First Black Canyon

First Black Canyon encompasses 4,965 acres within the Buffalo Gap National Grassland in South Dakota. The area centers on the First Black Canyon drainage system, which flows toward the Cheyenne River. Jim Wilson Canyon and the headwaters of First Black Canyon cut through this landscape, creating the primary hydrological features that shape both the terrain and the distribution of plant and animal communities across the property.

The vegetation reflects the transition between Great Plains grassland and juniper woodland. Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) dominates the open prairie, often growing alongside prairie coneflower (Ratibida columnifera) and wild licorice (Glycyrrhiza lepidota). Rocky Mountain juniper (Juniperus scopulorum) establishes itself on drier slopes and ridges, while great plains cottonwood (Populus deltoides) occupies the canyon bottoms and riparian zones where water is more reliable. This mosaic of grassland and scattered woodland creates distinct microhabitats across the area.

The wildlife community reflects this habitat diversity. Black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) create colonies in the grassland, their burrow systems supporting the federally endangered black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes), which hunts prairie dogs as its primary prey. Burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia), also federally threatened, nest in abandoned prairie dog burrows and hunt small mammals across the open ground. Ferruginous hawks (Buteo regalis) hunt from above, while sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus) use the grassland for display and nesting. The federally threatened rufa red knot (Calidris canutus rufa) passes through during migration, and the proposed endangered Suckley's cuckoo bumble bee (Bombus suckleyi) forages on flowering plants. Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus), proposed for federal threatened status, move through the area during their continental migration, relying on native plants for nectar and milkweed for larval development. Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) traverse the grassland, and orchard orioles (Icterus spurius) nest in cottonwoods along the canyons.

Walking through First Black Canyon, a visitor moves between distinct landscapes. The open prairie stretches across the uplands, where little bluestem and prairie coneflower create a low, textured grassland interrupted by scattered juniper. Following the canyon bottoms, the landscape shifts—cottonwoods provide shade and structure, water sounds become audible, and the understory thickens. The transition between these zones is gradual but perceptible: the air changes, the light shifts, and the species composition transforms. This interplay between open grassland and sheltered canyon creates the ecological foundation that supports the area's diverse wildlife.

The First Black Canyon area lies within the ancestral lands of the Lakota (Sioux), whose creation stories traditionally incorporated the prehistoric fossils found in the region's badlands, referred to as Unk-tegila or "water monsters." Before the late eighteenth century, the Cheyenne occupied the Black Hills and surrounding grasslands, but were pushed westward by the Lakota around 1776. The broader region was also used for hunting and transit by the Arapaho, Kiowa, Pawnee, Crow, and Arikara. The area itself served as a critical hunting ground for nomadic tribes; bison provided nearly all essential resources, including food, clothing, and shelter. The region held spiritual significance, associated with the Sun Dance ceremony and other traditional practices. The name "Buffalo Gap"—a natural pass through the sandstone ridges used by both bison and Indigenous peoples to enter the interior Black Hills from the plains—reflects the Lakota term for this gateway.

In 1868, the First Black Canyon area became part of the Great Sioux Reservation established by the Fort Laramie Treaty, which encompassed all of present-day western South Dakota. This treaty status was challenged following the 1874 Custer Expedition, which passed through the general vicinity and confirmed rumors of gold. The subsequent Black Hills Gold Rush brought illegal encroachment of miners onto treaty lands, and the Ghost Dance rituals of the 1890s—performed at the nearby Stronghold Unit of the Badlands—reflected Indigenous efforts to restore their lands and traditional ways of life.

Before the arrival of railroads, the area formed part of the Sidney-Deadwood Trail, a vital stage and freight route that moved gold from the hills and supplies into mining regions. The town of Buffalo Gap, located approximately ten to fifteen miles from the roadless area, served as a stable supply station and transportation hub. In December 1885, the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad—a branch of the Chicago and North Western Railroad—reached Buffalo Gap, becoming the first standard-gauge railroad to reach the Black Hills and transforming the town into a major shipping hub for cattle and supplies.

