Audubon News
Newsletter of Prairie Hills Audubon Society of Western South Dakota Inc.
May 2020
Prairie Hills Aududon’s Zoom meeting
on Black Hills National Forest's
not sustainable cutting of trees
Friday, May 29th, 6:30 pm MT
. Our speaker is Jonathan Word, Natural Resource Staff Of-
ficer at the BHNF who will talk about the timber program
& a recent draft report that discusses the sustainability of
the BHNF timber program -- the “Timber Growth and
Yield in the Black Hills National Forest: A Changing For-
est” (TGYDGTR)
Join Zoom Meeting from your web browser for audio and
video participation:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83481574499?pwd=WDE1Rz
FMT0xsdWtrOGFRbXoycHFuQT09
Meeting ID: 834 8157 4499
Password: 099720
One tap mobile
+13462487799,,83481574499#,,1#,099720# (Houston)
+16699006833,,83481574499#,,1#,099720# (San Jose)
By phone - If you only want to call in (audio only).
Any of these numbers should work from SD:
+1 346 248 7799 (Houston), +1 669 900 6833 (San
Jose), +1 253 215 8782 (Tacoma) , +1 312 626 6799 US
(Chicago), +1 929 205 6099 US (New York),
+1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)
Meeting ID: 834 8157 4499
Password: 099720
Find your local number link shows all 6 numbers:
https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kmGvhZRjz
All the web links in this newsletter can be found on home
page of our web site, as well as additional information.
http://phas-wsd.org/
The Black Hills National Forest (BHNF) has released data
from a Forest Inventory & Analysis that shows the BHNF
is cutting trees faster than then forest growth replaces them.
A draft report projects that if the current rate of cutting con-
tinues, the live sawtimber volume will be depleted in the
next several decades. To meet the current annual rate of
cutting allowed by the Forest Plan, they need twice the
standing live timber they have. The rate of cutting must be
reduced to provide for a sustainable supply of timber,
wildlife habitat, and other forest resources. Various laws re-
quire a sustainable logging program. Here is a direct link to
a “Timber Growth and Yield in the Black Hills :National
Forest: A Changing Forest”(TGYDGTR)
https://www.fs.usda.gov/rmrs/bhnftimberreport
These cutting actions are illegal, violating the Multiple
Use Sustained Yield Act and the National Forest Manage-
ment Act. In the future the Forest Service will need to
change it's cutting rate. The six future timber cutting sce-
narios explored in the TGYDGTR do not reduce the cut
fast enough or deep enough; they take years to reach timber
sustainability and do not provide for sustainability of other
values nor forbid logging on some lands that are unsuitable
for logging nor do they forbid commercial cutting of young
trees before they finish their fastest growing period.
A not sustainable cut is not desirable, as viability of
some wildlife species will be at risk and values such as
some habitats, scenic quality, back country recreational &
water quality will be harmed. The Forest has less than .5%
old growth left, the Forest Plan says it was supposed to pro-
vide at least 5%. Some species at risk include the northern
goshawk, brown creeper and black backed woodpecker
that need mature dense stands, and the pygmy nuthatch that
needs large old yellow barks. The Forest does not have
money, or ways to generate revenue to pay for all the
needed pre-commercial thinning of the huge area of under-
story baby pine trees.
The timber industry is very opposed to the necessary re-
duction in annual timber volume. They are busy lobbying
our elected leaders. Other forests have also had draft re-
ports that found the forests had not-sustainable harvests.
Several such draft reports were buried due to politics and
never made it past draft form.
We need the public to fully understand what has been
discovered by the Forest Service, to listen to critiques of
the analysis and to insist that politics does not bury this re-
port and that the Forest Service commits to quickly reduc-
ing the annual harvest on the Black Hills to a level that is
not just sustainable for commercial goals (i.e.: timber pro-
duction) but also sustainable for wildlife habitat, scenery
Page 1
protection, back country recreation, water quality, soils etc.
The natural amenities of the BHNF, need to be valued &
protected, not just it's timber production valued.
