Prairie Hills Audubon Society

Deadline to File as an Intervenor in Wharf Mine Expansion Application
2023-04-26 08:00 - 17:00 (America/Denver)
April 26th is the deadline to file as an Intervenor in the Wharf Mine’s request to expand its’ mining site. Intervention letters need to be sent postmarked April 26th to Wharf’s attorney and sent to Roberta Hudson at DANR by midnight, I assume midnight CT. See SD Administrative Rule 74:29:01:18 for process https://sdlegislature.gov/Rules/Administrative/27571.
The hearing will be May 18th-19th. Carla Rae Marshall has intervened. Others can too.
Wharfs attorney: Dwight Gubbrud, Bennett Main Gubbrud & Willert, P.C, 618 State Street, Belle Fourche, South Dakota 57717
Roberta Hudson’s e-mail- Hudson, Roberta <Roberta.Hudson@state.sd.us>

https://danr.sd.gov/Environment/MineralsMining/Exploration/NewMinePermits.aspx
Comments in Support of Boston Expansion Mine Permit Application – April 13, 2023
Comments in Opposition to Boston Expansion Mine Permit Application – April 14, 2023
DANR Recommendation for Conditional Approval – April 17, 2023

BHNF National Forest Advisory Board meeting
2023-04-26 08:00 - 17:00
May 17 is the next Forest Service Advisory Board meeting, assuming they get the meeting notice published in the Federal Register on time. Please verify the meeting before going. Virtual attendance is an option.

Meetings are open to the Public. The agenda will include time for people to make oral statements of three minutes or less. Individuals wishing to make an oral statement should make a request in writing by at least three days before the meeting to be scheduled on the agenda. Anyone who would like to bring related matters to the attention of the committee may file written statements with the committee staff before or after the meeting. Written comments and requests for time for oral comments must be sent to Scott Jacobson, NFAB Committee Coordinator, Mystic Ranger District Office, 8221 Mount Rushmore Road, Rapid City, South Dakota, 57702; or by email to scott.j.jacobson@usda.gov.
Times: Begin at 1 p.m. and end no later than 4:30 p.m.
Location: Mystic Ranger District Office, 8221 Mount Rushmore Road, Rapid City, SD 57702
Virtual: The Black Hills National Forest offers a virtual option for the public to attend. If interested in attending virtually, click the link, in the Agenda , 5-10 minutes prior to the start of the meeting at 1 p.m.
For more information and to download agendas: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/blackhills/workingtogether/advisorycommittees/?cid=stelprdb5114550

Public Meeting on Proposed Mineral Withdrawal Rapid Creek Watershed
2023-04-26 16:00 - 20:00
Public Meeting on the PROPOSED Withdrawal for Pactola Reservoir-Rapid Creek Watershed; South Dakota
The USFS and the BLM will hold a joint public meeting on Wednesday, April 26, 2023, 4-8 p.m., Mountain Time (MT), at the Best Western Ramkota Hotel, Conference Hall, 2111 N. LaCrosse Street, Rapid City, South Dakota 57701.
For more info.: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/03/21/2023-05659/notice-of-application-for-withdrawal-and-notification-of-public-meeting-pactola-reservoir-rapid
or
https://bhcleanwateralliance.org/public-hearings/federal-level-comment-notices/#rapidcreekwatershed

Bear Butte Forum, Sturgis SD April 29th, 2023
2023-04-29 08:30 - 12:00
Bear Butte Forum April 29th, 2023, Sturgis
Time 8:30 till about noon.

It’s at the Sturgis Community Center on 1401 Lazelle St in Sturgis, April 29th @ 8:30am

It is for for Native Americans concerned about management of Bear Butte State Park
to talk with the Bear Butte State Park staff. Non-indigenous folks are also welcome.
Bear Butte (Mato Paha)mostly rests on the State Park’s land, but some of Bear Butte rests on tribal land and private land.

