Tourism marketing and politics pressured Game Fish and Parks to stop counting pheasants in 2020. But since big-spending birders don’t flock to our private lodges to hear songbirds, and since our Governor hasn’t launched any unscientific and bloodthirsty outdoors initiatives pertaining to our smaller chirpy friends, Game Fish and Parks continues to catch, band, and monitor South Dakota’s songbirds. GF&P biologists Casey Heimerl and Silka Kempema says this research provides valuable scientific data:
“Bird banding is an extremely valuable tool used by wildlife biologists that help us learn a wide variety of information on songbirds using these sites, including life spans, fidelity to breeding locations, migration timing and impacts of changing habitats to bird populations,” Heimerl said.
And banding songbirds is providing researchers with valuable data on both the birds and their environment.
“Bird banding provides the basic biological information needed to effectively conserve a species such as life span and movement — dispersal and migration,” Kempema said. “Long-term banding stations such as ours help paint a more detailed picture of how birds are responding to changes in the environment. Banding stations also provide the cooperation and skill needed for large-scale research projects that require data that is collected from birds that are in-hand — i.e. feather or blood samples” [Del Bartels, “State Songbird Research Helps Track Long-Term Trends,” Pierre Capital Journal, 2021.08.23].
See? When Kristi Noem’s political ploys don’t get in the way, Game Fish and Parks can do some useful science.
Be an interesting read if results are made publicly available.
Well..I should be very careful in my criticism of the GF and P. Thank you Cory for this positive report on the work of talented scientists who dedicate their lives to preserving the wildlife of South Dakota. Preserving wildlife habitat, including public hunting areas, wildlife production areas, and our federal refuges are very important for the future of outdoor activities. We are a wealthy state in terms of wildlife. Let’s keep it that way.
If only they the Game and Fish would disclose all of their financials, that would be great.
Mr. jerry, I, too, wish to see all of the financials of the G F and P. But we should also be considerate to those lifelong public servants, slaving away in the dark corners, where the only enjoyment they get for their minimum wage jobs is the joyous chirps of pretty little birds. And do not get grudznick wrong here, I love little birds.
Still seeing a parade of transient Orioles and catbirds stopping by for grape jelly and water on their trip South. I try to warn them of anti-vaxxers in the South, they refuse to listen to me.