A Prairie Voice - The Wildlife Societywildlife.org/.../2018/08/Summer-2018-TWS-Newsletter.pdfHayden...
Transcript of A Prairie Voice - The Wildlife Societywildlife.org/.../2018/08/Summer-2018-TWS-Newsletter.pdfHayden...
South Dakota Chapter
The Wildlife Society
What’s Inside...
President’s Message
Notes from Dennie Mann
Board Meeting Minutes
Wildlife Diversity Com-mittee Report
TWS 25th Conference, October 7-11, 2018
A Prairie Voice
By the time most of you are reading this, the race to finish data collection
or other wildlife management obligations during the summer field season has
probably begun! As we try to find time to collect data and complete our normal
office duties, I’m guessing most of us are looking forward to going back to those
times of the year that are less hectic. Maybe when we don’t have to ward off
hordes of mosquitos with a tennis racket? Or, when we don’t have to worry
about ticks trying to get too cozy? Even though these things may annoy all of us
when we are trying to get our work done, we all will definitely miss this time of
year.
With summer in full swing, the SD TWS board has
been busy in its preparation for our 53rd annual meeting.
The annual meeting will be hosted at Arrowwood Resort
and Conference Center at Cedar Shores in Oacoma, SD
from 27 February – 1 March, 2019. As you mark this date
on your calendar, you may notice a slight difference in the days of the week this
meeting will take place. In order to keep the timing of the meeting similar to
years past, the board had to explore slightly different options. Instead of the
traditional Monday through Wednesday meeting, the board opted to have the
meeting Wednesday through Friday. We explored several different options but
continued to run into conflicts associated with other meetings and events. Presi-
dent-elect, Eric Magedanz, has been brainstorming possible themes and guest
speakers since our last board meeting in March. If there are any specific topics
or presentations you or someone you may know would like to give, please contact
Eric with any suggestions ([email protected]).
The executive board authorizes the use of Chapter funds to support vari-
ous causes. This often includes sponsoring outreach and educational events. For
example, SD TWS recently donated to a Soil Health Tour to cover transporta-
tion costs, and covered the printing costs for educational posters about fens.
The individual(s) who receive these types of donations are always genuinely
grateful for the monetary help. Last month, SD TWS was on the receiving end
of this type of generosity. We received $358.00 from the English II students
from Mitchell Senior High School. Students were required to research a chari-
table organization and write a research paper summarizing what the organiza-
tion’s mission was. These students then tried to convince the rest of their class-
mates their chosen organization was the most worthwhile cause. As a result, SD
TWS was one of the chosen organizations! A donation was given to our Chapter
to try to continue to make the world a better place for wildlife! A gesture like
this donation definitely strengthens the notion that as wildlife professionals,
what we do is important and appreciated by others.
In other news, for students interested in attending the TWS National
Convention in Cleveland, Ohio October 7-11, 2018, SD TWS is offering up to a
$200 travel grant to help cover travel/registration costs. A link to the grant
application can be found on our Chapter’s homepage here: http://wildlife.org/
south-dakota-chapter/. If a student is interested in
this type of grant, we ask them to fill out the applica-
tion and submit it to the address listed on the form.
The board will review each application accordingly and
applicants will be notified of the amount awarded.
The SD TWS board has been working on getting position statements and
letters for support posted on our chapter’s website. Recently, we have com-
posed letters asking for support for the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (HR
4647), asking the Senate Appropriations Committee to continue funding the U.S.
Geological Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Program (COOP Unit), and reviewed the
Environmental Assessment for the potential Crocker Wind Farm site. I would
like to thank all those who helped draft and provided comments on these let-
ters. Feel free to look for these documents in addition to past letters on our
Chapter’s website, http://wildlife.org/south-dakota-chapter/south-dakota-
chapter-about/, and scroll down to Position Statements.
I encourage all of you to continue to carry a camera around with you while
you are out and about. We could always use more entries for our annual photo
contest! I hope everyone has an enjoyable and safe rest of the summer!
Alex Solem, President – The South Dakota Chapter of the Wildlife Society
The Wildlife Society News
For the latest TWS News
http://wildlife.org/learn/news-center/
Increased carbon dioxide detrimental to monarch health
Popular Articles on the TWS website
Inbreeding threatens northern spotted owls
Bill to change federal duck season clears subcommittee
Renew your membership
online at SDTWS website
SDTWS is on Facebook!
