National Park Service denies South Dakota request for Mount Rushmore Independence Day fireworks

The National Park Service denied a request from South Dakota for an Independence Day fireworks celebration over Mount Rushmore for the second year in a row, citing the potential for wildfires and concerns and opposition from the tribal community.

"After careful consideration, the NPS has determined that we are unable to grant your request for this permit to hold a special event with fireworks at the Memorial," the National Park Service wrote in a letter on March 14 to the South Dakota Department of Tourism. "Based on the information provided in the application, we have determined that multiple such criteria are present for the requested event, each of which would be independently sufficient to deny the request for a permit."

The Park Service wrote that "fireworks are viewed by multiple Tribes as an adverse effect to the traditional cultural landscape," and said that a Tribal Cultural Survey conducted in May 2021 after South Dakota’s 2020 fireworks event showed "ample opposition from the Tribes to the 2020 event."