A Prairie Voice - The Wildlife Societywildlife.org/.../2018/08/Summer-2018-TWS-Newsletter.pdfHayden Valley and wet meadows in the Lamar. THE WILDLIFE SOCIETY South Dakota Chapter 895

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.