October Game, Fish and Parks Commission Hybrid Meeting in Huron

October Game, Fish and Parks Commission Hybrid Meeting in Huron (Huron Events Center,) There will be  face-to-face and Zoom attendance.

Details on and documents related to the meeting will be published here when close to the meeting date – watch for the Commission Book to be published on Wednesday 10/2/24, This has the public comments in it: https://gfp.sd.gov/commission/information/

Meeting notice with some details – https://gfp.sd.gov/UserDocs/nav/NOTICE_OF_REGULAR_MEETING_-_September_2024.pdf

Agenda as of Oct 1st with Zoom/Teleconference details – https://gfp.sd.gov/UserDocs/nav/Commission_Agenda_-_October_2024_Public_Copy.pdf

INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO ATTEND

Listen to the meeting beginning October 3, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. CST via Livestream at https://www.sd.net/remote1/ or join via Zoom Webinar by clicking on the link below. Depending on your application, you may be required to enter the Zoom Webinar ID and password. Meeting attendees will not be able to have video and will be muted upon entry. 

Meeting Dates and Times: 

• Thursday, October 3, 2024, starting at 1:00 p.m. CST 
• Friday, October 4, 2024, starting at 8:00 a.m. CST 

Zoom Webinar Link: https://state-sd.zoom.us/j/91264176710?pwd=Vm00NEowdGV6N09Ib1hnVlJkMUF3Zz09 

Or join via phone: 

• Dial: 1-669-900-9128 
• Webinar ID: 912 6417 6710 
• Passcode: 970458

Contact Liz Kierl , Liz.Kierl@state.sd.us, in advance of the meeting to register to testify for open forum (Mt Lion Action Plan) and/or rule finalization (license fees).

Folks can testify for 3 minutes at 2 pm MT in person or by Zoom or phone on rule finalizations and/or at the Open Forum .

Go to our notice on September Commission meeting on 9/5/24 for more details, as some items were continued. https://phas-wsd.org/event/sd-game-fish-and-parks-commission-hybrid-meeting/

UPDATES ON THURSDAY

FEES FINALIZATION: Changes to various fees for Parks and Hunting/fishing licenses  are proposed for finalization in Oct. We believe that cost of mountain lion license at $22 is too low and $24 is still too low:

https://phas-wsd.org/wp-content/uploads/fees-from-gfp.Book_.CommSept.5_9_24-2.pdf

T & E REVIEW We can comment on the Threatened or Endangered Species Biennial Review.  We petitioned for listing of the Lake Chub in 2020. The report should provide more information on the results of surveys for it. https://phas-wsd.org/wp-content/uploads/TE-status-reviews_2024.pdf

MOUNTAIN LION ACTION PLAN

The Commission requested changes in the mt lion population goals to be  reduced from 300-200 to 250-150 lions – thus  Commission did not approve the July draft of the Mt Lion Action Plan.. This  goal change will result in overhunting of mt lions and a population reduction. So the new revised draft will be out for 27 days of comment and review. Please comment.

Here are our  talking points and  also letters sent in the Mt Lion Action Plan for August 16th/Sept 5th. These letters were written before the Commission made the Draft Plan worse by lowering the population objectives (which means more lions in the Black Hills can be killed annually and the population reduced).  Go to our  Mt Lion Alert page for  more details

Mountain Lion Alert

PHAS TALKING POINTS on DRAFT MT LION ACTION PLAN OCT 2024.

https://phas-wsd.org/wp-content/uploads/TAKE-ACTION-Talking-Points-Cougars-Sept-2024.pdf

PHAS COMMENT LETTERS FOR TEMPLATES:

Here is a copy of the first letter that PHAS sent in on August 16th on the draft Action Plan: https://phas-wsd.org/wp-content/uploads/PHAS-Comments-on-the-Mountain-Lion-Action-Plan-.pdf

Here is a copy of the  second letter that PHAS sent on Sept 1st on the draft Action Plan: https://phas-wsd.org/wp-content/uploads/gfp.PHAS_.2nd-Letter-Mt-Lion-Action-Plan.pdf

Here is a copy of a set of handouts that PHAS gave the Commission during public testimony on the draft Action Plans: https://phas-wsd.org/wp-content/uploads/cover-letter_ActionPlans6.pdf

OTHER LETTERS

Here are a copy of all the short letters about cougars (from both sides) in the Sept 5th-6th public comment file

https://phas-wsd.org/wp-content/uploads/Mt.lion_.ACTION.PLAN_.PublicComment.Sept2024.MERGED.pdf

Here is a copy of all the long formal letters about cougars in the Sept 5th-6th public comment file, this includes Humane Society of the US 29 page letter.

https://phas-wsd.org/wp-content/uploads/LONG.LETTERS1x.PublicComment.Sept2024.SDGFPComm-2.pdf

Here is a copy of the MLF Letter:

PHAS will have a discussion meeting on the mountain lion drat Action Plan on Sept 25th by Zoom at 6:30 pm. with Nancy Hilding and Joshua Rosenau of the Mt. Lion Foundation as speakers   It is announced on our Facebook Page at – https://www.facebook.com/share/4HUtZLpMFijdvaBz/  and announced on our events/deadline calendar at https://phas-wsd.org/event/phas-meeting-topic-sd-mountain-lions-and-gfp-management-plans-by-zoom/ You can find Zoom codes at these links

Public Input at the meeting:

To provide comments, join the meeting in person, via zoom, or via conference call per the info above. To conduct the public hearing and/or open forum as efficiently as possible SDGFP asks those wishing to testify to register by 1:00 pm CT by email to Liz.Kierl@state.sd.us. Testifiers should provide their full names, whom they are representing, city of residence, and which proposed topic they will be addressing. If you forget, they are polite and normally ask if anyone who failed to register wants to testify.

Written comments can be submitted here. To be included in the public record of the October meeting , comments must include full name and city of residence and meet the submission deadline of seventy-two hours before the meeting (not including the day of the meeting). Late comments will end up in November record.