SPEARFISH – The Booth Society, Inc., the nonprofit friends group that supports the D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery and Archives in Spearfish, received a large check for a large amount – $25,000 –Tuesday, following a donation from Black Hills Energy.
“Our mission is to improve life with energy, and so this is an opportunity for us to partner, not only with Spearfish, but with the Booth Society,” Marc Eyre, Black Hills Energy’s manager of electric operations, said. “It’s important not only for this community, but this region. As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve got young kids and they love this (hatchery).”
The donation supports the Booth Society’s fundraising campaign to help finance the purchase of 64.62 acres of undeveloped land adjacent to the hatchery to the west, behind its museum. The group recently closed on the land, which was previously owned by Evon (Ward) Breeding, as an expansion of the hatchery’s operations. So far, the Booth Society has raised more than $350,000 towards the $642,500 purchase price and are now inviting donors, public and private, to join the fundraising efforts.
“This is a great asset to the community, so the opportunity to partner with them (the Booth Society) and help support this cause and getting some property secured for them is a great fit for us, so that’s why we decided to sponsor and donate money to the cause,” Eyre said.
Karen Holzer, executive director of the Booth Society, thanked Black Hills Energy for its support.
She explained previously that conserving the adjacent property would benefit the hatchery and the community by providing options to expand existing interpretation and visitor and youth education opportunities; enhancing wildlife habitat and securing pristine prairie and scattered ponderosa forest from development; providing the protection of the hatchery watershed and ground water supply; and protecting the historic integrity of the hatchery by preventing the construction of houses overlooking the historic property.
Holzer thanked Black Hills Energy for its support.