This is an annual event that occurs on either the last Saturday in April or first Saturday in May.
For more information, contact Bear Butte State Park. 605.347.5240
Email: BearButte@state.sd.us https://gfp.sd.gov/parks/detail/bear-butte-state-park/

Prairie Hills Audubon Society April monthly Zoom meeting 4/30/23
2023-04-30 18:00 - 20:30
Prairie Hills Audubon Society (PHAS) April monthly meeting 4/30/23
Our meeting for Sunday eve 4/30/23 will be about discussing PHAS current campaigns that are active and what actions need to be taken to move campaign objectives forward. The SD GFP Commission meets in Custer State Park’s Event Barn on Thursday and Friday May 4th and 5th. It only meets in the Black Hills a few times a year. They will also meet in Black Hills (Deadwood) in October. Folks can testify in person or by Zoom at 2 pm on Thursday 5/4/23 or send in written comments before midnight on 4/30/23
We hope to discuss PHAS’s campaigns on recovering beaver, otters & mountain lions in SD – and protecting endangered species – campaigns that are affected by SDGFP policy. We hope to discuss our campaign to oppose the Nest Predator Bounty Program, .We hope to discuss the shooting range they are building near Elk Creek & Elk Vale Road. We will discuss the constraints on how Commissioners are chosen and their bias. These issues are all relevant to SDGFP and could be brought up with them in Custer.
We can also discuss campaigns on the Black Hills National Forest and on mining and water quality. The BHNF forest assessments are supposed to be released in May. We can also discuss more effective communications by PHAS with tribes in SD. We can discuss tasks and duties with respect to any or all of these campaigns.
If you look on our web site and listen to recordings of our old meetings you can learn about the subject matter for these issues.
Topic: PHAS monthly meetings
Time: 6 pm MT, Sunday 4/30/23
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85433920233?pwd=[REDACTED]

Meeting ID: 854 3392 0233
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Dial by your location (as far as we know all work in western SD)
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Deadline to send Written Comments to SDGFP Commission for May meeting
2023-04-30 23:50 - 23:55
The deadline to send written comments to SDGFP Commission for the public record for May meeting — is Sunday April 30th, just before midnight MT. This is if you post comments to the Commission’s public web site. https://gfp.sd.gov/forms/positions/
Late comments go into the public record of the next meeting.
You can also send comments to the individual e-mails for any Commissioner at any time. https://gfp.sd.gov/commission/members/
Here are some of their e-mail addresses:
“Stephanie.Rissler@state.sd.us” <Stephanie.Rissler@state.sd.us>, “Jon.Locken@state.sd.us” <Jon.Locken@state.sd.us>, “Travis.Bies@state.sd.us” <Travis.Bies@state.sd.us>, “Robert.Whitmyre@state.sd.us” <Robert.Whitmyre@state.sd.us>, “Juliea.Bartling@state.sd.us” <Juliea.Bartling@state.sd.us>, “charles.spring@state.sd.us” <charles.spring@state.sd.us> , and david.cull@state.sd.us, and Jim White – whose e-mail might be jim.white@state.sd.us or james.white@state.sd.us,
Go to our alert on the May 4th-5th meeting for more information on issues.
https://phas-wsd.org/event/sd-game-fish-and-parks-may-commission-meeting-thursday-may-4th-friday-5th-2023/
or beaver alert:
https://phas-wsd.org/beaver-and-river-otter/
or beaver alert:
https://phas-wsd.org/misc/

Leadership Forum on Mineral Withdrawal, BH Clean Water Alliance
2023-05-02 15:30 - 17:00
3:30 pm – 5:00 pm 4/2/23 is a leadership meeting with Bonnie Gestring.
This is an opportunity for all of us working on mineral withdrawal in BHNF to regroup and share information after the April 26 public meeting — and to get ready to move into the thick of the comment period.
People should come prepared to take on tasks. Please let Lilias Jarding know right away if you want to attend by zoom or in-person — as attendance requires an invitation from Lilias.. See – Clean Water Alliance <nobhuranium@gmail.com>

Bonnie Gestring of EarthWorks speaks on Mineral Withdrawal
2023-05-02 19:00 - 21:30
Bonnie Gestring of EarthWorks will speak on Mineral Withdrawal in the evening – * Bonnie Gestring Presentation — “The Real Deal with Mineral Withdrawals” – 7:00 pm at Dahl Arts Center, Rapid City.
Under the 1872 mining law, the Forest Service can’t say “no” to a mining proposal unless the area is withdrawn from mineral entry in advance. Claims that have proven they have an economically viable ore body are grandfathered in. So to protect Forest Service (FS) lands, folks need to convince the FS to withdraw land & the FS will need to do a NEPA document before the withdrawal.

