There are some adverse bills making way through congress on endangered species. Scroll down to our “contact congress” item on this web page or go to our “in the news” web page for details https://phas-wsd.org/in-the-news/  or to the Endangered Species Coalition web site for updates.
https://www.endangered.org/endangered-species-coalition-responds-to-republican-led-congressional-attacks-on-endangered-species-act-and-gray-wolves/
 

June 1st deadline to comment to SDGFP on River Otters

SD river otters used to listed as state threatened prior to 2020, when removed by the SDGFP Commission from the endangered species list and a hunting/trapping season started. They only exist in eastern SD and PHAS wants people to comment in favor of reintroduction to western SD. Go to our events calendar for updates/details. https://phas-wsd.org/event/deadline-for-written-comments-to-the-sdgfp-commission-june-meeting/
June 10th is thedeadline to comment to Wyo Game & Fish  on some of  Wyoming’s wolves
Wyo Game & Fish is accepting comments on hunting seasons for some of its’ Wyoming’s wolves. Go to our events calendar for updates/explanation.

https://phas-wsd.org/event/comment-deadlines-june-10th-wyoming-game-fish-changes-to-mt-lion-and-wolf-hunting-seasons/

June 20th is the deadline to comment to SDGFP on SD’s Draft Wildlife Action Plan  
 This is a planning document that all states must do every 10 years to get various federal  funds. It identifies at-risk species and habitats. Link to draft revision:  https://gfp.sd.gov/UserDocs/docs/SDWAP_complete_draft_9_Apr_2025.pdf Go to our events calendar for explanation and updates/details.
March 12th, 2025, was deadline to comment on the USFWS proposed listing of the monarch butterfly as threatened, under the ESA. 
 BUT IT GOT EXTENDED to MAY 19th, 2025.
On December 10, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) proposed that the monarch butterfly be listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. A 90-day public comment period on the proposal is open until March 12, 2025. The final decision on the proposal is scheduled to come in 2026. This comment opportunity was extended till May 19th, 2025 – go to our 5/19/25 calendar page for details.  https://phas-wsd.org/event/deadline-for-extended-comment-period-on-monarch-butterflys-esa-listing-proposal/
Today, the eastern migratory population is estimated to have declined by approximately 80%. The western migratory population has declined by more than 95% since the 1980s, putting the western populations at greater than 99% chance of extinction by 2080. During this same period, the probability of extinction for eastern monarchs ranges from 56 to 74%, according to the Service’s most recent species status assessment.
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RESCINDING THE DEFINITION of “HARM” under the Endangered Species Act, spring 2025

There is a deadline to comment on Trumps rule proposal to stop using – harm to habitat – as an endangered/threatened species “take”. That comment deadline is May 19th, 2025 go to our 5/17/25 calendar page for details, this will forward you to our 5/19/25 notice. https://phas-wsd.org/event/deadline-5-17-25-to-comment-on-usfws-rule-change-on-endangered-species/

We made mistake and had the deadline posted at 5/17/25 for a while, but the deadline is really Monday 5/19/25. The National Audubon Society has a link to a pre-fab on-line letter for individuals to send, we have that link posted on May 19th notice on the calendar page.

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WATCH VIDEO OF OUR Friday May 16th, 2025 ENDANGERED SPECIES DAY CELEBRATION BY ZOOM – Three Speakers on 5/16/25 at 6-9 pm MT by Zoom, 

The links to watch this meeting as a video (after the event happened) are posted to our Recordings Web page, that page is under the Resources Drop down menu , https://phas-wsd.org/recorded-meetings/

DETAILS

6-6:15 pm – introduction by Sponsors

6:15  pm – 7:05  pm –  Speaker:  Dr. Ray Moranz, Pollinator Conservation Specialist for the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. – Ray will speak on – “The Biology and Conservation of Two Awesome (but Very Different!) South Dakota Butterflies: the Monarch and the Regal Fritillary”
7:05  pm – 7:55  pm – Speaker:  Jessica Speiser, Wildlife Diversity Biologist, SD Game, Fish and Parks  – Jessica will speak on American dipper and osprey and also give some updates on  GFP’s non-game program.
5 minute break
8:00  pm- 8:50  pm – Speakers:   Kristal Stoner – Vice President National Audubon Society and Executive Director Audubon Great Plains,  She will speak on “Challenges and Action Opportunities for Endangered Species Conservation in Federal Policy”

Here are two posters for ENDANGERED SPECIES DAY CELEBRATION, one has butterfly photo and other has osprey photo.

 

https://phas-wsd.org/wp-content/uploads/ESD-2025F2.RegalF.pdf

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CONTACT CONGRESS 2025
  • Contact Congress Spring 2025
Vote No on H.J. Res. 78, CRA on longfin smelt *this email action is limited to target House Representatives, but if you wish you can still call your House Rep or write your own email*
***The House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on this on Thursday, May 1***
This bill would rescind ESA protections for the Longfin smelt and block future ESA protections. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed Bay-Delta longfin smelt in July 2024, finding that there is a 50-80% chance that the species will go extinct under current conditions. 
With a narrow, party-line vote (10-9), the Senate committee moved to approve the nomination for Nesvik. The full Senate is likely to vote during May.
Senators Hickenlooper, Padilla, Curtis, Sheehy recently introduced a Senate version of FOFA that unfortunately still includes the same harmful provisions for endangered species as the House version. The Senate is scheduled to move this bill through the Agriculture committee during May.
The House Natural Resources Committee held a legislative hearing on this bill, and the next step will be a committee markup. Consistently demonstrating and growing opposition to this bill is key to stopping this overhaul of the ESA.
 
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 OLD ALERT FROM 2024
SDGFP solicited comments on their Biennial Review of the State of SD Threatened and Endangered Species – November  7th, 2024

Sunday Nov 3rd written comments  due & Thursday Nov 7th-Friday Nov 8th, – SD Game, Fish and Park (SDGFP) Commission’s Comment 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:

https://phas-wsd.org/event/deadline-to-submit-written-comments-to-sd-gfp-commission-before-nov-meeting/

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 in SD.     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-actDusty 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

https://gfp.sd.gov/budget

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
We have been asking for years for SDGFP to create a fund in SD where citizens can voluntarily donate to the state’s wildlife diversity program to fund projects for our states species of greatest conservation need – habitat protection, population research, research to threats, whatever is needed.  We are told by GFP staff we need the legislature to approve a bill to allow that. We kind of doubt that, but if it is true, we need to get legislators and other groups to support such an effort. So on our to-do list is to figure out how to do this and which legislators to ask to carry such a bill and gather support for such a program. 

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our

JUNE 1st Deadline - Otters, to SDGFP Commission

 SD river otters used to listed as state threatened prior to 2020, when removed by the SDGFP Commission from the endangered species list and a hunting/trapping season started. They only exist in eastern SD and PHAS wants people to comment in favor of reintroduction to western SD. Go to our events calendar for updates. https://phas-wsd.org/event/deadline-for-written-comments-to-the-sdgfp-commission-june-meeting/

JUNE 10th Deadline- WyomingWolves, to Wyo. Game & Fish

June 20th Deadline - SD Wildlife Action Plan, to SDGFP Commission
At Risk Species Action Alert