"Protests certainly could help raise awareness.

And there's always hope that a good compromise could be reached on a buffer zone.

But really, there's only one way to ease Native American concerns about development around Bear Butte: They've got to buy the land.

It's not cheap. The Rosebud's 40 acres cost almost $6,000 an acre for land that isn't particularly productive.

But it's a solution. It's the only reasonable solution.

State and county officials have done about all they can do under the law - without investing perhaps millions of dollars in taxpayer money to buy land - to protect Bear Butte.

It really now is up to the tribes. And that means buying the land."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Best solution for Bear Butte (The Sioux Falls Argus Leader 8/6)

Relevant Links:
Bear Butte International Alliance - http://matopaha.org/wp
Defenders of the Black Hills - http://www.defendblackhills.org

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