South Dakota Army National Guard to conduct aviation training exercise at Belle Fourche Reservoir

RAPID CITY, S.D. - Reclamation will be hosting the South Dakota Army National Guard for medical evacuation training (MEDEVAC) at Belle Fourche Reservoir on Dec. 7, 2024, between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. MDT.

The MEDEVAC exercise will consist of around ten National Guard soldiers on the ground, arriving via ground transport with up to three helicopters arriving on scene for pickup. Only one aircraft will land at a time to evacuate soldiers. The exercise will take place in the Fruitdale Recreation Area on the south side of Belle Fourche Reservoir, just north of U.S. Highway 212. This area will be closed to the public during the exercise.

The Belle Fourche Project, located in western South Dakota northeast of the Black Hills, includes a diversion dam, storage dam, and canals to irrigate 57,068 acres in Newell, Vale, and Nisland along the Belle Fourche River valley. Though primarily for irrigation, it also provides flood control, wildlife conservation, and recreation. The Belle Fourche Dam on Owl Creek, eight miles east of Belle Fourche, created the Belle Fourche Reservoir, the Belle Fourche National Wildlife Refuge, and the Rocky Point Recreation Area.

For more information, please contact Jay Leasure (605) 519-5504. If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.