PHAS February Member's meeting - National Audubon Society staff reports on their activities in SD, ND & NE Monday, February 26th, 6:30-9:00 by Zoom.  (Scroll down for Zoom details).   Audubon Great Plains (AGP) staff will join PHAS to update the group on AGP conservation programs across the three states of South Dakota, North Dakota […]

IACHR GRANTS THEMATIC HEARING ON IMPACTS TO INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ HUMAN RIGHTS FROM URANIUM EXPLOITATION Historic Hearing to be Held in Washington, D.C. Weds, Feb. 28th at 11am EST/9am MST  What: Inter-American Commission on Human Rights’ Thematic Hearing Where: IACHR/OAS, 1889 F St. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20006 When: Wednesday, February 28, 2024 at 11am EST/9am MST Who: Members of the […]

Scoping comments  are due on Feb 28th, 11;59 pm on the Bluelead Vegetation Management Project, Mystic Ranger District,  Black Hills National Forest, for details and map visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/blackhills/?project=65527

The 2024 Black Hills Area Botany & Ecology Workshop will be Friday, March 1, 2024, at the Outdoor Campus West in Rapid City, SD. Emphasis will be on the in-person event, but sponsors will offer remote participation (via Zoom) to both speakers and watchers. Therefore, sponsors will ask you to register in advance in order […]

The deadline to send in written Comments to the SDGFP Commission before their March Meeting is just before midnight CT on Sunday night. You can still attend remotely and testify by Zoom on Thursday 3/7/24 or send comments to them individually. But to get them in the public record, you need to send about 3.5 […]

March 4th is the deadline to submit comments on USFWS proposed rule about predator hunting and other issues on National Wildlife Refuges.   We assume comments must be posted on-line  just before 10 pm MT, or midnight CT. Or if sending by postal mail, postmarked on 3/4/24. For the federal register notice ... https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/02/02/2024-02076/national-wildlife-refuge-system-biological-integrity-diversity-and-environmental-health  Quotes from […]

March 5th is the deadline to comment on Draft 2024 SD Integrated Report for Surface Water Quality Assessment (Integrated Report), See Dept. Of Agriculture and Natural Resources (DANR) notice page at https://danr.sd.gov/public/ Public notice on this deadline is here https://danr.sd.gov/officeofwater/surfacewaterquality/pn/2024IR_PNLetter.pdf The Integrated Report is required under the federal Clean Water Act. This report combines the […]

A meeting is scheduled for the Water Management Board on 3/6/2024 9:30:00 AM. Please visit the Boards and Commissions Portal to learn more about past and upcoming meetings! (3/6/2024, 8:30 AM - 1:30 PM) Agenda: https://boardsandcommissions.sd.gov/bcuploads/3.6.2024%20WMB%20Agenda.pdf https://boardsandcommissions.sd.gov/Meetings.aspx?BoardID=106 https://boardsandcommissions.sd.gov/ live audio: https://www.sd.net/mtc/   Includes Appointment of Rapid Valley Water Master – Nakaila Steen Includes: Consider Water Permit […]

Paul Lepisto is the guest speaker at the Rapid City Chapter, Izaak Walton League (Ikes), membership meeting, 6:30 pm Wednesday 3/6/24 at Outdoor Campus West . Paul is the Ikes representative for the Missouri River Initiative (MRI) panel and also the SD Division's lobbyist. Paul will give the Ikes a rundown on what his roll […]

The Forest Service writes:   "A new project is proposed on seven isolated parcels of National Forest land adjacent to the Bear Lodge Mountains, Black Hills National Forest. High fuel loading on these lands poses a risk to surrounding lands and communities. Proposed activities include thinning and removal of ponderosa pine trees. Project information, collaboration […]

Deadline for objections to Spruce Project of the Black Hills National Forest. To download documents: https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=61599 Spruce Vegetation Management Project “A project to treat mixed conifer stands across the Black Hills National Forest System lands with the objective of increasing overall forest resiliency and reducing undesirable fire behavior."   "Objections, including attachments, must be addressed […]

Public meeting on Mitchell Dam Project at the Community Center in Hill City, March 13th 6-8pm https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/blackhills/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD1166271   The Black Hills National Forest is proposing a project to address the deferred maintenance of the dam at Mitchell Lake, located on Spring Creek just east of Hill City along Highway 16. The project is called the […]

March Forest Service Advisory Board meeting Forest Service Office – Mystic Ranger District Office  8221Mount Rushmore Road, Rapid City, SD 57702  1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. – March 20, 2024 Time  Agenda items include;  Legislative Updates – Federal and State Length of Stay on Forest Mitchell Dam Project BHNF Forest Plan Revision For more information: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/blackhills/workingtogether/advisorycommittees/?cid=stelprdb5114550  […]

World Water Day's (WWD)  2024’s THEME IS “Water for Peace.” "Water can create peace or spark conflict. When water is scarce or polluted, or when people have unequal, or no access, tensions can rise between communities and countries." – United Nations March 23  from 1-4 pm (MT) at Aby’s on 406 5th, St. in Rapid […]

March 26th is the deadline for candidates for election to statewide offices, county offices & some municipal and school board elections to submit candidate nominating petitions. Municipalities and school boards can select from 3 options for election dates and thus can have one of three candidate nominating petition submission deadlines.  Go to the SD Secretary […]

PHAS's March Members Meeting will be on beaver dam analogs in the Black Hills National Forest. A Black Hills National Forest  employees (Melissa Dempsey and Matt Scott)  will  join us and tell us about volunteer help they need with building beaver dam analogs (imitation beaver dams)  in the northern Hills. SD Game, Fish and Parks (GFP) […]

Hearing on Draft Comprehensive Plan for Meade County, Meade County Planning Commission, Monday, April 1st 2024 The Planning Commission Public Hearing is scheduled for: Monday, April 1, 2024 at 3:00pm Meade County Commission Room (1300 Sherman St. Sturgis, SD) (605) 347-3818 Link to download draft plan: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/61a79945f91fb63fe590c49d/t/65a1a8fe3c94fc49094d6cc6/1705093383152/Meade+County+Draft+01-11-2024+2.0.pdf Planning Commission 4/1/24  Agenda should be on this […]

April 1st, scoping comments are due  for Mitchell Dam project, Black Hills National Forest (BHNF). Scoping deadlines are a little flexible, if you miss the deadline date, you can still send them in late (but do that ASAP). They hope to make a decision by May 1st. The proposed project is to either decommission (remove) […]

PHAS can apply for grants to the National Audubon Society for projects ranging in award from $1,000-$15,000 dollars. Projects must meet various terms and goals set by the National Audubon Society. If any one has an ideas for a project they want to volunteer to work on, that needs money...contact a board member of PHAS […]