The Outdoor Campus comes to life
Conceptual drawing of The Outdoor Campus-West visitor center currently under construction in Rapid City.
There’s something exciting happening on Rapid City’s west side, along Sturgis Road. The South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks Department is in the middle of construction on what will be an impressive new regional headquarters building and public education center.
It’s called The Outdoor Campus – West (TOC-West) and is based on a similar education center located in Sioux Falls, hence the “west.” The project will serve to fill an important void in the Black Hills region – that of educating and preparing youth to be able to safely enjoy all of the outdoor recreation that the area has to offer.
When TOC-West opens its doors in Spring 2011, the focus will be on educating area youth about hunting, fishing and other outdoor skills. But, there will also be classes for us “big kids” too. Adult classes will include topics like kayaking, orienteering and rock climbing – just to name a few.
Last week I met up with Chad Tussing, Director of TOC-West, for the hard-had construction tour of the building site and a more detailed explanation of what the project is all about.
As Tussing and I walked around the construction site and explored the outdoor campus grounds, it became clear to me that there is much more to this project than just a visitor center. It’s not going to be just a building – it is truly a campus – a natural, outdoor learning center, nestled discretely within city limits.
When people enter the property, they will be greeted by a beautiful little pond, over which they’ll cross on an arched wooden bridge, to enter the visitor center. Once inside, visitors will have access to hands-on exhibits, natural displays and several classroom areas.
Behind the main building, a fantastic network of nature trails sprawls out over more than 30 acres of Black Hills land. The nature trails will lead visitors to several different learning stations: a wide-open grassy meadow, an elevated “tree-house” lookout tower, a marsh area that’s home to mallards, Canada geese, mountain bluebirds and more. The location is just incredible!
Tussing, TOC-West Director, has an enthusiasm for the project that is undeniably contagious. As we hiked all over the campus, he would excitedly point to an area and explain to me what it will be just a few short months from now. And everything he explained was easy to visualize – because it will remain largely as it is today: undeveloped, natural and inviting.
Here in the Black Hills region, there is an unending list of outdoor recreation activities to take advantage of. Unfortunately, many people simply don’t have the knowledge or skill sets to participate and enjoy those activities.
That’s why I think The Outdoor Campus-West is such a worthwhile project. It’s going to help more people become better educated, and from a younger age, so that they can get outside, explore the region and have a better appreciation of everything that it has to offer.
The photos below are what the project currently looks like, so it might take a bit of imagination to picture the finished project. Yet, when Tussing gave me the tour of the campus and explained it all, it was crystal-clear.
And trust me – it’s going to be amazing!
