Commission hears park outreach metrics, foundation fundraising and DOT collector‑road update

Commission members received a series of briefings on parks outreach, foundation fundraising and collector‑road projects.

Rachel Komas, volunteer coordinator for the parks division, said parks ran 2,236 programs in 2025 with 92,252 participants (49% adults, 51% youth). Park RX (a partnership with the Department of Health and SDSU Extension that allows health‑care providers to prescribe park passes) had 471 pass redemptions in 2025, the highest year on record, and Go Forth fourth‑grade passes were redeemed 572 times; library checkout passes circulated more than 2,200 times at 86 participating libraries.

A representative from the South Dakota Parks and Wildlife Foundation (Jeff) reported the foundation’s $10 million campaign has raised about $500,000 so far; several shovel‑ready projects were approved to proceed with donated funds, and the foundation will host regional fundraising events.

Adam Clutz, planning and development administrator, reviewed the five‑year collector road agreement with the State Department of Transportation that provides up to $2.8 million annually for park‑access road projects. Clutz listed recent accomplishments including an asphalt lift and bridge replacements at a state park and roadwork at Roy Lake; he asked the commission for an informal blessing of the FY27 project list to support a subsequent DOT commission presentation.

Commissioners asked about public awareness of programs; communications staff said the department promotes completed projects through a habitat‑stamp dashboard, the Conservation Digest, social media and signage that links to project pages. Commissioners also requested a follow‑up on Kuster State Park cleanup and estimated salvage and repair costs; staff said they would present a more complete update at the next meeting.