Click here to join the group! Facebook is
a great way to share information, post events, to stimulate
discussions on environmental issues or other topics of inter-
est.
Contact Chuck Pyle at [email protected] if you have events,
pictures, or topics you would like posted to the site.
Notes from Dennie Mann…. Spring is one of the best times
to experience the South Dakota
Badlands. It is also the best
time to observe and photograph
bighorn ewes and lambs. The
bighorn population in the park is
doing very well, with excellent
reproduction potential. The last
week of May we found 10 lambs
and were able to photograph most of
those. If you use a long lens you can
keep away from the nursery groups
and observe & record natural behavior
without negative impacts on this popu-
lation at a very critical time in their
life cycles. As you can see by the im-
ages we didn't have much effect on
behavior. The doe/kid antelope was in
Wind Cave NP, the grassland com-
plex has responded from the De-
cember fire and is looking great!
The most used lens for big game is
the Nikon 200-400 F4 on the Nikon
D500 body and at 10 frames a sec-
ond you have a lot of edits when you
get home. Have a great summer get
out and enjoy your wildlife heritage.
Spent the second week of
May in Yellowstone photo-
graphing predators and
prey species. May is the
best time to photograph
bears we observed 14
grizzly and 9 black bears,
along with 3 wolves in the
Lamar valley. Yellowstone
was super wet with 2 feet of snow in
Hayden Valley and wet meadows in the
Lamar.
THE WILDLIFE SOCIETY
South Dakota Chapter
895 3rd Street SW
Huron, SD 57350
(605) 353-7319
Executive Board Meeting, March 29th
, 2018
12:00 PM – 2:00 PM (CST)
Call to order 12:17pm
Conference Call: Alex Solem, Brian Pauly, Nick Markl, Jacquie Ermer, Eric Magedanz; Josh Staf-ford not present
Secretary/Treasurer’s Report
o Approval of minutes from last executive board meeting (2/25/18)
Motion to approve by Pauly; second by Magedanz; all in favor
o Approval of treasurer’s report
Ermer presented line items on report
Motion to approve by Markl; second by Pauly; all in favor
Old Business
o Annual Meeting Review
Positive comments on “game night”
Food was good
Down on auction items; perhaps earlier solicitation for donations next year
Speakers were well received overall
Attendance was down (94 registered); attendees (professors and students) from SD Colleges seemed way down; less federal attendees too
promote attendance from conservation groups
promote student attendance; work with SDSU Wildlife and Fisheries Club (SDSU WF) and other universities/colleges
o Review Arrowwood of Cedar Shores invoice
No corrections needed on invoice; Ermer will send check to Cedar Shores for full amount
o Review of Annual Business Meeting Minutes
Ermer will send draft out to board to review; however minutes are actually ap-proved at 2019 annual business meeting
Ermer will send committee reports to Jennifer for upcoming newsletter
o Committee Vacancies/ Discussion on Committees
Need to recruit to fill vacancies
Education and Information Chair
Certification Committee Chair
Need to promote importance of certification and mentoring program
Grassland Issues Committee Chair
Resolutions and Public Statements Committee Chair
New Business
o Review duties/responsibilities of board members for new board
Google Drive Information- all documents available here
By-laws were sent to Markl and Magedanz
Duties and expectations were discussed
o 2019 Annual Meeting Date and Location
Possible dates, reduced meeting cost info from venue
Applicable timeframe for reduced cost offer overlaps with spring break; attendance would likely be negatively affected
SDSU spring break is Mar 4-8, 2019
AFS annual meeting is Feb 25-27, 2019 in Fargo
Look into Feb 25-27,2019, Feb 27-Mar 1, 2019, or Mar 11-13, 2019; everyone check for conflicts with other meetings and schedules; respond to Solem by Apr 6.
