SD GFP NEWS FOR 11-6-09
· Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve Hosts Christmas Celebration
· 2009 South Dakota Salmon Egg Take Reaches Goal
· Game, Fish and Parks to Consider Changes in State Waterfowl Refuges on Lake Francis Case
Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve Hosts Christmas Celebration
NORTH SIOUX CITY, S.D. – Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve invites visitors to get in the holiday spirit and take a step back in time by attending the annual Christmas at the Homestead on Saturday, Nov. 14, from noon to 4 p.m. CST.
The free family event features tours of the Stavenger Church, Shay/Adams House and Lamont Country School, decorated for the Christmas season. Adams Homestead volunteers will show off their talents in each of the homestead buildings. Visitors will also hear Christmas carols from St. Bonifice Choir in the church from 1 p.m. – 3 p.m., roast hot dogs and popcorn over a campfire, enjoy refreshments in the Visitor Center and make children’s crafts in the school throughout the day.
Area organizations are also invited to display their talents as part of the Christmas Wreath contest. Wreaths will be on display in the community room, and visitors can vote for their favorite and have the opportunity to purchase it through a silent auction. Those interested in participating in the contest should take their wreaths to the Adams Visitor Center by 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov.13.
For more information, call Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve at 605-232-0873. Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve is located 1 mile west and ½ mile south of Interstate 29, Exit 4.
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Grant Backpacks Offered to Increase Outdoor Activities
PIERRE, S.D. – A new grant program from the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks
Department seeks to help child-care providers increase the amount of time children spend outdoors.
The department is awarding 50 backpacks containing various items to encourage daily outdoor exploration and discovery. The loaded backpacks are valued at approximately
$100 each and include such things as insect nets, magnifying glasses, flying discs, animal puppets, animal identification books and more.
“Children are spending less time outside, and they’re missing out on many of the benefits associated with outdoor play – from increased critical thinking skills to a general knowledge of how the world works,” said Emilie Miller, program specialist. “We also understand that for most child-care providers, frequent trips to nature areas are just not possible. The backpacks are designed to enhance the time spent in any nature setting, whether on field trips, outings to local parks, neighborhood walks, or free play in the backyard.”
Backpack grant applicants must be year-round, child-care facilities or home child-care providers, care primarily for pre-school-age children (the age range of materials in backpacks) and be licensed in South Dakota. Backpacks will be awarded to providers who demonstrate a need and commitment to use the items frequently.
The backpack grant program is offered as part of Game, Fish and Parks’ participation in the nationwide Children in Nature initiative. The program seeks to make nature and the outdoors daily parts of children’s lives.
More information and application forms can be found online at www.sdgfp.info (Click on “Outdoor Education” and then “No Child Left Inside.”) or by calling 605-773-7048. Applications are due Jan. 15, 2010. Backpacks will be awarded by March 1.
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2009 South Dakota Salmon Egg Take Reaches Goal
PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department officials say this year’s Whitlocks Bay Salmon Spawning Station egg-collection effort was successful.
Salmon eggs collected this fall will provide 205,000 juvenile Chinook salmon for stocking in 2010. The spawning station has been shut down for the year and will reopen again next October.
State fisheries crews collected 1,018,000 salmon eggs this fall, exceeding the department’s goal of 750,000 eggs.
“We typically plan for about one-third of the eggs collected to successfully end up as stockable-size salmon for Lake Oahe the following year,” explained GFP Fisheries Biologist Robert Hanten. “Any extra salmon eggs or fish will be offered up to assist North Dakota and Montana with their Chinook salmon programs.”
The department is planning to increase the number of salmon stocked in Lake Oahe to 205,000 in 2010 compared to 185,000 in 2009.
“Conditions are good for all game fish in Lake Oahe, including future salmon stockings due to good baitfish numbers and elevated water levels” Hanten noted.
Juvenile salmon are stocked each spring and fall in the Whitlocks Bay area. Two to four years after they are stocked, mature adult Chinook salmon migrate back to the bay looking for areas to spawn. The salmon station is located in Whitlocks Bay, and water flowing down the fish ladder attracts salmon.
Fisheries crews spawn the returning adult salmon, and the eggs are transported to the Cleghorn Springs and McNenny state fish hatcheries. The eggs are hatched, and young salmon are raised for stocking into Lake Oahe the following year.
