PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — Federal land management agencies in the southern Black Hills have signed an agreement to work together more closely.
The U.S. Forest Service and the National Park Service have agreed to share equipment and resources.
The agreement was signed by the Hell Canyon Ranger District of the Black Hills National Forest, the Fall River Ranger District of the Nebraska National Forests and Grasslands, Jewel Cave National Monument and Wind Cave National Park.
Jewel Cave Superintendent Larry Johnson says the agreement should improve service to the public and increase operating efficiency in the agencies. He says the agencies share borders and common issues.
Johnson says the agreement, based on a recently passed federal law, allows the agencies to trade employees and equipment to get work done in the most efficient manner possible.
