·        South Dakota’s Teaming with Wildlife Coalition Continues to Grow

·        Game, Fish & Parks Launches No Child Left Inside Program

South Dakota’s Teaming with Wildlife Coalition Continues to Grow

PIERRE, S.D.--Nearly 5,700 organizations in the United States have endorsed Teaming with Wildlife, communicating a commitment to address the need for increased state and tribal funding for wildlife recreation, education and conservation. South Dakota’s Teaming coalition recently gained 18 new members and currently totals 151 members.

Many wildlife species, particularly nongame species, lack funding for basic inventories, conservation or management. The lack of solid information often exposes state and federal agencies to the threat of endangered species listings. Teaming with Wildlife is an effort to translate widespread, nonpartisan support for wildlife into a stable funding source for state and tribal wildlife agencies.

South Dakota’s Teaming with Wildlife coalition represents diverse organizations of hunters, anglers, archers, scouts, private businesses, agricultural, economic development and tourism interests, and many more. South Dakota’s coalition represents hundreds of thousands of South Dakotans.

South Dakota recently gained these new members who share a commitment to the wildlife and natural places that are such a big part of our quality of life.

·        Aberdeen Parks, Recreation and Forestry

·        Buffalo Chip Shooting Complex, Sturgis

·        Double Gobble Chapter of National Wild Turkey Federation, Pierre

·        Edgemont Area Chamber of Commerce

·        Gunsel Horse Adventures, Rapid City

·        James River Water Development District, Huron

·        Madison Chamber of Commerce

·        Mebius Nursery, Mitchell

·        Mitchell Trap Club

·        National Field Archery Association, Yankton

·        Oakridge Nursery and Landscaping, Inc., Brandon

·        South Shore Sportsman’s Club

·        Stony Point Recreation Area, Watertown

·        Webster Claybird Gun Club

·        Izaak Walton League of America - Sunshine Chapter, Pierre

·        Prairie Stars, Inc., Rapid City

·        Jerauld County Trap Club, Wessington Springs

·        Millborn Seeds, Inc., Brookings

There is no charge to join the coalition. Members simply go on record to show support for the need to ensure that we conserve wildlife and their habitats and, in the process, maintain the high quality of life South Dakotans enjoy. Visit South Dakota’s Teaming with Wildlife Web site at http://www.sdgfp.info/Wildlife/Diversity/teaming.htm.

You can view South Dakota’s complete coalition list and learn how your organization or business can join the coalition and keep South Dakota the kind of place where both people and wildlife find the clean water and air and healthy landscapes they need to thrive. For more information on South Dakota’s Teaming with Wildlife Coalition, contact Eileen Dowd Stukel at eileen.dowdstukel@state.sd.us or (605) 773-4229.

--GFP--

Game, Fish & Parks Launches No Child Left Inside Program

PIERRE, S.D. – “Get out!” That’s the message coming from the S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Department’s new education program, entitled No Child Left Inside. As a response to the growing trend of children spending less and less time exploring their natural surroundings, GFP is implementing efforts to encourage parents and teachers to get children outdoors, learning.

“So many kids are spending hours each day in front of the TV or computer,” said Chad Tussing, education services coordinator for GFP. Recent surveys are showing that Americans watch, on average, four hours of TV per day. For children, that number climbs to an average of 6.5 hours per day.

The No Child Left Inside program consists of three components: a resource Web site, loaner backpacks and a small grant program. The Web site contains basic, easy-to-do activities for children throughout the year. “In order to move forward, I think we need to move backward, back to allowing kids the opportunity for simple outdoor discovery,” Tussing said.

The loaner backpacks will be available in the Pierre area on May 1 through the Rawlins Public Library. Families and groups will be able to borrow backpacks – plus one large crate – of equipment helpful for exploring the outdoors. The packs include field guides, butterfly nets, magnifying glasses and other equipment.

The small grant portion of No Child Left Inside is designed to extend the impact of the program to others who work with children. Groups, daycares, schools and individuals can apply for one of these grants, ranging from $550 to 1,000 per grant. The projects must include a strong educational value and should have the potential for wide-reaching impact. Potential projects include educational curricula, outdoor classrooms or other educational activities. Applications are due March 28, 2008, and can be found online at the address given below.

For more information about Game, Fish & Parks’ No Child Left Inside efforts, please visit http://www.sdgfp.info/Wildlife/Education/NoChild.htm or contact Chad Tussing at (605) 773-2541.

-GFP-