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STARK CONTRAST: Summers in Lacreek National Wildlife Refuge are hot and dry but in the winter (Bottom), it is cold and has between 12 and 24 inches of snow on the ground. —photos by Anthony F. Breda

The Nebraska Sand Hills stretch for miles and miles, even into southern South Dakota; this state usually brings forth visions of the Badlands, Mount Rushmore and the Missouri River. Not many people think of sand hills, but in the southwest region of South Dakota they appear as an extension of their big brother to the south.

Connecting with nature
There’s nothing pretty about sand—normally. Sand, however, is a welcome habitat for certain critters, such as prairie dogs, burrowing owls and snakes.

Prairie dogs (Cyonomys ludovicianus) typically weigh one to two pounds. Sharing this space with the prairie dogs are burrowing owls (Speotyto cunicularia). These little creatures are between six and eight inches tall and weigh about four ounces. They have a very large, serious face, which appears out of place on such a small animal. As for the snakes, they also share burrows, using one of the upper chambers. We have quite an integrated community here at Lacreek. No building permit was ever issued for the town that is found within the boundary of Lacreek National Wildlife Refuge. Nevertheless, a town of a thousand inhabitants does exist right along the side of a refuge road.

Another inhabitant of this fascinating place is the snapping turtle. Some are as large as 40 pounds and they prey on waterfowl chicks. It is not surprising, then, that the refuge staff capture these amphibians and keep them in a trough. Visitors are encouraged to take a turtle home for a meal. Native Americans usually stop by to collect one or two.

Lacreek National Wildlife Refuge was founded in 1935 to enhance and protect spring-fed wetlands. It comprises 16,500 acres, with 11 pools and 15 miles of interior roads. The refuge lies within the borders of Bennet County and sits on an ancient lake, Lake Creek. Activities on the refuge include fishing at the trout pond and hunting for deer and pheasant in season.

Primitive camping and picnicking are allowed at the western end of the refuge. The number of campsites is small and a few are at lakeside. Drinking water is available from a well with a hand pump and there are pit toilets nearby. Swimming is allowed at Lacreek NWR but you must swim at your own risk as there is no lifeguard on duty—except for the snapping turtles.

There is an auto tour that covers seven miles. The road winds around many of the pools and this affords an excellent opportunity to view trumpeter swans, ducks, beavers, badgers, herons, egrets, cormorants, eagles, white-faced ibises, hawks and coyotes.

A vibrant landscape
The refuge is not all sand, birds and waterfowl. Flowers and plants are plentiful in the refuge. Some are as spectacular to view as a great blue heron in flight.

Large sunflower plants, wild indigo and Joe pye weed grow in abundance here and are used to feed the animals. Sand hills notwithstanding, these plants thrive. Arrowhead also grows here, and it is a favourite food of the trumpeter swans, who duck their heads underwater for a tasty meal.

The combination of sand, birds, animals, flora and water make Lacreek NWR an interesting place to visit. Some of the words to the song, America the Beautiful, could have been inspired by Lacreek. There are fields and fields of sunflowers; wheat is visible almost everywhere and wild plums line the roadways.

Not everything about the flora is positive, for the refuge has an ongoing battle with Canadian thistle and purple loosestrife. Both of these are invasive exotics and staff members are kept busy spraying herbicides in an attempt to control these pests.

Although most of our work with plants was done outside, we also learned to mount herbarium specimens inside. We took plants that were collected, pressed and dried by staff members and very carefully mounted them onto acid-proof paper using acid-free glue. Once mounted, the plants were ready to be placed in the herbarium. These specimens can then be used to identify plants in the field—this is a

much better way to identify unknown plants than by looking in a book. In the middle of our stay at Lacreek, the large lake was drained, so that work could be performed to strengthen the dam. No water was allowed to flow into the lake and by late summer, only a small rivulet was present. A group of about two dozen neighbours, volunteers and staff members then walked or rode the dry lake bed and collected trash. Remarkably, there was very little to pick up—considering the exposed area and that it had been 25 years since this had been done.

New experiences
For the first time in six years of volunteering, we were shown how to collect certain types of seeds. So there we were—two city folk, now in the six-foot tall sunflower patch, picking and picking and picking. In a nearby field, we later picked wild indigo seeds and Joe pye weed. The plants were then brought back to the shop area and spread on burlap sacks on the floor to dry. Later on, a staff member separated seed from chaff. Some of these seeds, such as indigo, can be quite expensive if purchased in a store. The dried seeds are later used for planting to create a mixed prairie.

More edibles were found while searching for an old cemetery. One day, we stumbled upon a small apple orchard off refuge land. This little grove contained some apples ready for picking, which is what we did. Some good tasting applesauce was the result of our discovery. The area surrounding the orchard also turned out to be a good place to run our dog, Keena.

Adventure and excitement
Located in the middle of nowhere (as most refuges are situated), Lacreek is a passing stop on the way to other places of interest—including the Black Hills, which contain the Crazy Horse Memorial, National Forest, Custer State Park and five national parks. Bicycle touring and pleasure riding are popular activities in the area. Rapid City itself has 13.5 miles of bikeways.

Golf, fishing, hiking, rock-hounding, camping, horseback riding, wildlife photography, mountain climbing in the Harney Range and water sports can be pursued in the Black Hills.

To the northwest is Mount Rushmore, known as America’s “shrine of democracy.” Created by Gutzon Borglum, it is a symbol of freedom, democracy and hope for people from all cultures and backgrounds. Portraits of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theadore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln look out of the granite face of the mountain.

Another fascinating place to visit is Badlands National Park. There you will find the world’s richest Oligocene epoch fossil beds, which are between 28 and 37 million years old. These tell the story of horses and rhinos and arose from the 244,000 acres of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles and spires.

This is one of the largest protected mixed-grass prairies in the U.S., and bison, bighorn sheep, endangered black-footed ferrets and swift fox roam here. The temperature varies from -40 to 116 degrees. Summers are hot and dry with occasional violent thunderstorms; winters are cold with 12 to 24 inches of snow. Extremely high winds are common all year round, as are sudden and dramatic weather changes.

In contrast to this wild scene, big city life can be found in Rapid City. Sturgis is the place to go if you are a motorcyclist. The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in August draws huge crowds of bikers from all over the U.S.

Wounded Knee, the Sod House and the Mammoth Site are interesting places for history buffs.

Lasting impressions
Our initial introduction to Lacreek was observing the hundreds of ring-necked pheasants found along the way but as we journeyed through the Sand Hills on our way to our next assignment, we viewed the undulating hills with greater appreciation for what we had learned.

All of our senses had been enhanced by the beauty we came to know at Lacreek and the surrounding area.