Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Predator Bounty Controversy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission adopts Iron Creek no-wake zone amid heated public opposition to nest predator bounty program
Summary
The commission finalized a no-wake designation for Iron Creek Lake; during open forum dozens of speakers from conservation groups, humane organizations and citizens urged the commission to defund or end the Nest Predator Bounty Program and to prioritize nonlethal wildlife-damage solutions.
The South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Commission voted to finalize a no-wake public water zoning for Iron Creek Lake after staff and online commenters described safety and user-conflict concerns.
Sam Skeloff, the department’s law enforcement chief, described Iron Creek Lake as a 24-acre lake with about 35 acres of department-owned property where agency work with private landowners and campground operators has restored shoreline access and removed unsightly docks. "What I have before you today is just a finalization, for public water to make, Iron Creek Lake a no wake zone," he said. Commissioner Whitmire moved the finalization, Commissioner Cole seconded, and the motion passed by voice vote.
The meeting’s open forum featured extensive testimony about the Nest Predator Bounty Program and the department’s Wildlife Damage Management Action Plan. Speakers representing conservation and humane groups, local chapters and individuals uniformly criticized the bounty program as ineffective, unscientific, and cruel. Paul Lepasto of the Isaac Walton League told commissioners the organization "remains opposed to spending license dollars on it because to date, there is absolutely no scientific data to show that there has been any increased nest success, added bird numbers as a result of this program." Nancy Hilding, president of the Prairie Hills Audubon Society, urged the commission to stop the program and recommended greater emphasis on nonlethal measures.
Other speakers — including Jeanette Moore, Jill Fritz of Humane World for Animals, and multiple local residents — raised similar objections: that the program wastes public license funds, risks orphaning dependent young, and teaches harmful practices to youth. Several commenters noted that the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee recommended halving program funding during the legislative session. Commissioners heard questions about the balance between lethal and nonlethal methods in the wildlife damage plan and were asked to report how many animals are killed by species, by method, and at what cost.
The open forum did not produce a formal vote on the bounty program at this meeting; multiple speakers requested that the commission reduce or eliminate funding and increase investment in habitat and nonlethal conflict prevention. The commission moved forward with the Iron Creek Lake no-wake finalization and continued its schedule with remaining agenda items.