Following the Dust Bowl and Great Depression, the federal government purchased lands in the 1930s under the National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933 and the Emergency Relief Appropriations Act of 1935 as part of land utilization projects to restore over-plowed and drought-stricken homesteads. Livestock grazing emerged as the primary land use, with the open range eventually fenced into grazing allotments. On June 23, 1960, Buffalo Gap National Grassland was officially established and placed under U.S. Forest Service administration as a division of the Nebraska National Forest, encompassing approximately 595,715 to 600,000 acres—making it the second-largest national grassland in the United States.

The First Black Canyon roadless area is now a 4,965-acre Inventoried Roadless Area protected under the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule. The area remains fragmented in ownership, with federal acreage intermingled with private, state, and tribal lands, including the adjacent Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, home to the Oglala Lakota Nation.

Vital Resources Protected

Headwater Protection and Riparian Connectivity

The First Black Canyon roadless area encompasses the headwaters of First Black Canyon and Jim Wilson Canyon, which feed into the Cheyenne River drainage. These canyon systems represent rare perennial water features in a semi-arid grassland landscape where surface water is scarce. The roadless condition preserves the hydrological integrity of these drainage networks, maintaining the cold-water refugia and riparian vegetation that support aquatic life and provide critical water sources for wildlife across the broader grassland ecosystem.

Migratory Shorebird and Pollinator Habitat

The area provides essential stopover and breeding habitat for the federally threatened rufa red knot (Calidris canutus rufa), a long-distance migratory shorebird that depends on intact grassland and riparian zones along its migration corridor. The grassland also supports populations of Suckley's cuckoo bumble bee (Bombus suckleyi, proposed endangered) and monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus, proposed threatened), species whose survival depends on continuous, undisturbed native vegetation and the flowering plants that sustain them through critical life stages.

Mixed-Grass Prairie Ecosystem and Native Species Assemblage

The First Black Canyon area contains the mixed-grass prairie ecosystem that the Buffalo Gap National Grassland was established to protect, supporting over 300 species of native grasses and forbs. This vegetation community is the foundation for grassland-dependent species of greatest conservation need, including black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes, endangered), swift foxes, pronghorn, burrowing owls, and prairie falcons. The roadless condition prevents fragmentation that would degrade prairie dog colonies—the keystone prey base for black-footed ferrets and other predators—and maintains the continuous habitat structure these species require.

Bentonite Clay Soil Stability and Water Quality

The First Black Canyon area's soils are composed of highly erodible bentonite clay, which is extremely susceptible to water erosion and sedimentation. The roadless condition preserves the vegetative cover and soil structure that prevent runoff from mobilizing these fine sediments into the drainage network. In nearby areas of the grassland, sedimentation from disturbed soils has been identified as the greatest threat to surface water quality; the intact vegetation in this roadless area functions as a natural sediment filter protecting the perennial streams that are rare and ecologically critical in this semi-arid landscape.

Threats from Road Construction

Sedimentation and Stream Degradation from Cut Slopes and Erosion

Road construction in First Black Canyon would require cutting through bentonite clay soils to create roadbeds and drainage features. These exposed clay slopes would erode rapidly during precipitation events, mobilizing fine sediment into the First Black Canyon, Jim Wilson Canyon, and Cheyenne River drainage system. Because bentonite clay is highly susceptible to water erosion and sedimentation is already documented as the primary water quality concern in this grassland, road-induced erosion would degrade the rare perennial streams that support aquatic life and provide critical water resources for wildlife across the landscape.

Habitat Fragmentation and Loss of Connectivity for Migratory Species

Road construction would bisect the roadless area, fragmenting the continuous grassland habitat required by rufa red knots, monarch butterflies, and Suckley's cuckoo bumble bees during migration and breeding. The linear disturbance would create edge effects—areas of altered microclimate, increased predation pressure, and invasive species colonization—that reduce the effective habitat available to these species. For the rufa red knot, which depends on intact stopover habitat along its migration corridor, fragmentation would increase energy expenditure and reduce survival rates during critical migration periods.

