The Oglala National Grassland is a 90,000 acre plain that divides the Pine Ridge escarpment and the Black Hills of South Dakota. I believe it to be the highlight of our district, full of rock beds, 40-million-year-old alluvial and volcanic badlands landscapes, and dozens of short and medium grass varieties. The grassland is also home to numerous small reservoirs to hold some water on the landscape for waterfowl, cattle and wildlife watering, and aquatic species habitat. The four signs I helped install were for Boardgate, Rock Bass, Agate, and Sioux reservoirs.

The soils in the grassland presented us with a few digging challenges. Most people call the soil “gumbo” which just means it is predominantly clay based. This caused our auger to bog down on more than one occasion, but the process was still more seamless than having to dig by hand with post hole diggers. While the tools used for installing a sign are simple (mechanized auger, tamper, level, drill, wooden posts, hardware, sign), the result streamlines navigation for visitors and gives them comfort of where they are.

With signing I think you can “over sign” an area which can lead to greater confusion, and it can also look unnatural on the landscape. Over signing can also impede an experience upon the landscape if visitors are looking to get away from signs and structures they get in their daily lives. I’m a believer in advocating for geographical and map reading education in addition to having straightforward signage that is easily interpreted by the public. Most of the “signs” on our landscape are already there, in the form of buttes, watersheds, timber pockets, mountain ranges, the sun and moon, and the movement of animals. I’m continually grateful for the opportunity to talk with the public about these land features that guide us through life physically and spiritually.