·        New Survey Looks at Wildlife on Private Lands

·        Salmon Eggs Collected for 2008 Lake Oahe Stocking

·        GFP Seeks Proposals for Operation and Expansion of Spring Creek Resort

·        Avoid the After Thanksgiving Rush - Think S.D. State Parks for Holiday Giving

 

New Survey Looks at Wildlife on Private Lands

 

PIERRE, S.D.—A Game, Fish and Parks Department survey of landowners’ opinions about wildlife on their property offered some surprising results. After years of hearing about the state’s booming deer population, the majority of landowners who responded to the survey in Hughes, Roberts, Grant and Ziebach counties said they didn’t have enough white-tailed deer on their property.

 

That was one of the findings of the Wildlife on Private Lands Status Report recently released by the S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Department. “The data in the report is non-scientific,” according to Larry Gigliotti, GFP planning coordinator/human dimensions specialist. “However, it can be used as a supplement to biological data as the department makes deer management decisions.”

 

On average, landowners responded that white-tailed deer numbers were just about right in Marshall, Moody, Hutchinson, Gregory, Jackson, Haakon, Stanley, Corson, Harding, Codington, Deuel, Lake, Turner, Lincoln, Hanson, Douglas, Charles Mix, Lyman, Tripp, Bennett, Fall River and Perkins counties. The majority of landowners in other counties reported that to varying degrees there were too many white-tailed deer on their property.

 

“We were frankly surprised by some of these findings,” said Wildlife Division Director Tony Leif. “However, these landowner responses provide us with a good framework regarding which areas of the state need more work in depredation control.”

 

In addition to white-tailed deer, landowners were also given the opportunity to respond about depredation problems caused by mule deer, elk, antelope, turkey and Canada geese.

 

The department contacted the landowners through its Landowners Matter newsletter which has about 16,000 subscribers. Of those who got the survey, 3,260 responded. “Not only did we get the landowners’ perspective on various wildlife species, we also got the chance to respond to their inquiries,” Gigliotti said.

 

Five information packets on specific topics were made available to survey respondents. There were 1,341 respondents who requested 2,059 information packets. “In 163 cases where additional information was requested, a conservation officer or trapper was dispatched to handle the landowner’s request,” Gigliotti said.

 

In addition to detailing the survey responses landowners gave about the presence of various wildlife species, the status report also lists all of the 1,170 comments made by respondents who were asked to provide their ideas and concerns regarding wildlife management.

 

The full status report, as well as a special supplement about white-tailed deer, is available on the GFP Web site at http://www.sdgfp.info/Wildlife/privatelands/LandownersMatter/Index.HTM. A hard copy of the report can be requested by writing to Larry Gigliotti at 523, E. Capitol Ave. Pierre, SD 57501.

 

--GFP—

 

Salmon Eggs Collected for 2008 Lake Oahe Stocking

 

PIERRE, S.D.—South Dakota has met this year’s salmon egg collection goal.

 

This fall’s South Dakota goal was to collect 750,000 salmon eggs and 775,000 were collected. The success of the collection effort means that there will be plenty of eggs to produce 235,000 juvenile salmon for stocking in Lake Oahe in 2008.

 

S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Department crews collected the egg-laden female salmon by electrofishing in the bays of Lake Oahe. According to GFP Fisheries Biologist Robert Hanten, electrofishing is not the ideal way to collect salmon, but that process was the only option due to low water levels on Lake Oahe. “Continued drought has left the Whitlock’s Bay salmon fish ladder high, dry and inoperable,” Hanten said.

 

Salmon do not reproduce naturally in the muddy inflows of South Dakota tributaries. Each year salmon eggs must be collected, hatched and raised at state-run fish hatcheries. Then young salmon are stocked back into Lake Oahe each year for the program to continue.

 

Male salmon mature at 2 to 4 years of age. Female salmon mature at 3 to 4 years of age, produce eggs, spawn and die.

 

According to angler interviews conducted near the face of Oahe Dam from June through August, anglers experienced a good year of salmon fishing on Lake Oahe. Survey results show that the number of salmon harvested was similar to that experienced in the late 1990s and the number of salmon harvested per hour of fishing was the best on record.

