South Dakota Campground Owners Association
Professional trade association for those who operate privately owned South Dakota outdoor hospitality businesses: campground, RV park, resort, glamping, and other lodging options for outdoor enthusiasts.
This page provides the platform for newsletter articles. You’ll see the headline and an excerpt. Click on the headline or the ‘continue reading’ link to read the full story.
With this new format, especially with the posts being categorized and dated, you should also be able to readily reference any old posts.
Here’s a glimpse into the activities of SDOA (we’ll add new months at the top.)
Continue reading “2023 At a Glance”Here’s a glimpse into the office. We’ll keep January on the top, adding each month below it.
Continue reading “2022 Activities”What has SDCOA been doing? Here’s a glimpse into the office. It’s purely a glimpse since a complete list would take away from precious time working on more projects for our members. We’ll keep January on the top, adding each month below it.
Continue reading “2021 Activities”CCLOA Outdoor Hospitality Members are also automatically members of the National Association of RV Parks & Campgrounds (ARVC).
Both organizations offer a wide range of benefits to assist you and your business, to ease your load, and to promote your parks.
Given that we’re two entities, you’ll need to maintain your data with each of us, separately.
Continue reading “Maintaining Your Data with ARVC and SDCOA”By Dale Anderson, Plant Quarantine and Pest Survey Specialist, SD Department of Agriculture, and provided by him to SDCOA
The South Dakota Department of Agriculture (SDDA) and the United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) continue to work cooperatively on plant pest protection issues, relying extensively on the cooperation of private businesses including the campground owners. Continue reading “Plant Pests”
Here’s a glimpse into the SDCOA office. Continue reading “2020 Monthly Updates”
News from our within membership is shared in this post. (If I missed posting your news, please feel nudge me.
We are so pleased for the recognition these KOA parks have received:
2021 KOA FOUNDER’S AWARD
Belvidere East / Exit 170 KOA
Rapid City / Black Hills KOA Holiday
Sioux Falls KOA Journey
2021 KOA PRESIDENT’S AWARD
Mount Rushmore KOA Resort at Palmer Gulch
Belvidere East / Exit 170 KOA joined in July. We welcome Richard & Lisa Wice, Jr. to our membership1
Hidden Lake Campground & Resort in Hot Springs joined in May. We welcome Shane and Cristin Stewart.
Mountain Meadow Store & Campground in Hill City joined us. We welcome owner Dan Holsworth, and managers Kevin and Wendy Siroshton.
Click here to see the updates from 2019, especially since the end of the year was rather active!
SDCOA has an ear on Washington D.C. and Pierre activities, yet we also strive to hear what is happening in local communities. It truly takes a team. If you know of any issues you feel we should act upon, please bring them to our attention. Here are the issues we are actively evaluating for 2020 (this page will be updated as needed).
Continue reading “2020 Legislative Public Affairs Relating To Your South Dakota Business”We will post updates this page on a monthly basis so you can have at least a glimpse into what’s happening in the SDCOA office.
Continue reading “2019 Monthly Updates”GFP Commission Considers Increase to Park and Camping Fees / Public Hearing OCTOBER 3, 2019 at the AmericInn in Chamberlain.
On 9/26/2019 the Executive Committee voted to support this effort. A letter will be submitted to SD GF&P yet this week.
Detrimental to the Tourism budget. Members are encouraged to communicate with their local legislators with a request to oppose these bills. The Department of Tourism has provided talking points to assist with your legislative discussions.
SB 105 has been assigned to Senate Appropriations and the hearing is on 2/14/2019. SDCOA will speak opposed to this bill.
HB1251 was assigned to House State Affairs but just prior to the hearing the author, Representative Rounds, drafted an amendment which negated our need to testify. Instead, we wrote him the following letter of appreciation:
Representative Rounds,
Thank you for your continued support of tourism in South Dakota by amending HB 1251.
We know that reducing the Dept. of Tourism’s ability to market our state would have a tremendously negative impact across all tourism sectors.
You know that the Tourism office has to work vigorously and consistently to attract tourists of all types to our state. South Dakota isn’t as centrally located to large population centers as other states, so they need a broad reach! Whether our tourists are young or seasoned, equine lovers, wine connoisseurs, rodeo fans, snowmobilers, racers, photographers of wildlife and nature, or campers or any other type of tourist, the Dept. of Tourism has a far larger reach than each interest group has on its own.
South Dakota’s approximate 230 private and public campgrounds compete against 16,000 other such properties across the country. I feel your amendment preserves the department’s budget, which is vital to attracting all tourists.
SDCOA chooses to work with the Dept. of Tourism; we wouldn’t dream of taking funds from its budget! Together IS better.
Thank you for amending HB 1251 to ensure it doesn’t reduce the department’s budget.
Respectfully,
Mary Arlington, Executive Director, South Dakota Campground Owners Association (SDCOA)
SDCOA presented our letter of opposition to SD SB 178. The bill passed. There is a public hearing at Palisades State Park on April 10th. SDCOA staff cannot fit it into the schedule and is hoping the members in that region can attend and can read a letter in opposition from SDCOA.
Campgrounds having to pay a fee for ambulance and fire service; SDCOA is formulating our position; click to read the news story.
We submitted this letter of opposition to the city manager, mayor and council members. The public hearing is scheduled for 4/15/2019.
| Author: Tim Goodwin (D-030) Title:Off Road Vehicle Injuries or Deaths Introduced:01/25/2019 Location: House Judiciary Committee Summary:Establishes immunity from liability for injuries to or the death of a person engaged in off road vehicle activity under certain circumstances. Status: 01/25/2019 INTRODUCED.01/25/2019 To HOUSE Committee on JUDICIARY. Topic Assignments:14.10.11 Civil Liability- Misc 20.7.3 Off-Highway and Recreational Vehicles On 2/21 this bill was sent to the 41st day from the Senate Judicial Committee (meaning it failed). |
There were other bills we monitored closely or took action: HB 1059 (a re-organization of an existing law), HB 1101 (withdrawn by GF&P), HP 1266.