Whitlocks Bay Salmon Station is located 18 miles northwest of Gettysburg. For more information on it, visit: http://www.sdgfp.info/Wildlife/Fishing/Hatcheries/Whitlock/WhitlockIndex.htm
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Game, Fish and Parks to Consider Changes in State Waterfowl Refuges on Lake Francis Case
Because of changes in waterfowl migration and hunter-use patterns, the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Commission may make some changes to state waterfowl refuges located along Lake Francis Case.
When state refuges were first established on Lake Francis Case, wintering populations of waterfowl on the reservoir were high. Over the years, waterfowl use on Francis Case has decreased and use of Lake Oahe has increased, most likely attributable to plentiful food sources (pivot irrigated crops) in the Pierre area.
Many of the refuges on Francis Case no longer attract many waterfowl and therefore no longer serve a purpose. Thus, GFP is considering the following changes:
- Remove Elm Creek State Waterfowl Refuge
- Remove Buryanek State Waterfowl Refuge
- Remove Platte State Waterfowl Refuge
- Reduce the size of Chamberlain State Waterfowl Refuge
- Reduce the size of Whetstone State Waterfowl Refuge
- Reduce the size of White Swan State Waterfowl Refuge
Missouri River reservoirs in South Dakota are popular destinations for recreation and wildlife use. Concentrated waterfowl use occurs during fall and winter months as birds from northern habitats migrate south to escape extreme cold weather conditions.
From the North Dakota border to the Nebraska border, there are 26 established state waterfowl refuges on the Missouri river. Some refuges encompass only designated waters, while others also include adjacent public lands.
All waterfowl hunting is prohibited in state waterfowl refuges; however other uses of these public areas are not banned, such as fishing or hunting other species.
State waterfowl refuges were created to provide security to waterfowl in traditional use areas, and provide undisturbed resting areas for ducks and geese during their southerly migration.
Refuges were established in some areas to facilitate hunting opportunities on adjacent private and public lands. Often, waterfowl leaving or returning from refuges can provide pass shooting for hunters, and ducks and geese feeding in areas surrounding refuges provide decoy-hunting opportunities.
Details of the proposed refuge changes can be found at http://www.sdgfp.info/Wildlife/hunting/waterfowl/StateWaterfowlRefuges.htm
Interested parties can submit comments online from the Web site.
Public comments also may be submitted to GFP via letter at: South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department, 20641 state Highway 1806, Fort Pierre, S.D., 57532 or by phone 605-223-7709. GFP also invites the public to attend any one of the three open houses that will be hosted to gather input on waterfowl refuge changes.
The open houses will be held at:
- Platte, Platte Fire Hall, 521 S Vermont Ave., Nov. 10, 4-7 p.m. CST
- Chamberlain, GFP office, 1550 E. King Ave., Nov. 17, 4-7 p.m. CST
- Lake Andes, Community Center, 207 Main St., Nov 19, 4-7 p.m. CST
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Deer Hunters Should Avoid Using Salt Licks, Bait Stations
PIERRE, S.D. – As hunters in South Dakota prepare for the various deer seasons, they are reminded that use of salt licks and bait stations is prohibited.
“Salt licks and bait stations are both addressed in South Dakota law and GFP Commission rule,” according to Andy Alban, law enforcement program administrator for the state Game, Fish and Parks Department. “Hunters should be aware that the use of either one is a violation.”
State law prohibits the use of salt or salt licks to entice or bait big game for hunting or watching the animals.
“Over time, the salt has a tendency to leach into the soil, creating a natural lick that lasts after the block has been removed,” Alban said. “For that reason, hunting is not allowed in an area that has been used as a salt lick to attract deer and other large animals.”
GFP Commission rule also prohibits the use of bait stations when hunting big game animals. That includes the use of apples, grains or any edible foodstuffs placed to attract big game.
“There’s more at stake here than hunters’ ethics,” Alban said. “These rules also serve to protect the long-term health of the animals.”
Research has confirmed that chronic wasting disease can be transmitted via saliva, and that a concentration of big-game animals attracted by baiting can place an entire herd at a higher risk of the disease.
“Baiting also alters the natural movement patterns of big-game animals,” Alban said. “That can frustrate and reduce hunting opportunities for those hunters who have properly scouted those areas.”
GFP personnel have noticed a number of retailers in the state selling various big-game baits and lures that are illegal to use in South Dakota
“We can’t stop retailers from selling these products,” Alban said, “But just like any other hunting-related purchase you make, it’s up to the hunter to know if it’s legal to use in South Dakota.”
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