SD Game Fish and Parks May Commission Meeting - Thursday May 4th, - Friday 5th, 2023
2023-05-04 13:00 - 2023-05-05 13:00
SD Game Fish and Parks May Commission Meeting Hyrid form
– Thursday May 4th, – Friday 5th, 2023

May 4, 1 p.m.-5 p.m. MDT | May 5, 8 a.m.-12 p.m. MDT
At the Event Barn, Custer State Park
Livestream link https://www.sd.net/
Zoom Meeting Link https://state-sd.zoom.us/j/93912915359?pwd=[REDACTED]
To join via conference call, dial 1 669 900 9128 – Meeting ID: 939 1291 5359 – Passcode: [REDACTED]
The Event Barn is accessed by road off of highway 16A that heads to the Custer State Park Game Lodge and it is in front of and to the left (east) of the Lodge,

The agenda can be found at this link and some of it will change as we approach meeting date: https://gfp.sd.gov/UserDocs/nav/May_2023_Agenda_Public.pdf
Here is a link to their “furbearer proposals” https://gfp.sd.gov/UserDocs/nav/ALL_PRO_May2023.pdf
which ask for no change to beaver, mink, opossum, fox, raccoon, jack rabbit, badger, muskrat, weasel, or skunk seasons. A proposal sheet about river otter season is not provided, we don’t yet know what that means.
Finalizations are on waterfowl season where they are increasing two types of non-resident waterfowl licenses by 300 licenses. https://gfp.sd.gov/UserDocs/nav/FIN_Waterfowl.pdf and deer hunting seasons https://gfp.sd.gov/UserDocs/nav/FIN_Deer.pdf
People can petition for rule change in SD. GFP allows you to post petitions here: https://gfp.sd.gov/makingchanges/ SDCL provides no deadline on when you can file a petition, but the Commission must review within 30 days. A petition for rule making on blow gun fishing legal in SD is here – https://gfp.sd.gov/UserDocs/nav/Petition_Blowgun_Fishing.pdf See below for links to PHAS’s beaver petitions.
More information about the meeting including the agenda & proposals/petitions is posted here: https://gfp.sd.gov/commission/information/
============================
UPDATE AFTER THE MEETING
The SDGFP Commission rejected both petitions and kept the 2021 version of beaver hunting/trapping rule in tact. They did however indicate they may revisit the issue in December of 2023, after they learned what the results of the beaver inventory in Black Hills in the fall of 2023 finds.
TAKE ACTION

PHAS has petitioned for changes to beaver trapping rules. We submitted two petitions that are different to maximize chances that one of them moves forward.

Longer petition with more changes requested, https://phas-wsd.org/wp-content/uploads/Beaver-rule-change-petition-threeXDF-May-2023-1-copy.pdf
Shorter petition with less changes requested, the text of this petition is also within the long petition (Thus you only need to read the long one) https://phas-wsd.org/wp-content/uploads/Beaver-rule-change-petition-2two_XDF-May-2023-1-copy.pdf

We ask people to read our alerts on Beavers on our Beaver Campaign web page https://phas-wsd.org/beaver-and-river-otter/and our Various Alerts web page https://phas-wsd.org/misc/.
Beaver trapping is allowed in private & public land for 12 months in SD except on the BNF where it is 3 months and within the Black Hills Fire Protection district on private land, where it is 6 or 12 months depending on where you are. State law allow folks to remove “conflict beaver” 365 days of the year with a request to and approval of SDGFP.
We ask folks to write in support of better hunting/trapping rules and a management plan for beaver. SD has management plans for many species, but not beaver. To see GFP species plans: https://gfp.sd.gov/management-plans/ We also suggest folks write or testify against the Nest Predator Bounty Program, but that was approved in January for 4 years, so you are “speaking truth to power”. See our alert at: https://phas-wsd.org/sd-nest-predator-bounty-program/
Here are some talking points

People should write or contact SDGFP staff or commissioners, asking for
1. A 3 year moratorium on beaver hunting/trapping in the Black Hills National Forest and
2. Also ask SDGFP to either reduce or eliminate the months of recreational beaver hunting/trapping from other public lands in SD, especially when the public land has a multiple use or wildlife management objective. In our petition we reduced it from 12 months to 5 months, but allowed public land agencies to ask for more or less days.
3. Folks should ask for 5 months of beaver trapping statewide (reduced from current 12 months) on private land.
4. Ask for GFP to create a management plan for beaver
5. Ask for GFP to prioritize non-lethal control of “conflict” beaver