Invasive Species Establishment and Prairie Ecosystem Degradation

Road construction would create disturbed soil corridors and increase human access, providing pathways for invasive plants and pests to colonize the mixed-grass prairie. The Buffalo Gap National Grassland has already experienced decades of fire suppression, allowing invasive species to encroach on native prairie; road construction would accelerate this process by creating new disturbance zones and facilitating seed dispersal along the roadbed. The loss of native vegetation would directly reduce forage and nesting habitat for black-footed ferrets, swift foxes, burrowing owls, and prairie falcons, while degrading the flowering plants that sustain Suckley's cuckoo bumble bee and monarch butterfly populations.

Canopy Removal and Riparian Degradation in Canyon Systems

Road construction through First Black Canyon and Jim Wilson Canyon would require removal of riparian vegetation—the trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants that stabilize streambanks and provide shade and organic matter to the perennial streams. Loss of riparian canopy would increase water temperature in these rare cold-water refugia, reducing habitat suitability for aquatic organisms and diminishing the ecological value of these streams as water sources for wildlife. The removal of riparian vegetation would also eliminate nesting and foraging habitat for migratory birds, including the federally threatened rufa red knot, that depend on these canyon systems during migration.

First Black Canyon, a 4,965-acre roadless area within Buffalo Gap National Grassland, offers hunting, birding, and photography opportunities across grassland and canyon terrain managed by the Wall Ranger District. Access to the roadless area itself is non-motorized only — foot, horseback, or bicycle — though Forest Service roads border the unit and provide parking and trailhead access via the Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM).

Hunting

Sharp-tailed Grouse are the primary upland bird species here, with the Wall Ranger District maintaining spring viewing blinds for grouse and prairie chicken mating displays. The area also supports Mule Deer, Pronghorn Antelope, and Bison for big game hunting, along with Cottontail Rabbits, Jackrabbits, Coyotes, and Badgers for small game and varmint hunting. Waterfowl hunters use nearby Limestone Butte Reservoir. The grassland is open year-round under South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks regulations; motorized cross-country travel is prohibited, and certain prairie dog shooting areas are closed to protect Black-footed Ferret habitat. Hunters must stay 660 feet from occupied structures and use designated routes only. The roadless condition preserves the backcountry character essential to this non-motorized hunting experience.

Birding

Spring and summer (April through September) are peak birding seasons. Documented species include Burrowing Owl, Orchard Oriole, Mountain Bluebird, Ferruginous Hawk, Golden Eagle, Bald Eagle, Long-billed Curlew, Baird's Sparrow, and Sprague's Pipit. The area is part of the Black Hills, Badlands and Lakes Birding Trail region. Winter brings raptors including Bald Eagles and Ferruginous Hawks. There are no developed observation platforms within the roadless boundary; birding here is conducted on foot or horseback through remote prairie and canyon habitat. The absence of roads maintains the quiet, undisturbed conditions that support nesting songbirds and allow visitors to experience these species in their natural state.

Photography

Rugged canyons and rolling hills provide panoramic prairie and badlands views. The First Black Canyon headwaters, Jim Wilson Canyon, and Cheyenne River offer riparian scenery. Vegetation includes Little bluestem, Wild licorice, Prairie coneflower, Rocky Mountain juniper, and Great Plains cottonwood; Prickly Pear cacti bloom in early June. Wildlife subjects include Sharp-tailed Grouse at spring blinds, Burrowing Owls in prairie dog towns, Pronghorn (fawns visible after early June), Bison, and Ferruginous Hawks. The area's wide open skies and distance from urban light pollution support stargazing and night sky photography. The roadless condition preserves the landscape's natural light and wildlife behavior undisturbed by road development.