were used at Mount Rushmore on July 3 or 4 from 1998 to 2009, except for 2002 when it was canceled due to the danger of the pyrotechnic display starting a wildfire. During those 11 events 20 documented wildfires were ignited by the fireworks during the middle of the fire season”. Many of these firefighters were placed around the park in order to prevent any larger blazes. The Black Hills is filled with thousands of acres of forest, causing much concern". Gabbert further states concerns regarding the “trash that can never be completely picked up. Left on the sculpture and in the forest are unexploded shells, wadding, plastic, ash, pieces of devices, and paper”. On account of the terrain, cleanup of the pyrotechnic devices is very difficult to maintain. Joe Lowe, who served as fire chief for South Dakota’s Division of Wildland Fire from 2001 to 2012, stated that the embers from pyrotechnics can ignite the dry terrain surrounding the memorial site, which is why his team was prepared to extinguish potential fires. Firefighters called in crews from other states to help a few days prior to the firework event, as a blaze consumed approximately 150 acres about 6 miles south of Mount Rushmore. Protest Inspired by the Civil Rights Movement, many individuals sought out justice for the Lakota. In 1970, many activists belonging to a group known as the United Native Americans, arrived at the monument to demand that the Black Hills be returned to the Lakota. The activists set up camp on top of the memorial for several months, and after disassembling returned the next summer. Despite their return, their protests ended in their arrests. After many years of protest, the debate surrounding the monument reached the Supreme Court. In the case United States v. Sioux Nation of Indians (1980), it was ruled that the Black Hills belong to the Lakota. As compensation for the damages of the land, the Lakota were offered $17.1 million; however, the nation rejected the offer in order to continue to uphold the fight for the return of their land. On the day of the firework celebration, NDN Collective organized a protest that blocked the road to the park, stating individuals were trespassing on sovereign lands of the Great Sioux Nation. A protest of about 200 people blocked the road to the park. Indigenous activists assembled on the highway, using cars and vans