SD HCR6003

Recognizes conservation and restoration practices as critical strategies for addressing water shortages and mitigating wildfire risk in the Black Hills region of South Dakota

Identifies specific beneficial methods including native vegetation restoration, stream and riparian rehabilitation, beaver dam analogues, and other low-tech, process-based approaches that spread, slow, and store water

Notes these practices provide fire mitigation by breaking up fuel continuity, increasing soil moisture, and creating green riparian corridors that serve as natural firebreaks

Commends the Black Hills Watershed Collaborative, conservation districts, watershed groups, landowners, tribal nations, nonprofits, and state/federal partners working on stream, wetland, and riparian restoration

Adopted by the House on January 22, 2026 and concurred by the Senate on January 26, 2026