Deadline to submit written comments for May 4-5th meeting, is just before midnight MT on Sunday April 30th – if you want them in the public record for the May 4th meeting. Late comments go to the June meeting,
Written comments can be submitted at https://gfp.sd.gov/forms/positions/. To be included in the public record, comments must include your complete name and city of residence and meet the submission deadline of seventy–two hours before the meeting (not including the day of the meeting) (Sunday night before midnight CT or MT depending on time zone of physical meeting) Unless you want to communicate directly with each Commissioner – https://gfp.sd.gov/commission/members/ (no deadline)
“Stephanie.Rissler@state.sd.us” <Stephanie.Rissler@state.sd.us>, “Jon.Locken@state.sd.us” <Jon.Locken@state.sd.us>, “Travis.Bies@state.sd.us” <Travis.Bies@state.sd.us>, “Robert.Whitmyre@state.sd.us” <Robert.Whitmyre@state.sd.us>, “Juliea.Bartling@state.sd.us” <Juliea.Bartling@state.sd.us>, “charles.spring@state.sd.us” <charles.spring@state.sd.us> , and david.cull@state.sd.us, and Jim White – whose e-mail might be jim.white@state.sd.us or james.white@state.sd.us,

You can testify in person or by Zoom at about 2 pm MT on Thursday, it is suggested you let GFP know you want to testify in advance (but they allow folks who did register to testify).. Open forum is for speaking on any topic, the public hearing is just for rules up for finalization. To conduct the public hearing and/or open forum as efficiently as possible GFP 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.

Izaak Walton League - SD Division State Convention, May 5th-7th
2023-05-05 17:00 - 2023-05-07 13:00
Izaak Walton League of America – SD Division State Convention May 5th-7th
The meeting will be at the Madison # 16 Chapter House. The address of the Clubhouse is 1001 Territorial Road, Madison, SD. Here is a link to their web page:
https://www.madisonizaakwalton.com/,
There is a on Friday night dinner and a Saturday lunch, a Saturday night Banquet and a Sunday lunch.
Registration is $30 which includes the Friday night dinner. Other meals are $15 for lunches and $30 for the Banquet. Registration fee is not needed if you are only going to the Banquet.
Link to the registration form : https://phas-wsd.org/wp-content/uploads/Ikes-Convention-Madison-registration.pdf
Registration forms of persons that wanted to reserve hotel rooms at Best Western at cheaper rates were due by April 10th
Registration forms of persons that want to reserve meals are due Tuesday April 25th, 2023
Persons that don’t want to eat, can register at event, but checks not cash are requested
-send to Larry Brunsvig, 1220 Territorial Rd. Madison, SD 57042., j.blbhome@gmail.com Also you can contact Paul Lepisto <plepisto@iwla.org> , (605) 220-1219‬‬‬, (staff of the Izaak Walton League) to be sent a registration form or for questions.
Camping on the the Chapter’s grounds costs $20/night with electric hook up.

Virtual Public Meeting by BHNF & BLM on Proposed Mineral Withdrawal
2023-05-11 10:00 - 12:00
Black Hills National Forest and the Bureau of Land Management will host a virtual public meeting on Zoom to discuss the requested mineral withdrawal proposal.
Time: May 11, 2023 10:00 AM in Mountain Time (US and Canada)
Please register at https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJItd-CvrDgpGopi4Wg6kprZZvsRWj1TL_k
For more information on withdrawal proposal: https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=63876&exp=overview
Comments are due on June 20th, 2023 and we have another alert posted on the deadline date.

Celebrate World Migratory Bird Day with the new Bird Migration Explorer
2023-05-11 11:00 - 12:00
Celebrate World Migratory Bird Day with the new Bird Migration Explorer
Thursday, May 11, 2023
10 AM – 11 AM PT / 11 AM-12 PM MT/ 1 PM – 2 PM ET/
Spring migration is fully underway and billions of birds have made or are still making
their way to breeding grounds all across the Western Hemisphere. Follow along using the
new Bird Migration Explorer, a state-of-the-art digital platform that visualizes the heroic
journeys for more than 450 species of birds found in the US and Canada. Using the best available science, the Bird Migration Explorer can help us learn more about migratory
birds and how to protect them across their full annual cycles.
Join this webinar and learn from the experts on migration science and hemispheric
conservation that made this groundbreaking tool a reality.
https://act.audubon.org/a/celebrate-bird-migration-explorer?contactdata=afwwzLYhVioHvK0vARAa6oh19Ox3ph81FOzO0LZUBrXZSDsF5nTKUQ5JlKURfxBwWxQFr51C4iuMbn19NrV1M24vODIgGPbqCSWZkrElilMVmpayr0Sv6TRpiiB7Y/8GZwxhmSLkYl5/8fNi4IXER4gVGtowF4wtJ6CJLQdKBniCLcv+Az74IY3AWrXCYtvUqG0z2IuQBYHhIZjyd7CXOyacMKsii5WVaDGIqyKC1VMRlpa0NqZfIUcsVKLFvJ9hhz0AIFcG/zyGxw797/Gj79MJNw2yOcstaU+V/8yEZUk=&ms=network-eng-email-ea-x-engagement_20230505_weekly-chapter-update_&utm_source=ea&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=engagement_20230505_weekly-chapter-update&utm_content=&emci=36e737e0-67eb-ed11-8e8b-00224832eb73&emdi=e6524e67-79eb-ed11-8e8b-00224832eb73&ceid=403117

