Audubon News April 2020

We hope all folks are healthy and safe. Nancy Hilding, 605-787-6466 (h) 605-787-2806 (cell) or nhild-
Due to social distancing, we have stopped face-to-face meetings.
We are canceling the May 2nd, 2020 Prairie Hills Audubon
Society’s and Sierra Club’s annual field trip to La Creek
National Wildlife Refuge. We encourage people to go birding
alone during times of social distancing.
We are switching to zoom meeting formats. You can view our
March 31st, 2020 ZOOM meeting on the greater sage grouse at
this link. -
https://zoom.us/rec/share/_uI2P7Wuyk5ObZWV4meFZLItF
aLbX6a81yEerKdczEtkHMhz17ekEuCUk7Avckmc
We will have our April meeting by Zoom.
Topic: South Dakota's River Otters
Time: Wednesday, April 29, 2020, 6:30 PM MT
Meeting ID: 952 8417 6781
Password: 040842
You can attend our Zoom meeting on-line with video and audio
via this link:
https://zoom.us/j/95284176781?pwd=RjRmZSsybH
FuOXB3aXhlSW1yS3JRdz09
You can join in by phone for audio only:
+1 253 215 8782 US
+1 301 715 8592 US
If you call in from New York, Houston, San Jose or Chicago
other numbers are needed. For help with the Zoom contact
ing@rapidnet.com. You may wish to download zoom software
in advance (it’s free & a useful tool) http://zoom.us .
The instructions and links are also on our website’s home page
and Facebook pages. Also on our pages are links to more refer-
ences/information on otters and proposed delisting.
Discussion of Issues - River Otters
The meeting topic is the story of SD's river otters: their behav-
iors, habitat, distribution, history of threats to the otters & history
of their protection, recovery in SD & the proposal to de-list
otters in SD. SD river otters are currently listed as threatened
under the SD Endangered Species Act. SD Game, Fish and Parks
(GFP) staff has proposed to de-list the species, believing it's pop-
ulation distribution East River indicates sufficient recovery.
Once delisted, they will likely be trapped for fur. The SD GFP
Commission will consider whether to de-list otters on May 7th,
at a meeting in Custer State Park, SD (https://gfp.sd.gov/com-
mission/schedule/.) You can comment on the proposal in writing
by midnight CT of May 3rd (https://gfp.sd.gov/forms/positions/)
or in person at the meeting or by teleconference on the 7th. GFP
Commission plans to allow teleconference commenting at May
meeting (https://gfp.sd.gov/commission/information/). At our
Zoom meeting you can learn about the otters & SD GFP pro-
posed de-listing.
Black Hills National Forest (BHNF) Update - The BHNF has
admitted it is cutting the pine trees at a faster rate than they can
replace themselves (this is illegal). You can comment on a draft
report on the issue by Friday May 1st, 2020 - see our web site.

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. PHAS is run by volunteers. We are recruiting new Board members.

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, 605-787-6466 or 6779; Helen McGinnis - Treasurer, hissyhelen38@gmail.com, Doris Respects Nothing -
Secretary, drn.6501@gmail.com, MaryJo Farrington - Board member, 605- 716-2151; Jim Petersen - Board member, nfearndesire@gmail.com,
PHAS web site : http://phas-wsd.org/, PHAS Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/phas.wsd/

Prairie Hills Audubon Society rs

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P.O. Box 788 meet 29t h
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Black Hawk, SD 57718 We Video/Tele
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Northern River Otter

Photo by Tom Koerner/USFWS
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en