PIERRE, S.D.—Maps of South Dakota’s public lands have gone interactive on the Game, Fish and Parks Department Web site. Users interested in finding public lands for hunting, fishing or outdoor recreation will find a wealth of information at www.sdgfp.info/Wildlife/PublicLands/PubLand.htm.

PIERRE, S.D.—Two of the S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Department’s most popular publications are now available to the public.

Watch Pheasants Forever Television on Outdoor Channel, American's Leader in Outdoor TV -- By the time December rolls around in South Dakota, roosters are hard to come by, as you'll see on this week's episode of Pheasants Forever Television, airing on Outdoor Channel on Thursday, Aug. 14th at 10PM CDT / 11PM EDT. The episode will also air on Friday, Aug. 15th at 10AM CDT / 11AM EDT and again on Saturday, Aug. 16th at 5:30PM CDT / 6:30PM EDT.

The S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Commission finalized the state goose hunting seasons at its August meeting amid reports that goose populations remain robust. "There will be a strong population of migrant birds," Wildlife Division Assistant Director George Vandel told commissioners. "Snow geese numbers should still be quite good as well."

As it enters its third and final year, the Hunter's Choice experiment for duck hunters seems to be achieving its desired effects. That's what Game, Fish and Parks Commissioners heard prior to finalizing the state duck hunting season at their August meeting at Fort Sisseton Historic State Park.

At 7 p.m. the amphitheater at Oahe Downstream Recreation Area will host a program highlighting the wild falcons in South Dakota and their relationship to people.  Dr. Gon Sanchez Jr. will be on hand to inform visitors on where the falcons live, what they eat, how to properly observe them, and the falcons’ positive and negative relationship/interactions with people over the years. In addition, Dr. Sanchez will have falcons on hand in order for visitors to get a close and personal look.

On Saturday August 16th, starting at 8:30 p.m. the Oahe Downstream Recreation Area will offer its guests an “Evening with the Owls” Walk in the Park featuring Doug Backlund, a SD Game, Fish & Parks Park employee and local birding authority.

Come learn about South Dakota’s mammals of the night on Saturday, Aug. 9, at the Third Annual South Dakota Bat Festival. The Festival will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Tatanka Theater in the Game Lodge Campground of Custer State Park.   Wildlife experts and enthusiasts will be on hand to give presentations, answer questions and distribute information at this fun, family-orientated event. Bat research equipment and survey methods will be showcased from 8:45 p.m. to 10 p.m. As part of a continuing survey of the area, researchers will be actively capturing bats which visitors will be able to safely view up close.

In addition to their regular business, Game, Fish and Parks Commissioners will get a history lesson when they conduct their August meeting at Fort Sisseton Historic State Park. The commission's agenda for the one-day meeting on Aug. 7 includes a tour of the park, located 10 miles southwest of Lake City. 

The S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Department has announced the grant recipients for this year's No Child Left Inside small grant program.  "We received nearly 60 applications for this year's funding. That was a tremendous response, especially since this was the first year we've offered the program," said Chad Tussing, education services coordinator for the GFP Division of Wildlife. Applications were scored by a team of reviewers. A total of $5,000 was allotted for the small grant program.  Applicants requested amounts between $500 and $1,000 each.

Glenn Sapir, of Putnam Valley, N.Y., was recognized as the National Wild Turkey Federation's 2008 Communicator of the Year recipient during a Professional Outdoor Media Association conference luncheon Saturday, Aug. 2, in Sioux Falls, S.D.

RAPID CITY, S.D.--Following action by the Game, Fish and Parks Commission, a framework of rules is in place to allow mentored youth hunting in South Dakota.

The commission’s action was prompted by a law passed in the last session of the Legislature that established mentored youth hunting. Now the rules are in place to allow youth who are accompanied by a mentor to hunt this fall.

A special Web site offers waterfowl hunters up-to-date information about all four of North America's flyways.  The site, www.Flyways.us <http://www.flyways.us/>, a joint effort of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Canadian Wildlife Service, was developed by biologists and waterfowl manager across the Atlantic, Mississippi, Central and Pacific flyways.

The Game, Fish and Parks Commission approved proposals for the duck and goose hunting seasons at its July meeting in Rapid City. The seasons will be finalized at the commission's August meeting at Fort Sisseton. As proposed, Canada goose hunting along the Missouri River would get a little bit later start. The season in Unit 2, largely those counties along the river and portions of Custer and Fall River counties, would start on Nov. 1 and go through Feb. 13, 2009.

After a record year of antlerless deer donations, South Dakota's Sportsmen Against Hunger Program is expanding to include payments for the processing of doe and fawn antelope. The program will continue to offer a $50 processing certificate for antlerless deer and for 2008 will also offer a $40 processing certificate for doe and fawn antelope. The certificates are available directly from the processors with the majority of participating processors accepting the Sportsman Against Hunger certificate as the full payment for processing. After processing the meat is distributed to families who need meat.