· Bald Eagle Awareness Week Feb. 18-23
· South Dakota Antelope Harvest Up Again in 2007
Bald Eagle Awareness Week Feb. 18-23
PIERRE, S.D. – Gov. Mike Rounds has proclaimed Feb. 18-23 as Bald Eagle Awareness Week. This event celebrates its 16th year of entertainment and education emphasizing the need for conservation and appreciation of bald eagles and other birds of prey. The public is invited to attend activities throughout the week in Sioux Falls and Pierre.
On Thursday, Feb. 21, two birds of prey programs will be held at The Outdoor Campus Theatre in Sioux Falls at 4500 S. Oxbow Ave., beginning at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. On Friday, Feb. 22, the Pierre Mall will host a similar program beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the Mall Center Court. Additional programs will be held on Saturday, Feb. 23, at the Pierre Ramkota Inn-Best Western in Theatre II, in conjunction with the first day of the KCCR Farm, Home and Sports Show. Saturday’s programs begin at 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. All Bald Eagle Awareness Days shows are free to the public.
The programs will feature a bald eagle, a screech owl, and likely a red-tailed hawk and a turkey vulture. The programs will be conducted by staff from Wildlife Experiences, based in Rapid City.
The public will learn about these species and observe the unique traits of raptors. Special activities will be available for younger children in association with the Saturday programs.
Bald Eagle Awareness Days activities will also include presentations on Friday, Feb. 22, for students in Pierre.
The bald eagle is protected under both federal and state laws. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act provide federal protection. The bald eagle is listed and protected as threatened in the state of South Dakota. Due to population recovery, this species has been delisted from the Endangered Species Act on a national level.
South Dakota again participated in the Midwinter Bald Eagle Survey, where wintering birds are counted at established routes along the Missouri River. A total of 205 bald eagles were counted, with the majority seen on the lower Missouri River below Fort Randall Dam.
Bald Eagle Awareness Days is a joint effort by local organizations, merchants and conservation agencies to increase public involvement and awareness about bald eagles and other birds of prey. All ages are encouraged to attend.
For more information, visit the Bald Eagle Awareness Days Web site at: http://www.sdgfp.info/Wildlife/Diversity/BEAD/index.htm or contact Silka Kempema with the S.D. Department of Game, Fish and Parks at (605) 773-2742.
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PIERRE, S.D. – The 2007 pronghorn antelope harvest in South Dakota is the highest since 1984, and is the third highest on record.
According to harvest surveys compiled by the S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Department, last year was the highest recorded antelope harvest in the state since the 1984 season and the fifth straight year that the antelope harvest has increased.
GFP Game Harvest Survey Coordinator Corey Huxoll said that estimates indicate approximately 13,700 antelope were harvested during the 2007 hunting seasons. That is an increase of more than 2,000 antelope from 2006 and an increase of more than 12,000 antelope just after the severe winter of 1996-1997.
“We have harvest records back to 1941, when only about 500 antelope were harvested,” Huxoll said. “The highest harvest on record was 17,000 in 1984.”
Overall harvest success remained high at 62 percent despite a 24 percent increase in the number of tags issued from just under 20,000 in 2006 to more than 24,000 in 2007. Survey results indicate that there was a 16 percent increase in buck harvest and a 17 percent increase in doe harvest from 2006.
“It is only through the cooperation of hunters completing harvest report cards that we are able to assess the success of the antelope harvest,” Huxoll noted. “Unlike some states South Dakota does not have mandatory check stations which require hunters to travel upwards of 20 to 30 miles or more only to wait in line to have someone visually document their harvest.”
The 2007 Firearm Antelope Harvest Report is complete and can be accessed through the GFP Web site at http://www.sdgfp.info in the “What’s New” section, or can be requested by mail or in person in printed form from the Pierre office at 523 E. Capitol Avenue.
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