Location will remain at Cedar Shores; Eric will contact for available dates
o 2019 Annual Meeting Planning (Magedanz)
Theme ideas:
1. Conservation Collaboration- how different organizations work togeth-er; landowners; habitat; species conservation
2. Celebrating milestones in conservation management (might be too much overlap with 50
th meeting just a couple of years ago)
Possible Speakers for idea #1- NAWCA; PPJV
Workshop?? Special Session?? Human resources class?
o Possible increase in student awards
Request at annual business meeting for Board to consider
Motion by Pauly to increase Master Student Award to $400 and PhD Student Award to $500; second by Ermer; discussion- these students are working to-ward higher level degree and career in wildlife management and we have mon-ey available; all in favor; motion passed
o SDTWS pay for student club members to be student members of SDTWS.
Request at annual business meeting for Board to consider
Approximately 40 members of student SDSU WF club; there is a need to re-cruit and encourage more undergraduate involvement; student SDTWS mem-bership is $6; possibly get student list by December each year
Board will table until Solem talks with DJ Reker, president of SDSU WF club, about when they do elections
o Annual Meeting Photo Contest – Purchase of Canvas (2018 Winner)
Solem already obtained digital file from 2018 winner; will get canvas printed in December 2018
o TWS Annual Conference- Cleveland OH
SDTWS Chapter Representation- Solem is willing to attend and will look into costs
o Calcareous wetland funding request
Stafford was unable to attend conference call so Solem will follow up with him to get more information; example of poster
o National membership email list from State Chapter members action
Request from CMPS for state chapters to help encourage national member-ships; agreed at annual business meeting that we would send out email to SDTWS members stating that we will provide the national TWS a list of names and email addresses to promote membership; however if a member doesn’t want to be included, then they can contact us to opt out. A member can also choose to unsubscribe/opt out at any time if choose to not receive emails from national chapter.
Solem will talk with Membership Committee to send this email out
o Clarify voting on new members
Solem will address voting rules in President’s Message in Winter Newsletter
o Letter to GFP Commission for SD TWS mission statement
It was requested at annual business meeting that SDTWS send a letter to the GFP Commission informing them who SD TWS is and what our purpose and mission is. Solem will draft and send out for review
Another idea- SDTWS sponsor an evening social for an upcoming commission meeting- Ermer will checked into
o Letters, position statements need to be sent to Mariah to be included on SDTWS web-
site; also available on Google Drive account
Solem updated Google Drive
Ermer will send appropriate comment letters to Mariah for inclusion on SDTWS website
Motion to adjourn by Ermer; second by Markl
Meeting adjourned at 2:12pm
PHOTO CONTEST
We know our members have
great pictures from their
outside adventures including
landscapes, hunting, outdoor recreation,
and flora/fauna. We would like to show-
case your pictures during a photo contest
at this year’s annual meeting.
Entry fee: $5 per photo—no limit on num-
ber of entries
Size: 8x10 attached to 10x12 black
cardboard / foam board mat
Photos can be submitted prior to the meeting to any board
member or can be brought to the annual meeting
Winner will be chosen by popular vote at 2018 Annual Meet-
ing & receive 50% of the entry fees.
The winning photo will be displayed on the SDTWS website
and will be made into a canvas to be auctioned off at 2019
annual meeting.
President Alex Solem
SD Game, Fish & Parks
895 3rd Street SW
Huron, SD 57350
(605) 353-7319
Past-President Josh Stafford
207 Park Ave
PO Box 10
Sinai, SD 57061
(605) 688-5759
President-Elect Eric Magedanz
Pheasants Forever
1720 4th St. NE Suite 3
Watertown, SD 57201
(605) 880-2651
Secretary-Treasurer Jacquie Ermer
42924 140th St
Webster, SD 57274
(605) 345-3381
Board Member Brian Pauly
SD Game, Fish & Parks
895 3rd ST. SW
Huron, SD 57350
(605) 353-7185
Board Member Nick Markl
SD Game, Fish & Parks
12869 140th St.
Roslyn, SD 57261
(605) 345-3381
SDTWS Executive Board 2018
Northern Great Plains Working Group Representative:
Rocco Murano, 353-7185
TWS 25th Annual Conference
The effort to identify stable, long-term funding to help states implement
their Wildlife Action Plans (SD Plan website: http://apps.sd.gov/gf43wap/) has
resulted in bill introductions in both the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate. Recov-
ering America’s Wildlife Act was introduced in the U.S. House (HR 4647) by
Representatives Fortenberry (R-NE) and Debbie Dingell (D-MI) to help states
address the needs of species of greatest conservation need before endangered
species listing is necessary and to assure long-term sustainability of other spe-
cies and their habitats. Wildlife conservation education and wildlife-associated
recreation are also eligible activities. HR 4647 would provide $1.3 billion annual-
ly in dedicated funding to help states implement Wildlife Action Plans, which
are structured to address the needs of all fish and wildlife species, whether
game or nongame. Funding would come from revenues collected from onshore
and offshore energy and mineral development, which generate $6 – 12 billion an-
nually. This dedicated funding source would help address a critical funding need
and allow time currently spent advocating for the much smaller State Wildlife
Grant annual allocation to be better spent on wildlife conservation and education
activities.