A comprehensive article about the Black Hills
timber situation was recently published:
https://www.berkshireeagle.com/stries/defenders-of-
black-hills-see-unkindest-cuts-risking-a-national-
forests-future,601120
Here is a link to the Forest Service's (FS) web page on this
topic:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/blackhills/landmanage-
ment/resourcemanagement/?cid=fseprd731012
This FS web page has a discussion of the issues & lots
of links to more data on this issue, including the “Timber
Growth and Yield in the Black Hills National Forest: A
Changing Forest” (TGYDGTR) and links to webinars from
4 FS meetings with stakeholders & local government, some
of which include power-points created by the FS & stake-
holder groups on the issues. A link to the April 3rd meet-
ing's presentations & related documents (mostly saved as
PDFs) is: https://usfspublic.box.com/s/soqb4u5tlv6djn-
vsw10q0m7lxdaxznh1
We recommend that you view power points from Bob
Burns of the Norbeck Society, Jim Margadant of Sierra
Club and Dave Mertz of retired foresters.
==========================
Forest Service Advisory Board Positions
Deadline - Cusp of May/June
Black Hills National Forest is accepting applications for
folks who want to sit on the Forest Service Advisory Board.
The deadline has been extended till the end of May. Appli-
cations need to be submitted to Scott Jacobson p: 605-673-
9216 c: 605-440-1409 scott.j.jacobson@usda.gov, at the
Supervisor's Office in Custer. On our web site we have a
link to application and more details.
==============
SD River Otter,
SD Game, Fish & Parks releases a draft revi-
sion of the SD Otter Management Plan -
June 19, 2020 Comment Deadline
SDGFP has released and made available for public
comment the draft revision of the SD Otter Management
Plan. A draft of the revised river otter management plan
can be found online at https://gfp.sd.gov/management-
plans/ under “Plans Up for Revision.”
Written comments on the plan can be sent to 523 E. Capitol
Ave., Pierre, S.D. 57501, or e-mailed to
OtterPlan@state.sd.us. Comments must be received by
June 19, 2020 and include your full name and city of resi-
dence. Contact Nancy Hilding for more info. and we post a
better alert on this on the web site’s home page and we will
have future Zoom strategy meetings about the otter.
River Otter Trapping - Discussion of Issues
July 12th-16th Deadline
SD river otters had been listed as threatened under the
SD Endangered Species Act since 1977. They may have
once been extirpated from the state and 35 otter were rein-
troduced by Flandreau Sioux Tribe to the Big Sioux River
in 1998 & 1999. We objected on May 7th, 2020 to
SDGFP’s plan to remove otters from SD's threatened
species list but we lost, as the Commission decided to delist
them. On May 7th the SD GFP Commission passed a rule
to remove the otter from SD's threatened species list and
initiated the rule making process for a statewide otter
trapping season, with the season's "finalization" hear-
ing to be on July 16th (with 15 otter “harvest” limit, 1
otter per person and 2 month duration that overlaps 2 of the
state's three beaver trapping seasons, but is shorter than
them). We will object to the season proposal.
We will request their reintroduction west river, at the
very least to La Creek National Wildlife Refuge and/or the
Little White River. We will request no season west river
and reductions and limitations to any trapping season on
the eastern side of SD. We may also request modifications
to the beaver trapping seasons, as incidental take of otters
from beaver trapping is the leading known cause of otter
death.
GFP acknowledges they are now found in the Big
Sioux, Vermillion, James, Jorgenson, Little Minnesota,
Whetstone, Yellow Bank, Kim Cree/Big Slough river
drainages and the Missouri River downstream from Pierre.
SD GFP identified a recovery area in far eastern SD. Otters
have been found existing in 40% of the sub-basins in the
recovery area & breeding in basins that make up 60% of re-
covery area. Both criteria were met for 2 of 5 years prior to
delisting proposal. The highest number of verified otters
sightings in SD in any recent year was 42 otters in 2016.
Verified sightings for the last 6 years are: 2014 - 33 otters,
2015 - 23 otters, 2016 - 42 otters, 2017- 33 otters, 2018 - 38
otters, 2019 - 40 otters. However more otters will exist
than folks are seeing/finding, reporting and that GFP can
verify. Half the reports are from Grant, Moody and Roberts
Counties. Study of the dead otters found, shows they sub-
stantially died at 2 years or younger.