Comment Deadline for Cougar Hunting Rules Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission
2023-05-11 23:30 - 23:59
HELENA – Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking public comment on several proposals slated to go to the Fish and Wildlife & Parks Commission on June 8th at the MFWP headquarters in Helena, with them meeting starting at 8:30 am. The formal comment period is open through May 11 up till just before midnight. However you can send to Commissioners at their individual e-mails, and they may read them until the day before the Commission meeting.

You can comment via email to fwpwld@mt.gov.
For information about the meeting and a place to submit on-line comments:
https://fwp.mt.gov/aboutfwp/commission/june-2023-meeting
For discussion of proposed rule:
https://fwp.mt.gov/binaries/content/assets/fwp/commission/2023/jun/mountain-lion-quotas/cs-mountain-lion-quotas-final.pdf
Changes to rule

https://fwp.mt.gov/binaries/content/assets/fwp/commission/2023/jun/mountain-lion-quotas/mountain-lion-regulation-changes.pdf
Potential quotas,
https://fwp.mt.gov/binaries/content/assets/fwp/commission/2023/jun/mountain-lion-quotas/potential-quotas-by-lmu-combined.pdf

Montana Alternatives

The first alternative is the status quo, which includes all aspects of the 12.5 percent reduction in the Northwest Ecoregion as adopted by the commission in 2022.
The second alternative would achieve a 10 percent reduction statewide within six years if the quota were achieved, although all quotas are not met currently. The quotas provided under the second alternative would have no numerical difference in the Northwest Ecoregion from the status quo alternative.
The third alternative would achieve a 20 percent reduction statewide within six years
Fourth alternative would achieve a 40 percent reduction statewide within six years.

Their justifications for these potential harvest increases are not well supported by science and are often just value statements – such as improving hunter satisfaction.
Here is Mountain Lion Foundation’s alert on Montana season proposals:
It is a pre-fab letter and you can edit it, or just hit send: Montana – Mountain Lion Foundation
They also wrote a blogpost on the issue: Breaking the Cycle – Mountain Lion Foundation
IMPORTANCE TO SD
The management of lions in SE Montana is important to SD as we have had at times breeding populations and/or long term resident lions at the Custer National Forest lands or nearby state/private lands. However with SD’s 365 day hunting seasons with hounds on the prairie in SD, such populations likely won’t last well on the SD side.
Custer National Forest exists in Montana and SD.

2023 West River Migration Count
2023-05-12 00:00 - 2023-05-15 23:59
The West River Migration Count, takes place May 12-15, Fri – Mon. This was a national count years ago, and local folks have maintained the long-term count. The following counties participate: Harding, Butte, , Lawrence, Meade, Pennington, Custer, and Fall River. If you are interested in counting numbers of birds and species in these areas and have not already visited with a county coordinator, send Jen Fowler an email. She will then connect you with the appropriate county coordinator to learn what areas need coverage. You may commit to one day or multiple, and this is a wonderful opportunity to revisit favorite places as birds are returning north.Jen Fowler, WRMC coordinatorHill City, SD605-431-5438 (text is best)waterfowlerlover@yahoo.com

Webinar on "Environmental Justice and Emerging Contaminants",
2023-05-12 10:00 - 12:00
Webinar on “Environmental Justice and Emerging Contaminants” Presenters: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California, Berkeley, and University of Rhode Island SRP centers. May 12, 12:00-2:00 p.m. EDT and 10 am – 12 pm MT
This is the 3rd webinar of NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) Progress in Research WEBINAR SERIES.
The webinars are free and open to the public. You may register through the links below:
https://www.clu-in.org/training/webinar/SRPPIR20/

May 12th, Comment Deadline scoping on Zeppelin Timber Sale
2023-05-12 23:50 - 23:55
May 12th, Comment deadline for scoping on Zeppelin Timber Sale.
This Zeppelin timber sale is about 2 miles northwest of Piedmont, 6 miles South of Sturgis,
Scoping comments are due May 12th, Friday. Scoping deadlines are a little flexible but best to send in on time.