A Senate version of Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (S 3223) was re-
cently introduced by Senator Risch of Idaho. A significant difference between
House and Senate versions is that S 3223 makes funding subject to annual ap-
propriations. Based on SD Game, Fish and Parks’ experience with State Wildlife
Grant funds, which are allocated annually based on available funds, the dedicat-
ed funding aspect of the House version is critical to this effort. Only with long-
term commitment of funds can South Dakota begin to address the needs of the
hundreds of known species that presently lack needed attention.
Our Chapter sent a request letter to Representative Noem asking that she
cosponsor HR 4647, which she has not yet done. We are currently drafting let-
ters to Senators Thune and Rounds asking that they cosponsor S 3223 and help
address the need for dedicated funding.
For more information about Recovering America’s Wildlife Act, visit http://
wildlife.org/policy/recovering-americas-wildlife-act/, https://www.nwf.org/Our
-Work/Wildlife-Conservation/Policy/Recovering-Americas-Wildlife-Act,
or http://ournatureusa.com/
Wildlife Diversity Committee, Eileen Dowd Stukel
Doug Alvine
Galen Burgett
Eddie Childers
Mary Clawson
Charles Dieter
Lester Flake
Kurt Forman
Andy Gabbert
Dave Gilbert
Steve Griffin
Troy Grovenburg
Bob Hodorff
Harris Hoistad
Earl Hyink
Warren Jackson
Jonathan Jenks
John Kelley
Colleen Kolbeck
Rolf Kraft
Thomas Kuck
Scott Larson
Thomas LeFaive
Tony Leif
John Leisner
Jesse Lisburg
Kevin Luebke
Carl Madsen
William Morlock
Glenn Moravek
Jay Peterson
Erling Podoll
Chuck Pyle
Greg Schenbeck
Boyd Schulz
Steve Spawn
Cara Staab
Dave Steffen
Eileen Stukel
Joel Tigner
Tom Tornow
Ralph Town
Spencer Vaa
William Walker
Dave Azure
James Headley
Paul Mammenga
Life Membership dues are prorated by age as follows:
Age 20 to 35: 25 x annual dues ($10 x 25 = $250)
Age 36 to 45: 20 x annual dues ($10 x 20 = $200)
Age 46 to 65: 17.5 x annual dues ($10 x 17.5 = $175)
Age 66 to 75: 12.5 x annual dues ($10 x 12.5 = $125)
Age 76 and over: Free
For More Information, Contact Chuck Pyle (605) 353-5753.
SDTWS—Standing Committee Chairs *
Audit – Mark Norton, 773-3096
Awards - Nathan Baker 223-7709
Conservation Review - Paul Coughlin, 773-4194
Education & Information - Laura Hubers, 947-4521
Membership – Chuck Pyle, 353-5753
Program – Nathan Baker 223-7709
Nominations and Elections – Nathan Baker 223-7709
Resolutions & Public Statements – Vacant
SDTWS - Special Committee Chairs *
Arrangements – Mark Norton, 773-3096 & Tom Kirschenmann, 352-1874
Certification – Vacant
Chapter History - Corey Huxoll, 773-4195
Energy - K C Jensen, 688-4781 & Silka Kempema, 773-2742
Fee Hunting & Ownership of Wildlife - Andy Lindbloom, 223-7709
Fund Raising – Ben Lardy
Grassland Issues - Vacant
Missouri River Issues – Nathan Baker, 223-7709
Newsletter – Jennifer Briggs, 256-2974
Website - Charlene “Charlie” Bessken, 222-9445
Public Lands - Mark Norton, Eddie Childers, 433-5263
Tribal Fish & Wildlife - Mike Gutzmer, 402-910-3533
Wetlands – Randy Meidinger, 380-0380
Wildlife Diseases - Steve Griffin, 394-6786
Wildlife Diversity - Eileen Stukel, 773-4229, Silka Kempema, 773-2742
*Please see the Committees webpage at SDTWS to find the list of Commit-
tee members and email contact information.