Possible west river reintroduction sites are identified
by GFP as the Little White River, the Cheyenne and Belle
Fourche Rivers. La Creek National Wildlife Refuge and the
Little White River have suitable habitat and have had a
very small but sort of successful reintroduction.Two otter
were reintroduced to La Creek National Wildlife Refuge in
2013. The female died of heart problems but had given
birth to a pup before hand. Fate of the male and pup is un-
certain, but there were verified sightings (including photos)
of single otters up to 2018 and also a not verified otter
sighting in 2019. If there is just one otter or two of the same
sex, they can't breed. A otter was killed in a fish trap on the
White River within the last 5 years. 24 other unverified
sightings exist west River between 1991 and 2018.
Otters are associated with beaver, who help create
suitable habitat for them in a drainage system. Most otter
are currently killed in SD, as incidental take during beaver
trapping. The second leading cause of death is being run
over by vehicles. Of 117 reported river otters killed in
South Dakota from 1979 through 2016, 73% were killed in-
cidental to legal trapping activities; 15% of the 117 re-
ported river otter mortalities resulted from being struck by
vehicles. SD otter eat fish, frogs and crayfish and live in
aquatic systems: streams, ponds, marshes but they travel
cross country from one surface water to the other. They
need vegetation along the banks for habitat.
Surface water systems located east river can see
change to their edges & size as water levels rise and fall
due to variance in rain fall or due to drainage tiling. We
face era of climate change & uncertain weather. There are
existing threats to otter, especially from climate change,
water pollution (especially from agriculture and specifically
drainage tiling) and wetlands drainage.
In the west river prairie of SD beavers are hunted 365
days. The Black Hills beaver season is 3 months and east
river is 6 months. The long west River season is alleged to
be at the request of land owners who don't want to apply
for special permits, if beaver dams/digging are damaging
roads or stock dams. We need to insist on a reduction in the
level of beaver trapping west river, to reduce the human
predation on any otters reintroduced.
Trout are a non-native introduced species, the Black
Hills native fishes were too small for fishing and our Black
Hills streams are stocked full of exotics. Trout are difficult
for otters to catch (trout swim too fast). We should request
that GFP explore managing some stream(s) in Black Hills
for fish species that otters can catch, so we can re-establish
them in at least one drainage in the Hills.
Please note most otters are killed currently are killed
via incidental takes during trapping. Such death can involve
drowning under water while restrained. We can also work
to protect beavers. Percentages of otter death by type of
trapping are: 53.7 % for beaver trapping, 32.4 % for un-
known trapping, 8.8 % for raccoon trapping, 2.3 % for fish
trapping , 1.4% for mink trapping and other 1.4%
We need to insist on reintroduction to La Creek Na-
tional Wildlife Refuge or to the Little White River before
any West River trapping is allowed. Reintroduction could
be by either GFP, US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
and/or Rosebud Sioux Tribe (RST). Reintroduction on the
Cheyenne River could also be by two other tribes.
HOW TO COMMENT
You can comment on any proposed rule change (or any-
thing else) in writing by Sunday at midnight CT
of May 29th for inclusion in public comments for June
4th and 5th meeting and/or July 12th for inclusion in
public comments for the July 16th/17th meeting. Post
comments on line at: https://gfp.sd.gov/forms/posi-
tions/
Next opportunity to verbally comment by teleconference
will be on June 4th and after that July 16th,
Teleconferencing details will be on this web site
(https://gfp.sd.gov/commission/information/)
You can livestream meetings at: https://www.sd.net/
You can testify for 3 minutes on any subject during the
"open forum" and for 3 minutes during the rule making
hearing on each rule up for review (that is when you testify
on the proposed otter season on July 16th, or other rules up
for finalization on that date).
Link to see the Commissioner's contact info
https://gfp.sd.gov/commission/members/
Below are the e-mails of Commissioners, you can e-mail
them directly at any time, but your e-mail will not go into
the official records of GFP. You can do both, submit com-
ments on-line and mail/e-mail or call directly at home. If
you call them at home, please be polite.
