VISITOR SERVICES RESTORED TO SOUTH UNIT OF BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK

Visitor services are once again available at the White River Visitor Center of Badlands National Park as of June 23rd, 2003. The White River Visitor Center had been closed due to an infestation of mice and has been subjected to a complete eradication of rodents and resealed to eliminate future intruders. No employee illnesses have resulted from exposure to the high level of rodent feces; however, because the predominant species is the deer mouse, a known carrier of hantavirus, park officials felt it necessary to close the facility until it could be cleaned and the rodent infestation eliminated.

The White River Visitor Area is located 22 miles south of the town of Scenic on BIA route 27. The facility is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and provides visitors with information, exhibits, picnic tables and restrooms. Badlands Natural History Association operates a bookstore in the facility, as well. Open to the public since 1980, the White River Visitor Center exhibits have recently been redone using entrance fee dollars to feature the story of people in the Badlands, particularly the Oglala Lakota.