· GFP Commission to Meet in Pierre
· Bird Flu Testing Complete for 2007
GFP Commission to Meet in Pierre
PIERRE, S.D.—The S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Commission will conduct its last meeting of 2007 at the amphitheater of the Ramkota RiverCentre in Pierre. The commission is scheduled to meet from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 6, and from 8 a.m. to noon on Friday, Dec. 7.
Among the items up for commission approval are the regulations for the spring turkey hunting season. Items up for finalization will be the topic of a public hearing at 2 p.m. on Thursday. A meeting agenda and the proposals that are up for public comment can be accessed at the S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Department Web site at http://www.sdgfp.info/Commission/Meetings.htm.
Citizens who wish to provide written comments to the commission prior to the hearing can do so up until 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 5. Comments should be mailed to Game, Fish and Parks Commission, 523 E. Capitol Ave., Pierre, SD 57501 or e-mailed to wildinfo@state.sd.us. All comments must include the sender’s full name and address in order to become part of the official record. Comments may also be presented in person at the public hearing in Pierre.
Also on the agenda for the December meeting are reports about the Hunter’s Choice duck season regulations, the paddlefish archery season and the recently completed mountain lion hunting season.
Citizens who wish to address the commission about concerns that aren’t listed on the agenda will be given the opportunity to do so.
--GFP—
Bird Flu Testing Complete for 2007
PIERRE, S.D.—The S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Department has once again successfully completed its collection of samples from migratory birds as part of an ongoing check for the highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu.
“This year’s testing is complete thanks to the combined efforts of department staff and volunteer hunters,” said GFP Senior Waterfowl Biologist Spencer Vaa of Brookings. “Thanks to those efforts, we sent 750 samples to be tested at the SDSU Diagnostic Laboratory.”
While testing on the samples is not complete, Vaa noted that so far no birds have tested positive for the highly pathogenic bird flu that has caused worldwide concern. Active surveillance efforts in most states and Canadian provinces have yet to reveal a positive test for the highly pathogenic bird flu.
In South Dakota, samples are sent to the diagnostic lab at South Dakota State University at Brookings which has a contract with the U.S. Agriculture Department’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to conduct preliminary avian influenza testing.
“This year GFP was directed to focus its efforts on ‘dabbling’ ducks that gather in shallow wetlands,” Vaa said. “While many species were sent in for testing, the greatest emphasis was on mallards, northern pintails and blue-winged teal.”
Bird samples were collected during duck banding operations in July, August and September and then hunter-harvested birds were used from across the state for testing in September, October and November during the waterfowl hunting season.
While testing efforts have not yet turned up a strain of the highly pathogenic bird flu virus in South Dakota or anywhere else in North America, hunters and others who handle wild birds are advised to follow a few safety precautions. Those precautions include:
· Do not handle or harvest game birds that are obviously sick.
· Use rubber or latex gloves when cleaning birds.
· Wash hands and cleaning utensils thoroughly.
· Cook birds to a minimum of 165 degrees F.
--GFP--