Visit this link for details
https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=63845

International Migratory Bird Day - second Saturday in May
2023-05-13 00:00 - 23:59
International Migratory Bird Day – is the second Saturday of every May.
PHAS will celebrate it with our annual spring field trip to La Creek National Wildlife Refuge on 5/13/23. Link to learn about International Migratory Bird Day
http://birdday.org/

PHAS's Field Trip to La Creek National Wildlife Refuge
2023-05-13 07:30 - 18:00
Field Trip to La Creek National Wildlife Refuge, May 13th
This is an annual event that Prairie Hills Audubon Society and Black Hills Group of Sierra Club sponsor every May – either the first or second weekend in May. This year it is on Saturday the 13th — second Saturday.
Every May, the second Saturday is International Migratory Bird Day. http://birdday.org/
We will meet in Rapid City at the Eastside Family Fare parking lot at 7:30 a.m. for folks wanting to car pool, and at the Refuge HQ at 10:30 a.m. (give or take).
Contact Nancy for questions 605-787-6466 (land line) 787-2806 (cell) or nhilding@rapidnet.com or jedediahbeadle@gmail.com, ‭(605) 510-7989 (cell)

Climate Watch - Spring Season - May 15th-June 15th
2023-05-15 00:00 - 2023-06-15 23:59
Climate Watch – Spring Season – May 15th-June 15th
Climate Watch – The summer and winter seasons repeat each year.
Climate 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 about summer 2023, the latest season .
May 15th- June 15th, 2023
Like 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.
These 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.
Visit this page to see where these birds are in SD, and which are near you:
https://www.sdakotabirds.com/species_main.htm
Location 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”.
How 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.
How 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!
Link to the Climate-watch program on the National Audubon Society web page
https://www.audubon.org/conservation/climate-watch
Climate watch instructions for participants
https://www.audubon.org/news/participant-resources-climate-watch
Climate watch for beginners webinar, – this has much of the same info as our November meeting
https://audubon.zoom.us/rec/share/xe9NAZTe6WVOf7fz2kbRAYAQMI66eaa8hCFL_fNZn0k3a8uNjHkvp4-EZzq7vlq_?startTime=1588186808000

You can call or e-mail Nancy Hilding, President of Prairie Hills Audubon Society for help with creating maps of the squares where you want to bird. 605-787-6466 (LL) or phas.wsd@rapidnet.com

Treaty Summit - hosted by Oglala Sioux Tribe
2023-05-17 09:00 - 2023-05-19 17:00
2023 Treaty Summit – hosted by Oglala Sioux Tribe’s, 5th Member’s Office
May 17th, 18th & 19th, 9 am-5 pm at the Rushmore Plaza Holiday Inn, Rapid City, SD
For more info – 5th Member Justin Pourier – , PH: 605-867-2439
CELL: 605-441-6922
Main Office OST – 605-867-5821

National Forest Advisory Board meeting May 17th, 1 pm
2023-05-17 13:00 - 16:30
A National Forest Advisory Board meeting is scheduled for May 17th- 1 pm – 4:30 pm at Mystic Ranger District, 8221 Mount Rushmore Rd, Rapid City, SD 57702
Topics on the meeting agenda include Long Eared Bat Listing – Reclassified as Endangered, Black Elk Wilderness Area, Fire Season 2023, and Forest Plan Revision update.
Meetings are open to the Public. The agenda will include time for public oral comments of three minutes or less. Individuals wishing to make an oral comment must make a request in writing by at least three days before the meeting, to be scheduled on the agenda. Requests for time for oral comments must be sent to Scott Jacobson, NFAB Committee Coordinator, Mystic Ranger District Office, 8221 Mount Rushmore Road, Rapid City, South Dakota, 57702; or by email to scott.j.jacobson@usda.gov.
For info contact Scott Jacobson scott.j.jacobson@usda.gov
or visit for agenda and details:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/blackhills/workingtogether/advisorycommittees/?cid=stelprdb5114550

Hearing on Wharf's application to expand their mine
2023-05-18 09:00 - 2023-05-19 16:00
Hearing on Wharf’s application to expand their mine. May 18th and 19th – DANR – Foss Building – Matthew Training Center, Pierre, SD, Start Date/Time: 05/18/2023 10:00 AM
End Date/Time: 05/19/2023 05:00 PM.
Wharf has been in operation since December 1982. Previously it has been granted four additional mining permits to expand its operation: two in 1986, one in 1998 and another in 2011. With the latest expansion application they seek to add 48.2 acres to the mine.
More details on the hearing :
https://boardsandcommissions.sd.gov/bcuploads/BME%20packet%20May%20%2018-19%202023.pdf
https://boardsandcommissions.sd.gov/Meetings.aspx?BoardID=67
Rapid City Journal Article on:
https://rapidcityjournal.com/danr-to-hold-hearing-on-future-of-wharf-mine-boston-expansion/article_b72d2994-f294-11ed-bfb2-c38c86bb8cc0.html

