At Risk Species Action Alert
March 12th, 2025, deadline to comment on the USFWS proposed listing of the monarch butterfly as threatened, under the ESA.
For more information: https://phas-wsd.org/event/deadline-to-comment-on-the-proposed-listing-of-the-monarch-butterfly-under-the-esa/
SDGFP solicits comments on their Biennial Review of the State of SD Threatened and Endangered Species – November 7th, 2024
Sunday Nov 3rd & Thursday Nov 7th-Friday Nov 8th, – SD Game, Fish and Park (SDGFP) Commission’s Comment Deadline & Hybrid meeting
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At this November 7th meeting the Commission will be reviewing the biennial review of the State’s Threatened and Endangered (T & E) Species list. SD has its’ own T & E list and and the list is a set of administrative rules managed by the Commission. This list is separate and different from the Federal list. Here is the 2024 Biennial T & E status review: https://gfp.sd.gov/UserDocs/nav/FULL_TE_status_reviews_2024.pdf
Link to SDGFP’s current list of Threatened and Endangered Species
https://gfp.sd.gov/threatened-endangered
SDCL requires them to review the list every two years.
For info on Sunday Midnight CT written Comment Deadline:
For info on SDGFP Comm. Thursday Nov 7th-Friday Nov 8th, Hybrid Meeting (Oral testimony by Zoom allowed)::
https://phas-wsd.org/event/october-game-fish-and-parks-commission-hybrid-meeting-in-huron/
In the past (2020) Prairie Hills Audubon Society has petitioned for rule making to list the lake chub and the greater sage grouse as T & E and petitions were rejected.
The black bear used to listed on the SD T &E list, it was removed, I think about 2006 due to alleged extirpation. Black bears are now showing up in the Bearlodge Ranger District of the Black Hills in Wyoming and in SD side also, but they are said to all be male immigrants from the Rockies, and no one has yet to see a sow (female) and her cubs. SD is seeing fishers showing up in NE SD, but they are all alleged to be immigrant males and no proof of breeding. SD
mountain lions were extirpated and then recovered by migration from the
Rockies so we can look forward to black bear & fisher recovery. The wolf is not listed on SD’s list, as there are wolf sightings in SD but the wolves are alleged to be transient immigrants, with no proof of breeding. The wolves in SD are protected under federal listing, but may not be for long as there is an attempt to de-list gray wolves (but not Mexican wolves).
While the USFWS has invertebrates and plants listed as T&E species, the Commission has never chosen to list invertebrates or plants, although they could do so.
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South Dakota in 2024 is revising it’s Wildlife Action Plan, this is on a 10 year cycle and every 10 years they re-create an Wildlife Action Plan to quality for federal funds. There was an opportunity to comment on the draft list of species of greatest conservation need, back in the summer of 2024. If Recovering America’s Wildlife Act is ever funded by the federal congress, it links to the state’s Wildlife Action Plans.
Link to the current (existing) SD GFP Wildlife Action Plan (See appendix C for profiles of Species of Greatest Conservation Need):
https://gfp.sd.gov/wildlife-action-plan/
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Contact SD Senators & Representatives about Recovering America’s Wildlife Act .
Recovering America’s Wildlife Act would appropriate almost 1.4 billion per year to states and tribes on “at risk wildlife and plants” (with 97.5 million for tribes to spend). – ask them to support it in 2024
The Senate Bill 1149 (RAWA) did not pass the Senate in 2023. This year (2024) RAWA may move forward as a stand alone bill or attached to some other bill.
The House is working on an alternative (different) bill with less money allocated, paid for by raiding other environmental funds, with different provisions & some “poison pills” — “the America’s Wildlife Habitat Conservation Act (AWHCA) cleared the House Committee on Natural Resources with a 21-17 vote along party lines”
,https://insideclimatenews.org/news/24042024/recovering-americas-wildlife-act-bipartisanship/
2023
The bill had been reintroduced in the Senate in 2023 for the 118th Congress, as it did not make it out of the federal senate in 2022 (117th Congress). Senator Thom Tillis, R of N.C., was sponsoring the legislation in 2023 with Senator Martin Heinrich D of N.M — S 1149, link to bill page: .https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/1149?s=1&r=401149
2022
This is a very important bill for “at risk” wildlife and plants in America. Please contact our senators & representatives about it.
Senate and house bill versions both passed out of committee in 2022 and the house version of RAWA passed on June 14th, 2022 in a 231-190 – https://www.worldwildlife.org/press-releases/wwf-statement-on-the-recovering-america-s-wildlife-act. Dusty Johnson voted against it. His phone: 202-225-2801.
As of late May 2022 – our Senators had not committed to support or oppose, just express concerns about funding sources. Rounds – he wanted a sunset clause. Senators:Thune (202) 224-2321, Rounds (202) 224-5842
Here is a National Wildlife Federation 2022 Alert on this matter: https://affiliates.nwf.org/resources/recovering-toolkit/
Here is the National Audubon Society (NAS) 2022 Alert on the matter: https://www.audubon.org/news/audubon-supports-us-house-bill-fund-wildlife-recovery
NAS’s on-line summary of federal appropriations for wildlife as of December 2022 – https://act.audubon.org/a/rawa
The need for this bill was discussed at our 2022 Endangered Species Day Celebration by Eileen Dowd Stukel of SDGFP: https://vimeo.com/712389823 Her discussion starts at about 6:15 and runs for 55 minutes.
SDGFP Budget Information
Link to SD GFP Wildlife Action Plan (See appendix C for profiles of Species of Greatest Conservation Need):
https://gfp.sd.gov/wildlife-action-plan/
Link to SDGFP list of Threatened and Endangered Species
https://gfp.sd.gov/threatened-endangered
LOCAL EFFORT
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