The South Dakota Game Fish and Parks Department has conducted a review of all of the state’s more than 700 game production areas, which totals more than 400,000 acres. Department Secretary Kelly Hepler says the review was conducted in advance of making major improvements to the state’s wildlife production areas. Hepler says the state needs to take the lead with its land management practices before asking farmers and ranchers to do the same.
Hepler said the improvements will be costly.
A common theme that surprised him throughout the review process was that staff held a lower view of the state’s management practices than the public.
Game production areas are state owned lands held in trust for the people of South Dakota. They are most often defined as the sportsmen’s land. When the staff conducted the review three things surfaced from the public as being important. Wanted most within the game production areas are more food plots, more tall grass and wild flowers, and woody habitat such as tree belts. Hepler says all three will be taken into consideration as the state moves to the next phase of game production land management. He says the next step is getting the funding in place so they can follow through. They’re hopeful the public will see the review as a positive step in preserving and managing the state’s wildlife resources.
(KXLG)