Celebrate Issue of Endangered Species Commemorative Forever® Stamps
2023-05-19 08:00 - 17:00
Endangered Species Commemorative Forever® Stamps First-Day-of-Issue stamp ceremony on Friday, May 19, 2023 at 11:00 a.m.
There will be an event in Wall, SD on Endangered Species Day, May 19th, 2023 to celebrate the issuance of a set of postage stamps featuring a set of endangered species, including the black-footed ferret.
It will be sponsored by the Postal Service, but Martha Williams, the head of the USFWS, will be there. Time-of-day is 11 am and it will last for about 45 minutes. It is expected to be in the Wall Community Center. Wall Commuinity Center is located at 501 Main St, Wall, SD 57790, two blocks away from the National Grassland Visitor center (location was moved due to expected weather). Seating is at first come and first served. Call the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands for more details – (605) 279-2126‬‬‬ ext 217.
Postal Service announcement: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2023/0419ma-postal-service-spotlights-endangered-species.htm
About stamps: https://store.usps.com/store/product/stamp-collectors/endangered-species-first-day-cover-S_483816

Webinar - Chemical Exposures Across the Life Course, May 19
2023-05-19 10:00 - 12:00
Webinar – Chemical Exposures Across the Life Course,
May 19, 12:00-2:00 p.m. EDT or 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. MT
Presenters: Duke University, University of Louisville, and Wayne State University SRP centers.
The webinars are free and open to the public. You may register through the links below:
https://www.clu-in.org/training/webinar/SRPPIR20/
NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) Progress in Research WEBINAR SERIES.

Endangered Species Chalk Art Event
2023-05-19 10:00 - 2023-05-21 23:59
Endangered Species Chalk Art Event
The competition will take place from Friday, May 19th, 2023 to Sunday, May 21st.
Friday, May 19th is Endangered Species Day. People of all ages, identities, and skill levels to participate in this competition. People can create chalk art individually or to collaborate
with each other.
To be eligible for a prize, your art must feature at least one threatened or endangered plant or animal species, and it must be created with chalk. Artwork must be new (created within the previous week – no reusing photos of old chalk art).
To enter the contest, you must post a photo of your chalk art on Instagram between 9:00am Pacific Time on Friday, May 19th and 11:59pm Pacific Time on Sunday,
May 20th. You must use the hashtag #EndangeredSpeciesChalkArt and tag @endangeredspeciescoalition in your caption.
This grand prize winner will be awarded $250. Public vote winner gets $100.
Five lottery winners (random draw from entries) get chocolate.
This is the third annual chalk art competition by Endangered Species Coalition. Link to learn more:
https://www.endangered.org/endangered-species-chalk-art-event/

SD Ornithologist Union Spring meeting at Milbank
2023-05-19 17:00 - 2023-05-21 12:00
The SD Ornithologist Union spring meeting will be held near Milbank, SD at “Abby on the Hill” in Marvin, SD.
It is on the weekend of 5/19/2023-5/21/2023. The spring SDOU meeting focuses more on field trips. Go to their web site for more details and the schedule:. https://sdou.org/SDOU/NextMeeting.aspx

