Craig Bobzien, BKNF Forest Supervisor –

We have many fantastic events with partners on the Black Hills National Forest (BKNF), but frankly I can’t think of one event that has as high of touch with people as Experience the Outdoor Day.

This is a setting that is fantastic. The variety of work that we do in engaging people of all abilities from all of the communities around the BKNF to come here at this setting with this kind of one on one. Whether it be fishing, panning for gold, learning about Native American cultures, learning about horses, and riding in wagons and all of the variety of things, and great meals in time. It’s incredible for the participants, but really for the volunteers that come out. We come away from this event and it is extremely uplifting just to be a part of this. It’s something we are proud of and we want to sustain.

Ty Gerbracht, Forest Recreation Management, Operations Manager –

This is our 5th annual Experience the Outdoor Day. We invite guests from as far reaching as we possibly can for a days drive. We have guests from Spearfish, Sturgis, Rapid City, Hot Springs, and Newcastle. These guests are from different workshops and are developmentally challenged adults.

We have about 230 guests and 20 workers that are with them. We have about 60 Forest Service volunteers and Forest Rec. volunteers.

We try not to structure it too much. We want people to be able to do the things that they enjoy. We have gold-panning, we have Black Hills Parrots Welfare here to entertain with the birds.

Game, Fish, and Parks provide us with a lot of kits for fishing and give us a permit so guests can fish without a license. They are on the other side of the lake and they are pulling them out right and left and that’s probably one of the biggest events here that they enjoy.

Don Lahuette brings out the horses and takes them for a wagon ride. John Horton sits in the back with his guitar and sings.

We have a face-painting station.

Terra is a Forest Service employee and so she’s over there and she’s got them dancing and everyone is joining in and doing a circle dance with her.

And lunch, of course. That is probably the most time consuming for the volunteers is preparing all of the food.

We try to give the participants a sample of a day out in the woods and try to cover it all.

It’s just become a huge labor of love for all of us.

It is so important for me personally because I love the smiles on the faces. That’s the best way I can describe it.

When you give that much pleasure, it’s just a warm feeling inside.
So maybe we are selfish, we like that feeling too.

We are just going to keep going and have this event every year for as long as we can.