SD tourist attractions combine sightseeing and science

HOT SPRINGS, SD – The family and school holidays are a time for fun and more time for learning.

Many tourist destinations have offered opportunities for cultural or historical education. But there is an emerging desire to engage with science and research on a deeper level. Other sites hope to contribute to that awareness and inspire the next generation of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) workers in South Dakota.

One of the first examples in the country was excavated 50 years ago.

In 1974, heavy equipment workers clearing land for a housing development in Hot Springs discovered a 7-foot horn. Further excavations yielded an unprecedented number of mammoth remains seen. The landowner, Phil Anderson, donated the land to create Mammoth Park.

Hot Springs is taking the following steps toward success

The Southern Black Hills Village is part of a pilot project to identify top problems and solutions through media and community involvement.

The active research area is enclosed in a visitor center, which is also home to a museum and a variety of educational programs.

“If the ’74 site had been designed like most traditional paleos, they probably would have gone in, removed everything, and the construction project would have continued,” said Chris Jass, principal investigator at the Mammoth Center. “Here, because we have a building, we can take our time. And when new methods of analysis come, when new ways of understanding the past come, we can apply them to the site. “

For example, researchers initially believed that the site was about 26,000 years old, he said. Recent work suggests the site may be at least 140,000 years old.

“Because of that, to restore the age of the site, we go back and examine some of the questions that were asked in the past. But we do it with new information,” said Jass.

The Mammoth area sees more than 100,000 visitors a year. Presston Gabel, chief operating officer, said it works closely with local tourism agencies.

“There are millions of visitors to the Hills every year,” he said. “And 90% of our revenue, even though we’re not a profit, comes from tourism. It comes from admissions, it comes from gift sales and things like that.”

While the site offers programs for large tour groups and adults, family programs are a big draw for visitors, Gabel said.

“Our family drill program that we started a few years ago has become very popular,” he said. “That happens four times a day, and it allows families to dig together in a bed of mock bones.”

The area also offers summer clubs and boot camps.

Seth Vandenberg, a science instructor at the Mammoth Center, said: “One of the great things about paleontology in general is that it’s a great introduction to the world of science for kids. “They see dinosaurs and mammoth and they are very happy.”

Learning along the way

South Dakota Tourism Secretary Jim Hagen sees opportunities for educational opportunities at attractions such as the Mammoth Site, Badlands National Park and many other local offerings, whether families are nearby or from all over the state.

“We’re just lacking in our reach with resources in terms of our marketing dollars,” he said. “We have a product that I would say not many countries have, in terms of having global appeal.”

That appeal, fueled by Mount Rushmore National Memorial and other Black Hills attractions, has grown into curiosity about other parts of the country, Hagen said.

Families make up the majority of that audience.

“They’re your traditional mom and dad, kids at home,” he said. “It’s always been our bread and butter.”

To that end, the Travel South Dakota website has a kid-friendly vacation guide featuring attractions across the state.

The Hagen department also provides its own teaching materials. In 2020, it released online lesson plans based on local points of interest, including the study of prehistoric animals such as the fossils found at Mammoth Cave. Other organizations, such as the South Dakota State Historical Society and the South Dakota Statewide Family Engagement Center offer educational tours for different age groups.

Inspiring future scientists

A few hours’ drive north of Mammoth Place, underground research of a different kind continues at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in lead. Local leaders hope to attract families with the educational opportunities it offers and inspire future STEM professionals at the same time.

SURF is housed in the former Homestake Mine, which was once the deepest gold mine in the Western Hemisphere. Scientists are able to use kilometers deep caves to conduct careful research on neutrinos, dark matter and other unsolved questions about the building blocks of the universe.

The Sanford Lab Homestake Visitor Center hosts year-round exhibits detailing the history of the gold mine and details of ongoing experiments.

The annual Neutrino Day, a free public science fair, attracted 2,200 visitors this year, said center director Kelly Kirk. The event includes talks and activities for different age groups, including toddlers. The rest of the year, the center hosts field trips and offers tours during the summer tourist season.

“One of SURF’s missions is to promote intergenerational learning,” Kirk said. “We like to think that when we visit students of all ages, by stimulating their curiosity, they can come back as the next science student, the next engineering student. They can participate in their university’s experiment as going backwards. to SURF to go underground.”

It’s a belief shared by Mike Headley, laboratory director at SURF.

“As the father of a 16-year-old, wanting to have opportunities for him to grow up in a country where there are great STEM opportunities was a big thing for me,” he said.

Many people in the Black Hills are familiar with the work that goes on in Lead, but not often in the East River, Headley said.

Collaboration

SURF recently partnered with the Kirby Washington Pavilion Science Center, located 400 miles from the lab in the state’s largest city, Sioux Falls. Located at the crossroads of two interstate highways, important routes for cross-country travelers, it is also an arts and entertainment center for local families in the southeast corner of the country.

The partnership has produced the H2O Workshop, an interactive space for children to experiment with the physics of water. Nicol Reiner, SURF’s director of education and outreach, said the exhibition fulfills the organization’s mission to promote “international education.”

“Parents can learn to interact better with children, like asking questions or how important play is,” Reiner said, “children can learn something about cause and effect. the water to go or the way to solve the problem.”

Southeast SD continues to lead the Black Hills in tourism revenue

South Dakota sees $4.96 billion in tourism spending by 2023, with 14.7 million visitors. Increasingly, many of them are drawn to the 14 counties in and around Sioux Falls.

It’s a resource that serves local families and visiting families alike, as well as Mammoth Place and many other attractions across the country. Kirk is passionate about providing opportunities to inspire young learners and capture their natural curiosity.

“The students we visited today are the STEM and technical workers of tomorrow who will be the ones who will further answer the mysteries of the universe that underground experiments are exploring,” he said. he said so.

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This event includes:

• A recent high school student’s enthusiasm for leading field trips at the Sanford Lab Homestake in Lead Visitor Center.
• How the Hot Springs Mammoth Site differs from other paleontological digs in the area.
• A partnership between the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead and the Washington Pavilion in Sioux Falls provides a joint exhibit to capture children’s interest in science.

This story is the second part of that series Jackie Hendryhost and producer of South Dakota Public Broadcasting’s “South Dakota Focus,” will write to review the show’s upcoming South Dakota News Watchan independent, non-profit news organization. Read in-depth stories on sdnewswatch.org and register email every day to get stories as soon as they are published. Contact us at info@sdnewswatch.org.