KEYSTONE, S.D. (AP) — The Mount Rushmore Society says it has bought 15 acres of land near the intersection of Highway 244 and 16A in Keystone to preserve and maintain the green space bordering Mount Rushmore National Memorial.

The Mount Rushmore Society announced the purchase as one of its accomplishments over the past year highlighted at an annual meeting celebrating its 85th anniversary.

The society also paid off a $17 million loan the board had financed in 1996 to privately fund and construct Mount Rushmore's parking garage. It also completed the Youth Exploration Area, a project for which it donated $300,000.

The society donated nearly $240,000 in educational and interpretive funding for the park through the Mount Rushmore Bookstores and Mount Rushmore Audio Tour.

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