South dakota conservation programs

He works with landowners to improve their cropping practices, implement soil health principles and provides education about regenerative agriculture. Brian can help producers improve their operations while implementing sustainable planting practices and supporting conservation. Contact Brian bchatham ducks. She specializes in native grassland restoration and grazing infrastructure in cropland and grassland systems.

Cassie understands the importance and value of keeping farming and ranching operations viable while harmonizing with natural resources. She works to help producers implement conservation practices that fit their operation logistically and financially.

Contact Cassie cauxt ducks. Federal Partnerships Federal agencies and programs that have conserved land in South Dakota include: U. Fish and Wildlife Service U. Forest Service U. National Park Service U. Export Table. Export PDF. GFP offers cost share to private landowners interested in developing wildlife habitat on their land through multiple habitat programs. Contact one of our Private Land Habitat Biologists to learn more about any of our private land wildlife habitat programs or to evaluate your land and help you develop the best habitat to help you meet your land management goals.

The Second Century Working Lands Habitat Program provides a short-term, working lands conservation alternative to cropping marginal lands anywhere in South Dakota by adding important grassland habitat for wildlife to the landscape while also providing forage for livestock by allowing program acres to be managed with haying and grazing.

Starting during the second growing season, participants can hay or graze the enrolled lands between August 1 and March 1, with annual haying limited to either half the enrolled acres every year, or the entire acreage every other year.

Lands enrolled in the program are not required to be open to unlimited public hunting, although these acres are eligible to be enrolled in the Walk-In Area public hunting access program through GFP. For more information about other habitat programs available through our partners visit the Habitat Resources page of the Habitat Pays website.

Contact our staff in your part of the state to learn more about any of these programs. The WIA program leases private land with valuable hunting opportunity for unlimited public hunting access foot-traffic only in exchange for an annual payment and immunity from non-negligent liability.

The Walk-In Area program began in leasing public hunting access from 26 landowners on 23, acres, and has grown to partnering with over 1, landowners who provide public hunting access to over 1. More information. Hunters with a disabled hunting permit are also allowed to drive on these areas to hunt any game.

All other access is limited to foot traffic only an no hunting is allowed while farm machinery is present. CHAP is a cooperative effort between private landowners and Game, Fish and Parks to provide limited public hunting access on private land Landowners who enroll in CHAP control the amount of hunter use at a given time, set special provisions for use, and place restrictions on game species allowed to be harvested.

For more information or assistance, visit the Habitat Pays website. EHAP's purpose is to increase hunter harvest; specifically on private lands with higher than landowner-tolerable elk use. Private land anywhere in the Black Hills elk hunting units will be considered. Access to the property how many, when, and where is controlled by the enrolled landowner.

This allows the hunting to take place where the best chance of success is, as well as with the best chance to diminish elk depredation.

GFP does not sign the boundaries as with walk-in areas , nor are maps of the enrolled properties made available. GFP provides the contact information for participating landowners upon request. License holders are responsible for making contact with the landowner, and making arrangements to hunt the enrolled property.

As a vast majority of South Dakota is privately owned; farmers, ranchers and other private landowners are the principal stewards of wildlife resources and the habitats in which they depend.

The Landowners Matter newsletter is printed and distributed twice a year; April 1 and October 1 and is mailed to approximately 14, South Dakota landowners. Spring In addition to providing recreational opportunity, deer and pronghorn hunting seasons are the primary tool available to affect population numbers.

Management objectives strive to maximize sustainable recreational opportunity, while ensuring the population does not exceed the capacity of the land to support wildlife nor exceed the social tolerance in an area. Determining the social tolerance requires an understanding of stakeholder desires to increase, maintain or decrease deer and pronghorn populations across hunting units, and one of the most important stakeholder groups are landowners.

In addition, landowners are encouraged to provide feedback regarding deer and pronghorn populations by completing a landowner opinion form or contact staff directly. The most recent management objectives are found within the landowner opinion form as a reference and an example of these objectives is found below.

The GFP Commission will establish hunting seasons for deer and pronghorn in for the next two years. Your input is appreciated and will be considered in staff recommendations for consideration by the GFP Commission. These staff work directly with landowners and producers to reduce or alleviate wildlife damage such as: livestock losses, damage to stored-feed supplies and hay, damage to growing crops, as well as damage to personal property.

These staff are trained to work with all types of wildlife damage, from coyotes to elk. They also conduct educational programs on sport trapping as a form of recreation and its importance in the management of furbearers. Programs can be given in classrooms, meeting halls, summer camps or other group meeting locations.

For more information on the below programs please contact your local Wildlife Damage Specialist. As a result of this review and staff discussions, Game, Fish and Parks GFP developed a strategic plan specific to the issues of wildlife damage management and GFP is seeking input on the plan.