Outdoor Campus expansion could allow for archery tournaments in the future, director says

The Outdoor Campus in Sioux Falls is beginning an expansion that will cost between $6.7 and $7.1 million, David Parker, Director of the Outdoor Campus said.

Besides a remodel of the museum in 2011, Parker said the Outdoor Campus has not expanded since it opened in 1997, while the city has grown exponentially in the past 27 years. The groundbreaking ceremony for the expansion occurred earlier this month.

“Sioux Falls is growing, so it’s time for us to expand, because we're already bursting at the seams,” Parker said.

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The project will include two phases. The first phase is the creation of a 60-yard outdoor archery range, which is expected to be finished in the fall. The range will be used for free Outdoor Campus classes, but when classes aren’t in session, the range will be open for public use, Parker said.

Phase two is an expansion and remodel of the campus’ indoor facility, which will feature a cooking space, three additional classrooms, a patio for outdoor cooking classes, a game processing space and a 20–yard indoor archery and BB gun range.

The indoor remodel will allow the Outdoor Campus to host more classes in the winter. Plus, Parker said the campus has worked on construction specifications to make sure the facility will have the potential to host archery tournaments in the future.

The sport of archery is growing in popularity in Sioux Falls, Parker said, and the Outdoor Campus has staff members who are certified to train instructors for the National Archery in Schools Program.

The National Archery in Schools Program, or NASP, is a nonprofit organization that offers in-school archery for students in grades 4-12. Tommy Floyd, President of NASP, said the program offers local, state, regional and national tournaments for its participants.

"Students gain important experiences in learning to shoot archery, such as focus, learning to deal with their emotions, confidence, pride in being an accomplished archer," Floyd said. "We're very excited about the growth in South Dakota."

Several local archery clubs will likely take advantage of the new archery range, said Kristina Coby, Executive Development Director of the South Dakota Parks & Wildlife Foundation. Coby said one of the major funders for this expansion was Easton Foundations, an organization that provides support and training for archery programs.

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To fundraise $3 million for the expansion project, the South Dakota Parks and Wildlife Foundation is working in conjunction with the Friends of the Outdoor Campus in Sioux Falls. They have currently raised about $2.7 million, and Coby is hoping to wrap up the campaign this month.

“This particular campaign, many of our donors really surprised us with the level of giving,” Coby said. “They just gave more than expected.”

The rest of the money will be sourced from Pittman-Robertson excise tax dollars, Parker said. The Pittman-Robertson Act provides funding for wildlife conservation through a tax on shooting and hunting equipment.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Outdoor Campus expansion could allow for archery tournaments in the future, director says