Cedar Shore Resort and Convention Center
Oacoma, South Dakota
26 February - 28 February, 2018
MONDAY, 26 FEBRUARY
11:00 1:00 Registration and Lunch
1:00 1:15 Welcome and Introductions
Special Session: Natural History: Back to the Basics with Backpacks and Binoculars
1:15 2:00 What’s in your backyard, 150 years of natural history observations in northeast South Dakota Dennis Skad-
sen
2:00 2:30 Understanding the distributions of South Dakota amphibians and reptiles: a synthesis of recent, historic,
and citizen science records Drew Davis
2:30 3:00 Tracking purple martin migration with Geo-locators Paul Mammenga
3:00 3:15 BREAK
3:15 3:45 Monarch tagging Thea Ryan
3:45 4:30 The ridiculous chemical-heavy mentality driving modern grassland management Pete Bauman
5:00 6:00 Social
6:00 7:00 Supper
6:45 Start of Fundraising Event
8:00 10:00 Social
TUESDAY, 27 FEBRUARY
8:00 9:00 Committee meetings (This is scheduled time to allow for standing and special committees to meet if
desired.)
The South Dakota Chapter TWS Objectives are:
To develop and promote sound stewardship of wildlife resources and of the environment upon which wildlife and humans depend.
To undertake an active role in preventing human-induced environ-mental
degradation. To increase awareness and appreciation of wildlife values. To seek the highest standards in all activities of the wildlife profession.
To aid in the achievement of these objectives,
the South Dakota Chapter proposes to:
Provide opportunities for better liaison among individual members, their Section, and The Society.
Evaluate and respond to the principles involved in proposed or enact-ed societal actions that could affect wildlife or its habitats.
Recognize and commend outstanding professional achievements in maintenance, restoration and enhancement of habitats for wildlife.
Focus the aims and objectives of The Society and the Central Moun-tains and Plains Section upon professional wildlife needs, problems, and events in local situations.
Encourage communication between members and nonmembers to fa-cilitate understanding and effectiveness of research and management of wildlife resources.
Evaluate the principles involved in proposed or enacted public or pri-vate actions that could affect wildlife and to make these evaluations known to the public and public officials.
SOUTH DAKOTA CHAPTER OF THE WILDLIFE SOCIETY
Application for Membership
Name: _________________________________________________________
Address: ________________________________________________________________
City: _____________________________________ State: ____________ Zip:________________
Telephone (indicate home or work) _______________________________________________________
E-mail address (for newsletter delivery) ____________________________________________________
Employer: ____________________________________________________________________________
Please note:
SDTWS’s newsletter, A Prairie Voice, is all electronic. Therefore, an email address must be provided above
in order to receive it (paper copies will be provided only to individuals who do not have a computer, internet
access, or an email address). Email is also the typical mode of communication concerning other SDTWS
news.
Please check one: ___________ New Member __________ Renewing Member
*If you did not renew your dues in 2017, you will be considered a new member in 2018 as per the SDTWS
Bylaws.
Please check box:
By becoming a member of SD TWS, I support the Chapter’s bylaws and objectives:
To develop and promote sound stewardship of wildlife resources and of the environment upon which wildlife and
humans depend.
To undertake an active role in preventing human-induced environmental degradation.
To increase awareness and appreciation of wildlife values.
To seek the highest standards in all activities of the wildlife profession.
Send the completed application/renewal form and a check for $10.00 (regular), $6.00 (student) to:
Jacquie Ermer
42924 140th ST
Webster, SD 57274
605-345-3381
Regular Dues: $10.00
Student Dues: $6.00
Life Membership dues are prorated by age as follows:
Age 20 to 35: 25 x annual dues = $250
Age 36 to 45: 20 x annual dues = $200
Age 46 to 65: 17.5 x annual dues = $175
Age 66 to 75: 12.5 x annual dues = $125
Age 76 and over: Free
For more information on becoming a life member, contact Chuck Pyle (605) 353-5753.