MaryAnne.Boyd@state.sd.us, Gary.Jensen@state.sd.us,
Russell.Olson@state.sd.us, Doug.Sharp@state.sd.us,
Travis.Bies@state.sd.us, Robert.Whitmyre@state.sd.us,
Jon.Locken@state.sd.us, Charles.Spring@state.sd.us
OTTER REFERENCES
We had a Zoom meeting Wednesday, 4/29/20 by Zoom,
Topic: South Dakota's River Otters
Time: Apr 29, 2020, 6:30 PM Mountain Time
Speaker: Silka Kempema of SD Game, Fish and Parks
(GFP) Wildlife Diversity Program.
Link to recording of the meeting (already happened)
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/4ZBrI-
6u2WhJYrfc5UPEfasvMtjbX6a8gCBKrqFczk8oRnoP-
BZv5F7PbJmyTrwuE
Password: 5K%KE1B&
Nancy was a little late starting the recording and missed
the first three slides, which included the title slide, a slide
titled Mustelid - which had 4 characteristics listed (carni-
vore, long body, short legs, scent glands) and a slide titled
Biology, which had 3 points.- (adapted to life in water, indi-
cator of water quality, associated with beaver.)
--
All links in this newsletter can be found on the PHAS web
site on the home page, as will more information on the
newsletter’s topics and more links to other references.
PHAS may have Zoom meetings to discuss strategy .
on how to get GFP to change the proposed otter season and
how to create an West River reintroduction effort. We may
have discussion meetings on Timber issue. Page 3
 Prairie Hills Audubon Society (PHAS) is a Chapter of the National Audubon Society; our territory is much of West River SD.
Nancy Hilding - President, nhilding@rapidnet.com, 605-787-466 or 6779, Jim Petersen -Vice-president, nfearndesire@gmail.com,,
Helen McGinnis - Treasurer, hissyhelen38@gmail.com, Doris Respects Nothing - Secretary, drn.6501@gmail.com, MaryJo Farring
ton - Board member, 605-716-2151, PHAS web site : http://phas-wsd.org/ - We have a Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/phas.wsd/ Our e-mail address is phas.wsd@rapidnet.com.
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Prairie Hills Audubon Society eetin 29th, t
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P.O. Box 788 SZ ve, M ree
US. POSTAGE
Black Hawk, SD 57718 PHA riday e inable T PAID
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RAPID CITY SD

J.J. Audubon - Black Backed Woodpecker

PHAS is run by volunteers. To reduce mailing expenses & use of volunteer time, PHAS is trying to send as many announcements by e-mail as
possible. Please help us keep you informed by giving us your phone number and e-mail address. We are recruiting new Board members, contact

May 15th-June 15th - Climate Watch

any current board member if interested.
Climate Watch takes place during two distinct sea-
sons—winter (January 15-February 15) and summer
(May 15-June 15)
This is chance to bird to help bird science. Volun-
teers count and document how ranges of bluebirds,
nuthatches, goldfinches, towhees, or Painted Bunting
are shifting.
NAS is trying to understand climate changes ef-
fects to birds better. Volunteer(s) select a 10 square
kilometer area. They need to bird for 5 minutes at one
or more of 12 points and collect data on all birds
seen/heard in the small circle (seen within 100 meter
radius). You submit the data via e-bird
https://ebird.org/home & e-mail the link to the NAS.
Volunteers sign up for a square to bird in.
Go to National Audubon’s (NAS) web site or Prairie
Hills Audubon Societies’ (PHAS) web site’s home
page for details.
PHAS’s meetings during Pandemic
We try to have our monthly night meetings at the very end
of the month - they have been: Feb 28th (Nest Predatory
Bounty Program), March 31st (Fight to Save the Greater
Sage Grouse) April 29th (SD River Otters), & soon Fri-
day, May 29th (Black Hills National Forest's
not sustainable cutting of trees - details inside)
Prairie Hills Audubon Society (PHAS) meetings are oc-
curring by Zoom since March. We also used to have
restaurant lunch meetings, but now have Zoom meetings to
discuss conservation policy & strategy but those are not al-
ways announced on web but by e-mail to interested parties.
The last one was lunch Tuesday May 26th on the SD river
otter. The Zoom meetings are recorded to the cloud & can
be watched after the fact. The links to recordings of past
meetings are on our website’s home page, but old meet-
ing’s cloud postings won’t last forever as cloud storage
costs money & we can have 3 up at a time, so if you
missed them, please watch the March before late June. 4