Earth Day isn’t just one day a year. Help Rapid City clean up this spring during a week long “city pride” event that includes recycling, parks clean-ups, and other events. You can read more about it here.

Rapid City’s growth management department and Alta Planning unveiled a master plan in mid-April to make bicycling and walking an integral part of transportation in Rapid City. The plan recommends 10 priority projects including signage, bike lanes and shared lanes, that could be done in the near future. It builds on existing trails and paths that run through the parks by connecting recreational trails to educational, work and retail destinations.

Top recommendations are designed to overcome obstacles to walking and cycling, and give walkers and bikers access past major highways and corridors that divide the city. Longer term proposals include trail construction and ongoing education. According to the document, the long term vision is to make Rapid City “a world-class biking and walking community with a diversified transportation system in which pedestrians and bicyclists are a priority in transportation planning, design and maintenance; where streets that accommodate bicyclists and sidewalks are accessible and user friendly; and where citizens have many travel options in their daily lives.”

The plan provides suggestions for education, encouragement and enforcement programs to improve the walking and biking environment in the Rapid City area. The public had a chance to view the plan at an open house and the City Council voted to approve the draft plan on April 18. Council member Aaron Costello noted that the report is a draft and interested individuals can continue to submit their recommendations and comments on the plan. Download a copy of the master plan or executive summary.

Friends of Rapid City Parks will host two candidate forums this year in order to provide ample time for both city council and mayoral candidates to present their views and answer questions.

The 2011 city council candidate forum will begin at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 31 at the Dahl Arts Center.  A second event to showcase candidates for Mayor will take place Thursday, June 2 at 6:45, also at the Dahl. A reception prior to the mayor candidate forum will begin at 6:00. The public is invited and the events are free of charge.

The annual public forums provide park advocates an opportunity to ask candidates about their views on parks, environment, and preservation of the green ribbon along Rapid Creek. Read about the candidates in the Rapid City Journal.

This year 11 candidates are competing for 2-year terms representing Rapid City’s five wards.  In the six years since FRCP has sponsored the forum, green issues such as water quality, open space, bike paths, parks, and development in the floodway have taken on increasing importance among city voters.

Parks issues that are sure to be raised include continued attempts to develop in the floodway, acquisition of new park land, maintenance and support of existing parks, and contribution of parks and open space to Rapid City’s quality of life.

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