare Montane Grasslands that is is , ( See Appendix 5 of the "Ecoregional Conservation in the Black Hills" - this document can be download at
http://conserveonline.org/library/bhills_final_apr02pdf.pdf/view.html)
39% of the Reynolds Prairie is on Forest Service land and 60.8% on private land.
I have been advised the Tribes will protect the land and not develop it - this is a way to achieve conservation of rare and special ecological resource via Tribal protection of a sacred site.
For more info and to verify authenticity visit Rosebud Sioux Tribe's web site:
http://protectpesla.org/news-release.php
News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Rosebud Sioux Tribe to take a Lead on Protecting Sacred Site
ROSEBUD, S.D. - In the spirit of religious freedom, the Rosebud Sioux Tribal Council announced Wednesday, Aug. 8 that it would act as the fiscal agent to bid in the Pe Sla sacred site auction in the Black Hills. The site, also known as the Reynolds Prairie Ranches, between Lead and Hill City, S.D., will be up for bidding on Aug. 25.
The Pe Sla sacred site is where, according to the Lakota spiritual tradition, the Morning Star fell to earth, killing sever beings that killed seven women. To honor the fallen, the Morning Star placed the souls of the women into the stars at the Pleiades constellation. The geographic distinction of the tradition is noted as the translation, "Old Baldy," because of the stark contrast from the surrounding hills and trees to open prairie.
Every year, tribes within the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota nations gather to perform ritual and ceremony as a way to ensure the continued wellbeing of all people. The Rosebud Sioux Tribe is amoung those tribes that send contingents to there every year. In that spirit, the Rosebud council voted to act as the conduit to unite all the Oceti Sakowin - or Seven Council Fires of the Nation - in this stuggle to maintain its deeply rooted traditions. If successful, this will mark one of the first attempts by the Great Sioux Nation to unite in common cause, bid for ownership and shar the site for all tribal members to practice their faith.
The tribe is working with LastRealIndians.com to accept donations from both tribes and individuals, who want to join in keeping religious freedoms for Lakota people alive and intact at Pe Sla. Send contributions to: Rosebud Sioux Tribe / Pe Sla, 11 Legion Ave., P.O. Box 430, Rosebud, SD 57570 or online with LRI at: http://indiegogo.com/PeSla-LakotaHeartland. All donations to the Tribe are tax-deductible and will only be used toward the purchase of Pe Sla.
Contact Info:
Alfred Walking Bull
Communications Specialist
Rosebud Sioux Tribe
xxx-747-5755, ext. 25
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Other contacts:
Gay Kingman is working on this fund raising effort for Pe Sla:
A. Gay Kingman, Executive Director
Great Plains Tribal Chairman's Association
2040 W. Main, Suite 112
Rapid City, SD. 57702
Cell: xxx-484-3036
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
The Indian Land Tenure Foundation will also be involved in this effort _ (http://www.iltf.org/)
MORE INFORMATION - Articles about:
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/08/17/sioux-tribes-take-to-the-internet-to-buy-back-sacred-land/
Sioux tribes worry sale of sacred site in South Dakota's Black Hills could lead to development (Washington Post)
The Sioux campaign to buy back the Black Hills that belong to them (The Guardian)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/aug/16/sioux-campaign-buy-back-black-hills
U.N. Probe: U.S. Should Return Stolen Sacred Land, Including Mt. Rushmore, to Native Americans (Democracy Now!
http://www.democracynow.org/2012/5/11/un_probe_us_should_return_stolen
Black Hills Auction: The Auction of the Sacred (Winona LaDuke)
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/ict_sbc/black-hills-auction-the-auction-of-the-sacred
Pe' Sla: Help Save Lakota Sioux Sacred Land! (Sioux fundraiser to save the land)
http://www.indiegogo.com/PeSla-LakotaHeartland
SOUTH ROCHFORD ROAD DEIS - UNDERWAY - Comment on this, - (comment against the road improvements)
The choice to sell the land may be related to the paved road which is proposed and threatens Pe Sla. With ,a paved road passing through it, the land is more likely to be subdivided. Objecting to the road is another way to help fight development of thie rare montane grassland and sacred siter.. You can go to the this web site and read about and send comments.
http://www.southrochfordroad.com/meetings.html
South Rochford Road
Proposed Road Improvement Project Environmental Impact Statement
Background
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), in cooperation with the South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT) and Pennington County, South Dakota, are in the process of preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) on proposed roadway improvements to South Rochford Road in Pennington County, South Dakota.
The proposed project would involve roadway improvements to South Rochford Road for approximately 10 miles between the Town of Rochford and the intersection of South Rochford Road and Deerfield Road.
The proposed project is considered necessary to improve year-round access to the Town of Rochford from the Deerfield Lake area. Alternatives under consideration include:
(1) no action;
(2) roadway improvements along the existing alignment; and
(3) roadway improvements on a new alignment.
The proposed work would include reconstructing the two lane roadway, providing an all-weather surface, and improving the drainage and associated roadway structures. Adjusting existing utilities and acquisition of right-of-way (ROW) may be necessary.
It is anticipated that the project may require several Federal permits including, but not limited to Section 404 Permit, Section 401 Water Quality Certification, and US Forest Service Special Use Permit.
To ensure that the full range of issues related to this proposed action is addressed and all significant issues are identified, comments and suggestions are invited from all interested parties.
How do I make comments? This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
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"Defenders of the Black Hills is a group of volunteers without racial or tribal boundaries whose mission is to preserve, protect, and restore the environment of the 1851 and 1868 Treaty Territories, Treaties made between the United States and the Great Sioux Nation."
Speaking about radioactive fallout, the late President John F. Kennedy said,
"Even then, the number of children and grandchildren with cancer in their bones, with leukemia in their blood, or with poison in their lungs might seem statistically small to some, in comparison with natural health hazards. But this is not a natural health hazard and it is not a statistical issue. The loss of even one human life, or the malformation of even one baby who may be born long after we are gone, should be of concern to us all. Our children and grandchildren are not merely statistics toward which we can be indifferent."
July 26, 1963 upon signing the ban on above ground nuclear tests
