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Following is an AARP summary of the walking action plan developed by Prairey Walkling, a State Walking College Fellow, for a distant community on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
Wanblee is a remote community of about 1,000 people.
State Walking College Fellow Class of 2021
Prairey Walkling is a Family and Community Health Field Specialist with the South Dakota State University Extension.
Wanblee (or Waŋblí Hoȟpi in Lakota, meaning "Eagle Nest") is a community of 940 residents and part of the Pine Ridge (Oglala Lakota) Indian Reservation. Crazy Horse School serves about 350 students grades K through 12.
Due to an 80 percent poverty rate and a high percentage of residents who need to walk or bike to get around, safe and ADA-compliant pathways are critically needed.
In Wanblee and other Native American communities, the lack of safe places to walk, run or bike contribute to high obesity levels and other health challenges. In Wanblee and many tribal places, a state highway is the main thoroughfare. Many of these highways have little or no shoulders and the roads lend themselves to fast driving speeds.
With a recorded pedestrian death rate almost five times the national average, according to the 2016 Dangerous by Design report by America Walks, American Indians and Alaska Natives are more likely to be killed while walking than any other racial or ethnic group.
In December 2021, a fatal pedestrian death occurred on Highway 44 just east of Wanblee. It was the second fatal pedestrian incident on that stretch of the highway.
In 2020, Crazy Horse School received funding to resurface the school road and build a sidewalk with night lighting. The tribe is working to create the Wanblee Pathway, a paved walkway that will be separated from vehicular traffic and connect to nearly all the necessary destinations in Wanblee.
1. Secure funding for the Wanblee Pathway Project
2. Engage the community in ongoing walkability advocacy and built environment enhancements
3. Research policies and possible barriers to active transportation.
WHAT’S BEEN ACCOMPLISHED SO FAR
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