·        GFP Commission to Conduct Meeting in Brookings

·        Switzer Will Oversee S.D. Pheasant Management

GFP Commission to Conduct Meeting in Brookings

PIERRE, S.D.—Pheasant hunting will be a recurring topic when the S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Commission conducts its April meeting in Brookings. The meeting will be held Thursday and Friday, April 3 and 4 at the Days Inn, Brookings.

Among the seasons on the agenda for finalization are the pheasant and youth pheasant hunting seasons. Commissioners are also set to hear a report about the 2007 pheasant harvest.

Other hunting seasons up for finalization include bighorn sheep, archery, Black Hills and prairie elk as well as grouse, quail and partridge hunting seasons. Commissioners will also hear proposals for setting archery, muzzleloader and youth deer seasons and the archery antelope season.

Seasons 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 GFP 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, April 2. 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 Brookings. The commission also sets aside time during the meeting for public comment on items that may not be on the agenda.

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Switzer Will Oversee S.D. Pheasant Management

PIERRE, S.D.—South Dakotans are not only interested in pheasants, they are involved and passionate about pheasant management. Those South Dakotans will now rely on Chad Switzer to provide guidance and management recommendations for ringnecks in his new position as senior upland wildlife biologist for the S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Department.

Based in Huron, Switzer will oversee research, habitat and management issues concerning pheasants and other upland game birds like grouse and quail. That position was previously held by Tom Kirschenmann who was recently promoted to game program administrator.

Switzer comes to his new position as the state enjoys near record numbers of pheasants. One of the biggest challenges Switzer and the department will face is the possible loss of prime habitat as the fate of the Conservation Reserve Program has yet to be decided in Washington, D.C.

“One of our goals has to be maintaining a solid base of CRP on the landscape to serve as the habitat foundation for South Dakota's wildlife resources,” Switzer said. “We also need to work with decision- and policy-makers to ensure that all conservation practices are financially attractive to landowners.”

Switzer’s background as a habitat biologist will serve him well in that regard. Since 2002 he as worked for GFP as a private lands habitat biologist developing and implementing habitat programs with landowners across the state. Prior to that, he was a wildlife biologist for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

Originally from Clearwater, Neb., Switzer earned a bachelor of science degree in wildlife management from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Switzer and his wife have three children and live in Huron.

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