Cactus Flats / Badlands Inc., LLC / Ordinance for Veterans
Cactus Flats: What happened to the veterans’ land?

Cactus Flats land was supposed to benefit our veterans by OST Council ordinance. Yet an entity called Badlands Inc., LLC appears in the ownership picture. This raises basic questions: Was the land in trust or fee when decisions were made? Was the ordinance implemented and recorded, or left on paper? And is “Badlands Inc., LLC” a tribal enterprise or an outside company? We’re collecting the paper trail and asking the agencies that hold fiduciary and oversight duties to do their jobs.

 

What to verify (in an order)

• Exact legal land description (section–township–range; lots/tracts; county).
• Status at each step: trust (U.S. in trust for OST), restricted, or fee.
• OST Council action: ordinance/resolution number, date passed, vote tally, and whether it required recording or Secretarial approval.
• Recording trail: Was the ordinance or any deed/assignment actually recorded with the county Register of Deeds?

 

Who is Badlands Inc., LLC? Corporate registration (state), organizers, and whether it is a tribal subsidiary or unrelated third party.  There are no records with the State of South Dakota

 

 

If leased: Range Unit number or tract lease number; current lessee; term; rate; beneficiaries.

 

Documents to pull (checklist)

• OST Ordinance/Resolution (PDF + certified copy) and the meeting minutes for that vote.

• Any MOU/MOA between OST and veterans program about Cactus Flats.

• Deeds (Warranty, Special Warranty, Quitclaim, Trustee’s Deed), assignments, or right-of-way filings.
• BIA Realty file abstract for those tracts (if trust/restricted).
• Lease(s) or permit(s) tied to the land (numbers, terms, lessee).
• BTFA/IIM remittance detail showing who is paid from that land (if in trust).
• Corporate filings for Badlands Inc., LLC (articles, registered agent, managers, ownership).

 

Where to look (quick path)

• County Register of Deeds (likely Jackson and/or Pennington): search by grantor/grantee and the legal description.
• BIA Pine Ridge Agency – Realty: request tract abstract and lease history (if trust).
• BTFA (Trust Funds): request posting/source docs if any income flows from those tracts.
• OST Secretary / Tribal Council Clerk: certified ordinance/resolution + minutes.
• OST Attorney General / Land Office: internal memos on the ordinance’s implementation.
• State Secretary of State (Business Search): Badlands Inc., LLC registration, status, and organizers.

 

Red flags to note  

• Ordinance passed but not implemented (no recording, no administrative follow-through).
• Land moved or encumbered while still represented as trust land (or vice versa).
• LLC control without a visible OST subsidiary/enterprise structure.
• Leases or permits that don’t align with the ordinance’s purpose for veterans.

 

What to ask (copy for emails/letters)

• To OST Council/Secretary: “Please provide the certified ordinance/resolution (number and date), implementation memo, and proof of recording or administrative action taken.”
• To BIA Realty: “Please provide tract abstracts and any lease/permit history for [legal description], noting trust/fee status and any approvals.”
• To County Register of Deeds: “Please provide all recorded documents since [year] for [legal description], including any deeds, assignments, MOUs, and plats.”
• To State SOS (Business Filings): “Please provide articles, managers, and status for Badlands Inc., LLC.”
• To BTFA: “Please provide posting details for any income tied to [tract/lease numbers] since [year].”

 

Oversight (when things don’t move)

• DOI Office of Inspector General (OIG): request review if trust/beneficiary interests were ignored.
• IBIA/Administrative remedies: if a BIA approval/non-approval is at issue.
• Veterans’ advocacy letter: reference the ordinance and request a compliance timeline.

 

 

Verify title, status, and the ordinance.
If an LLC is involved,  ask who it is and why.