 

“The number of 2-year-old tagged salmon caught by anglers indicate that we have the potential for another good year for salmon fishing on Lake Oahe in 2008,” Hanten said.

 

Information about the Whitlocks Bay Spawning Station can be found on the GFP Web site at www.sdgfp.info/Index.htm. On that page, hold the cursor over “Wildlife, Hunting and Fishing,” click on the link for “Fishing,” scroll down to the bottom of the Fishing Index Web page and click on the link to “Whitlocks Bay Spawning Station.”

 

--GFP—

 

GFP Seeks Proposals for Operation and Expansion of Spring Creek Resort


PIERRE, S.D. – The South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks has re-issued a prospectus for the purchase, operation and development of Spring Creek Marina and Resort.  Entrepreneurs interested in operating and expanding the largest marina on Lake Oahe now have until Jan. 3, 2008 to submit proposals.

 

The prospectus contains the terms and conditions under which interested entrepreneurs may submit a proposal.  This prospectus contains modifications to the original prospectus that was issued on July 2, 2007, which are identified in the prospectus. It also includes a detailed business opportunity, the requirements necessary to submit a proposal and a draft concession agreement for a term of 10 to 30 years. Required services include a marina, food, beverage, lodging, cabin rental, retail goods and boat fuel. Proposals must be submitted by Jan. 3, 2008, at 3 p.m. Central Standard Time.

 

Part of the prospectus lays out the requirements for the establishment of a new deep-water marina that will provide quality access to a large number of marina slips through the widest range of reservoir levels possible.

 

A copy of the prospectus is available by contacting the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks, Division of Parks and Recreation at 523 East Capitol, Pierre, SD 57501 or at 605-773-3391. Printable versions of the prospectus are also available for free download from the Game, Fish and Parks website at http://www.sdgfp.info/SpringCreekResort.htm.

 

Lake Oahe is South Dakota’s largest body of water with over 300,000 acres, and extends 230 miles north from near Pierre to Bismarck, N.D.  Its endless beauty, water, shoreline and central location make this one of South Dakota’s most extraordinary recreational resources. Spring Creek Recreation Area is located approximately 20 miles north of Pierre, off Highway 1804.

 

-GFP-

 

Avoid the After Thanksgiving Rush - Think S.D. State Parks for Holiday Giving

 

Gift giving can be one of the trickiest undertakings of the year. This year, consider those on your list who might appreciate a year’s worth of visits to South Dakota’s over 50 state parks and recreation areas.

 

The 2008 S.D. state parks annual entrance license went on sale Oct. 1. The license allows entry into designated state parks, recreation areas and lakeside use areas and is valid through May 15, 2009. The S.D. state parks annual entrance license gives that special person on your list countless opportunities for outdoor recreation, from hiking and biking, to bird watching, to fishing and boating.

 

In addition, there are a number of gift possibilities available for all types of recreation-users and outdoor enthusiasts.

 

A $5 subscription to the South Dakota Conservation Digest will give the gift of the outdoors year-round. The bi-monthly magazine covers South Dakota's outdoor scene, including hunting, fishing, state parks and outdoor recreation. 

 

Fans of the 109-mile George S. Mickelson Trail in the Black Hills may appreciate an annual Mickelson Trail pass, a trail logo T-shirt, registration for the 11th annual Mickelson Trail Trek or either of the Jon Crane prints depicting scenes along the trail. Proceeds support development projects along the trail.

 

Also available is a South Dakota State Parks T-shirt for $10. The short sleeve T-shirt, available in stonewashed blue, features a state parks icon on the front, and an outline of the state of South Dakota on the back, which is overlayed with pictures of recreational activities.

 

This merchandise and more from Game, Fish and Parks can be viewed and purchased online by visiting www.SDparks.info and then choosing "Shop GFP Online" along the left side. Orders may also be placed by phone by calling (605) 773-3391. Shipping and handling fees may apply.

 

-GFP-