Endangered Species Day Celebration 2023
2023-05-19 18:00 - 21:00
2023 is the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act – which President Nixon signed into law on December 28th of 1973. Endangered Species Day is set by Congress to be the third Friday in May.
This our 16th year of having a multi-group sponsored Endangered Species Day Celebration in Rapid City area. This will be a Zoom meeting in the evening with lectures on endangered or threatened species in our state or the region. Time will be 6 pm – 9:00 pm MT.
6:00 pm – Introduction by Sponsors
6:10 pm – 7:20 pm – Speaker: Amity A Bass, Field Supervisor, North and South Dakota Ecological Services, US Fish and Wildlife Service – She will speak on SD’s federally listed species with updates on changes to their status, populations and/or habitats in the last few years and also about the 12 month findings (decisions to list – or not) to be decided in next few years.
7:20 pm – 8:30 pm – Speakers: Ellen Whittle, Bat Project Manager for the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database (WYNDD), University of Wyoming and Renee Lile, PhD Student in the Program of Ecology, University of Wyoming – These two speakers will report on their research on our local northern long eared bats in the Black Hills/Bear Lodge.
8:30-9:00 pm – Powerpoint by Eileen Dowd Stukel, Senior Wildlife Diversity Biologist, SD Game, Fish and Parks – Eileen can’t come but she will provide a powerpoint on: our SD state listed species with updates on the down listing of the peregrine falcon in 2022, on SD GFP’s Wildlife Action Plan Revision and also on the progress of Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (S. 1149) in the 118th Congress. For more information on RAWA by the NWF: https://affiliates.nwf.org/resources/recovering-toolkit/
Normally a bunch of conservation groups sponsor the event – this year Prairie Hills Audubon Society, Western Watersheds Project, Rapid City Chapter of the Izaak Walton League, The Norbeck Society, Black Hills Chapter of Dakota Rural Action & Black Hills Group of the Sierra Club, Magpie and Buffalo Organizing, South Dakota Citizen’s Climate Lobby have already confirmed sponsorship
The meeting will be recorded and recording link posted to PHAS web site, a few days later
Zoom details.
Topic: Endangered Species Day Celebration, 2023
Time: 6 pm-9 pm MT, 5/19/23
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85433920233?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 854 3392 0233
Passcode: [REDACTED]
One tap mobile
+16694449171,,85433920233#,,,,*[REDACTED]# US
+16699006833,,85433920233#,,,,*[REDACTED]# US (San Jose)
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)
+1 719 359 4580 US
+1 253 205 0468 US
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 689 278 1000 US
+1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 305 224 1968 US
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+1 360 209 5623 US
+1 386 347 5053 US
+1 507 473 4847 US
+1 564 217 2000 US
+1 646 931 3860 US
Meeting ID: 854 3392 0233
Passcode: [REDACTED]
Find your local number (especially international numbers): https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbb9dO0PBV

Link to announcement of the meeting on our Facebook Page

https://fb.me/e/KfeVFuz6

World Turtle Day
2023-05-23 00:00 - 23:59
Tuesday, May 23rd is World Turtle Day
Visit Wikipedia former info.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Turtle_Day
The False Map Turtle is listed as threatened on SD’s list of threatened & endangered species:
https://www.sdherps.org/species/graptemys_pseudogeographica

Native American Fish and Wildlife Society - Great Plains Regional Conference
2023-05-24 08:00 - 2023-05-25 17:00
2023 NAFWS Great Plains Regional Conference
May 24- 25, 2022 in Deadwood, SD
The 2023 Great Plains Regional Conference will be held Wednesday ,May 24- Thursday, 25, 2023, in Deadwood, SD at the Deadwood Lodge. May 23rd and 26th are reserved as travel days. Make room reservations as soon as possible to receive a special rate for conference attendees. Early bird registration ends February 25th!
Registration
Attendees with up-to-date Individual Membership and Representatives of Member Tribes are eligible for discounted registration.
You have the option to download the Registration Form and bring it to the conference with your payment as well.
Non-members who pay the member price will be billed the difference. Contact Heidi McCann (hmccann@nafws.org) to verify your membership is up to date.
Complete checkout below to register. Please fill out attendee details for each ticket purchased.
Mail checks to
Native American Fish & Wildlife Society
10465 Melody Dr., Ste. 307
Northglenn, CO 80234
Registration Fees
NAFWS Member – $150
Member Tribe Representative (Employee of Member Tribe) – $150
Non-member (includes $50 membership)- $200
Here was an agenda for early April, I suspect that earlier date got adverse weather postponement to May. Not sure of the May agenda and the exact start and end time on .
https://www.nafws.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/2023-Great-Plains-FINAL-Conference-Agenda.pdf
For more information
https://www.nafws.org/product/2023-great-plains-regional-conference/
or Jeff Kelly, jkelly@standingrock.org, 701-226-5048

Bumble Bee Atlas Training
2023-05-31 08:00 - 17:00
Bumble Bee Atlas Training at SD Game, Fish & Park’s Outdoor Campus West (OCW), Rapid City, SD, May 31st.
We actually don’t know the start & end time of training on 5/31 – but OCW staff says the sponsors reserved the room from 8 am to 5 pm.
Help create a nationwide atlas of bumble bees. For more information on the Atlas:
www.BumbleBeeAtlas.org
https://www.bumblebeeatlas.org/gptraining.html
Daniel_Kim@fws.org,
Katie.Lamke@xerces.org,
