PIERRE, S.D. -- Sportsman's groups have a long history of assisting South Dakota’s Department of Game Fish and Parks, and recently, another great example occurred in Sioux Falls when the Outdoor Campus and Game Fish and Parks Regional Office needed a little help purchasing a valuable piece of equipment.

The piece of equipment was an Automated External Defibrillator, or AED, and it is used to restart a heart that has stopped or is in an irregular beating rhythm. The AED is a tool known to be very successful at saving lives.

Because hundreds and thousands of people visit the Outdoor Campus and Game, Fish and Parks office every year, the AED was considered a vital piece of equipment to have available. With that in mind, the staff applied for and received a grant to help pay for the piece of equipment. Because this expense was not known at the time budgets were prepared, the funds were unavailable, and some help was needed. That is where some local sportsman's groups helped.

With the help of Walleyes Unlimited, Pheasants Forever, The I-29/90 Sportsman's. Club, The Minnehaha Sportsman's Club, The NAVDA Hunting Dog Club and GFP, the needed funds were collected.

"This was a classic case of the local sportsman's groups coming through when the department needed a little help," said Ron Schauer, regional game manager in Sioux Falls. "When the groups were contacted about the idea of helping, their response was amazing. Within minutes of the request, the groups all made motions to donate $100 each to assist with purchasing the AED. In fact, some of the groups even asked if we needed more."

Thanks to generosity of the local sportsman's groups, the Outdoor Campus and Game fish and Parks Regional Office have a piece of equipment that they hope they never have to use. But, if the AED is ever needed, there is a good chance it may save someone's life.

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