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DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250515T000000
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DTSTAMP:20260417T033236
CREATED:20250407T204536Z
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UID:18215-1747267200-1750031940@phas-wsd.org
SUMMARY:Climate Watch Spring Season
DESCRIPTION:Climate Watch Spring Season \nClimate Watch is sponsored by the National Audubon Society (NAS) & takes place during two distinct seasons—winter (January 15-February 15) and summer (May 15-June 15). Below is the alert for any season (winter or summer) . \nLike the Christmas bird count this is a chance to help create “citizen science” for birds. Climate Watch focuses on these target species: Eastern Bluebird\, Mountain Bluebird\, Western Bluebird\, White-breasted Nuthatch\, Red-breasted Nuthatch\, Brown-headed Nuthatch\, Pygmy Nuthatch\, American Goldfinch\, Lesser Goldfinch\, Painted Bunting\, Eastern Towhee\, and Spotted Towhee. \nThese birds are easy to identify\, have an enthusiastic constituency\, and Audubon’s climate models for these species offer strong predictions for range shifts for us to test. In future years\, Climate Watch may include additional target species threatened by climate change. We believe that western bluebird and painted bunting are not normally in SD. All the other birds occur in all or parts of SD. \nVisit this page to see where these birds are in SD\, and which are near you: \nhttps://www.sdakotabirds.com/species_main.htm\nLocation Climate Watch focuses on areas of predicted change for these 12 species at each location across the continent. Audubon provides volunteers with online mapping tools with a grid of 10 km x 10 km squares showing species-specific predictions for each square based on the climate models. A Climate Watch Coordinator can help select your location and survey square. If you are participating on your own\, use the online maps to decide in which square to do your surveys. You will be able to see which squares are already “claimed”. \nHow to count Volunteers should first make sure to read through all of the materials including the full protocol manual. The Climate Watch protocol is different than any other birding program. Then using the planning done with the online maps\, volunteers survey appropriate habitat for the target species within a square and conduct 12 point counts of five minutes each within one morning\, then record the number and species of all birds seen or heard within 100 meters. Participants send the data to the National Audubon Society. \nHow data will be used  Audubon’s 2019 climate change report\, ‘Survival By Degrees\, – https://www.audubon.org/climate/survivalbydegrees – reveals that up to two-thirds of North American birds are vulnerable to extinction due to climate change. For example\, the beautiful Mountain Bluebird is vulnerable because in the vast majority of its summer range\, the climate conditions that this bird needs—temperature\, amount of rainfall\, and other environmental factors—will shift northward and eastward. This bird may be able to move into new areas over time\, or it may struggle to adapt. To test the report’s predictions\, Audubon has developed Climate Watch\, which aims to document species’ responses to climate change and test Audubon’s climate models by having volunteers in the field look for birds where Audubon’s climate models predict they will be in the 2020s. This information helps Audubon target our conservation work to protect birds. See the Climate Watch results page here to see our early reports and results from the data received by Climate Watch volunteers so far! \nLink to the Climate-watch program on the National Audubon Society web page \nhttps://www.audubon.org/conservation/climate-watch \nClimate watch instructions for participants \nhttps://www.audubon.org/news/participant-resources-climate-watch\nClimate watch for beginners webinar\, – this has much of the same info as our November meeting \nhttps://audubon.zoom.us/rec/share/xe9NAZTe6WVOf7fz2kbRAYAQMI66eaa8hCFL_fNZn0k3a8uNjHkvp4-EZzq7vlq_?startTime=1588186808000\n\n\nOur web page on community science efforts: \n https://phas-wsd.org/citizen-science/ \n 
URL:https://phas-wsd.org/event/climate-watch-spring-season/
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250523T105000
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DTSTAMP:20260417T033236
CREATED:20250411T184556Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250523T165346Z
UID:18290-1747997400-1748041140@phas-wsd.org
SUMMARY:Deadline to Comment on the draft “North American River Otter Action Plan\, 2025-2029."
DESCRIPTION:  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDeadline May 23 @ 10:59 pm MT\, 11:59 CT\n\n\nSouth Dakota Game\, Fish and Parks (GFP) is seeking comments on the draft “North American River Otter Action Plan\, 2025-2029.”\n\n\nThe River Otter Action Plan\, 2025-2029\, is a document that will be used by GFP to guide river otter management in South Dakota through identified management objectives and strategies to meet those management objectives.\n\n\nThe draft river otter action plan can be found here. https://gfp.sd.gov/…/River_Otter_Action_Plan_2025_2029…\n\n\nIndividuals interested in river otter management in South Dakota may provide suggestions and comments on the revised action plan by May 23\, 2025. Written comments must be received by the deadline and include your full name and city of residence. Comments can be sent to 523 E. Capitol Ave.\, Pierre\, S.D. 57501\, or submitted online.\n\n\nNormally SDGFP sets the deadline as midnight CT.\n\n\nYou will also be able to comment to the Commission for the June 5th Commission meeting. See our notice of June 5th-6th meeting at our web site’s events/deadlines calendar. https://phas-wsd.org/events-alerts/\nThe Commission will adopt the Plan at their June meeting.\n\n\nThe Commission meetings are hybrid and you can comment remotely by Zoom or in person for 3 minutes at the Open Forum \, at about 2 pm in the time zone of the meeting on Thursday afternoons. You can send written comments by Sunday June 1st before midnight CT see our events calendar https://phas-wsd.org/events-alerts/\nHere is a link to the letter that PHAS submitted on this topic:\nhttps://phas-wsd.org/wp-content/uploads/River-Otter-Management-Planf1.pdf\n\n\nTALKING POINTS\nOtters occur in SD East River and at mouths of tributaries to the Missouri River on the west side of the River. However the otters don’t make it to the far west perennial streams/rivers of SD\, as there is a dearth of riparian habitat in good condition and during dry times\, a lack of dependable water in rivers between the Missouri and further west streams.\n\n\nPrairie Hills Audubon Society supports the reintroduction of river otters to western SD\, which was not planned in earlier river otter management plans and is still not planned with this Action Plan\n.\nBetween the Missouri River and the Black Hills the SDGFP must have a habitat protection/enhancement program to create healthy riparian habitat along the Cheyenne\, Belle Fourche & Little White Rivers. It should have a program to encourage beaver dam analogs being built along tributaries to those rivers\, to improve habitat for otters. River otters are strongly associated with beaver — the beaver dams create habitat and beaver dam analogs are imitation beaver dams.\n\n\n\nThe GFP would need to have a plan to reduce beaver trapping season from 12 months per year to 5 months per year in the counties that host a river otter reintroduction effort –that would be Nov 1st to March 31st\, as river otters have babies in April.\nGFP is likely to adopt a moratorium on beaver trapping in the Black Hills at their June Commission meeting\, so also write in support of the moratorium for beaver hunting/trapping for the Black Hills area.\n\n\n\nPlease explain that watching otters is fun and SDGFP should provide for recreation of  otters for wildlife watching\, not just recreation of hunting/trapping.\n\n\nSubmit written comments here – https://gfp.sd.gov/forms/positions/
URL:https://phas-wsd.org/event/deadline-to-comment-on-the-draft-north-american-river-otter-action-plan-2025-2029/
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