PHAS Zoom member’s meeting on the Nest Predator Bounty Program Wed. Nov. 19th

PHAS had a  Zoom member’s meeting on the Nest Predator Bounty Program (NPBP) on Wed. Nov. 19th.

It started at 6:30 pm MT.

To join PHAS membership Wednesday Zoom meeting November 19th on the Nest Predator Bounty Program visit link (this will be  a repeated link for our future meetings) : https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85433920233?pwd=QmxYUDMvMGRrNW9y RmVON3VPU0dRZz09

Meeting ID: 854 3392 0233

Passcode: 534620

Telephone connection: Dial by your location (as far as we know all work in western SD) • +1 669 444 9171 US • +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) • +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) • +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) • +1 929 205 6099 US (New York) • +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC) • +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)

Meeting ID: 854 3392 0233 Passcode: 534620

One tap mobile +16694449171,,85433920233#,,,,*534620# US

+16699006833,,85433920233#,,,,*534620# US (San Jose)

Find your local number (provides more phone #s):: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbb9dO0PBV

Join instructions (provides more phone #s): https://us02web.zoom.us/meetings/85433920233/ invitations?signature=WaTNRD8gS_tcx HjEpVswc7OMy2LkzSlWFoMil28gkoo 

==========================

RECORDING OF MEETING

Prairie Hills Audubon Society’s 11/18/25 presentation on the SDGFP’s Nest Predator Bounty Program (NPBP)  –

FIRST HALF – Link to the recording stored on Vimeo.:

https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/1138972611

Alexey Egorov gives a presentation on SD Game Fish & Park’s Nest Predator Bounty Program. Prairie Hills Audubon Society opposes SDGFP’s Nest Predator Bounty Program (NPBP) as an ineffective program that does not work to protect ground nesting birds and has been a waste of likely 4.9-5 million dollars over a history of 7 years. GFP offers $10 bounties for tails of the 5 target mesopredators/omnivores, that are presented to them.

This money could be spent to benefit ground nesting birds by investing in habitat, which would actually work to protect and increase ground nesting birds. Matching federal funds are available for habitat protection/improvements.

Trapping of wildlife during their breeding and child rearing seasons, increases the cruelty impacts, as dependent young also die. SD has trap check times of 3 and a partial day west River and 2 and a partial day east River. Alexey Egorov is the Author of the Powerpoint.

====t

SECOND HALF -here is a second part to this meeting where attendees discuss strategies to get the NPBP terminated. Links to recordings of our working meetings (where strategies are discussed) are not posted to the internet. If you want such a copy, contact Nancy directly – 605-787-6466 or phas.wsd@rapidnet.com.  We limit sharing of links to strategy meeting recordings to people who support our objectives/platforms.

=============================

DISCUSSION

Kristie Noem promised to have a predator bounty program to benefit pheasants during her 2018 campaign. The SD NPBP (begun in 2019) exemplifies waste, fraud & abuse – an example of an appropriate DOGE target if this program was run by the federal government.

Statewide killing of nest predators by bounties doesn’t work for the benefit of ground nesting birds, It is uncertain if predator killing even works at very intense, expensive levels in small focused areas. Thus far SD has wasted about 5 million dollars during 2019-2025, on this useless & cruel program. A bounty of $10 is offered for tails of raccoons, stripped skunks, red foxes, oppossum & badgers. This money would have actually been effective, to benefit ground nesting birds, if spent on habitat improvement – money spent multiples with federal matching funds.

The killing happens in the spring when animals are breeding & have dependent young. SD has a 3 & a partial day trap check time west river & 2 & a partial day trap check time east river. Dependent young of target & non-target species will suffer & die. This pointless cruelty is justified in the name of BIRDS!

In 2025 PHAS was instrumental in getting HB1262 introduced. This was a bill that would have stopped the NPBP. It was killed in House Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee. Rep. Odenbach & Sen. Howard were prime sponsors. We will get another bill into the 2026 legislature. At our meeting we will teach you about the NPBP. We need members to contact legislators to ask them to kill the NPBP. Members of the House and Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committees are key as they must pass bill on to the floors. We have a web page devoted to this issue: https://phas-wsd.org/sd-nest-predator-bounty-program/ Zoom link to our meeting is on an inside flap of the newsletter. On one of our legislative web pages, (https://phas-wsd.org/sd-legislature/)  list House and Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources committee members.

Those shown in italics are in the Black Hills area or western SD. – To study them visit SDLRC web page: https://sdlegislature.gov/Legislators/Listing/70

Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee

curt.voight@sdleglislature.gov, helene.duhamel@sdlegislature.gov, kevin.jensen@sdlegislature.gov, michael.rohl@sdlegislature.gov, sam.marty@sdlegislature.gov, sydney.davis@sdlegislature.gov, tom.pischke@sdlegislature.gov

House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee

Marty.Overweg@sdlegislature.gov, Spencer.Gosch@sdlegislature.gov, Julie.Auch@sdlegislature.gov, Tim.Goodwin@sdlegislature.gov, Jana.Hunt@sdlegislature.gov, Travis.Ismay@sdlegislature.gov, Trish.Ladner@sdlegislature.gov, Kaley.Nolz@sdlegislature.gov, Drew.Peterson@sdlegislature.gov, Kathy.Rice@sdlegislature.gov, Kevin.VanDiepen@sdlegislature.gov, Richard.Vasgaard@sdlegislature.gov, Kadyn.Wittman@sdlegislature.gov