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6/7/2006
Pierre Capital Journal - Op-Ed; South Dakota’s Prairie Wilderness – A Sportsman’s Paradise in Need of Protection
- Chris Hesla

Media outlets around the country are currently reporting on the growing coalitions of what once might have been considered "strange bedfellows"– hunters and conservationists. The latest issue of the national magazine Washington Monthly, for example, includes a piece citing the successful efforts of sportsmen's groups affiliated with the National Wildlife Federation to stop an 11th-hour amendment to the budget last fall that would have opened up millions of acres of public lands – including wilderness – to development. "This victory marked a telling moment of cooperation between hunters and environmentalists," writes author Christina Larson – "a working partnership once as unlikely as Madeleine Albright and Jesse Helms."

Here in South Dakota, sportsmen and conservationists working together is old news. The South Dakota Wildlife Federation was one of the first members of the South Dakota Grasslands Wilderness Coalition – and remain a strong partner in this group of hunters, ranchers, Native American tribes, local business owners – and yes, conservationists.

Hunters recognize that, as renowned sportsman Theodore Roosevelt once wrote, “Hunting in the wilderness is of all pastimes the most attractive. …The wilderness hunter must not only show skill in the use of a rifle and address in finding and approaching game, but he must also show the qualities of hardihood, self-reliance, and the resolution needed for effectively grappling with his wild surroundings.” Today, Mr. Roosevelt might just as easily describe the skills that “she” shows in tracking an elk across the plain.

Hunting in South Dakota is changing in other ways, as well, but there is still no place I would rather experience hunting than here in my home state. Hunting for many years has given me an understanding of the direct connection between an animal’s habitat and its ability to survive. And over the years, I have seen too much of that habitat – our unique grasslands, wetlands and special places – disappear: plowed under, developed, or sacrificed to off-road vehicle abuse.

I realized at an early stage in my life that our natural resources needed to be protected and managed in ways to guarantee their future, not only for today – but for our grandchildren. It became very obvious that wildlife needed healthy habitat – and if you can ensure they had that, Mother Nature would take care of the rest, and we’d continue to enjoy our abundance of deer, antelope, grouse, porcupines, songbirds, eagles and piping plover that call this state home.

Our wild lands are not just good for wildlife and sportsmen and women; they are also good for business. Nearly two of every 10 residents of the Rushmore State hunt, and 22 percent fish. Hunters and anglers – residents and visitors combined – spend $367 million to pursue those activities in this state each year. We spend $93 million just on pheasant hunting alone. That’s real money.

We are fortunate in South Dakota to have world-class big game hunting, and epole come from all over to experience hunting on America’s prairie. I want to see this tradition passed down. But it won’t happen if there’s no prairie. My concern over preserving the hunting tradition and our excellent hunting opportunities here led to my volunteering for the South Dakota Wildlife Federation (SDWF) for 15 years and working for them for the last seven. The SDWF has been around since 1945, and today, with 3,500 members and 17 affiliate groups, we are a strong voice for conservation issues.

Our members – hunters from across this state – understand that getting off the beaten path and into our rugged wild areas is where we can find the very best places to enjoy our sport.

For this reason, the Federation has for years been an active member of the coalition of citizens working to conserve some of South Dakota’s southwestern wild lans just as they are – and just as they were when Lewis and Clark came upon their beauty 200 years ago. The U.S. Forest Service has recognized the unique qualities of this wilderness, and four years ago recommended protection for two areas – Indian Creek and Red Shirt, outside of Rapid City. Citizens have built on these recommendations, adding two other worthy areas for wilderness consideration – First Black Canyon and the Cheyenne River area.

These areas could provide a true pioneer hunting experience – and possibly some of the best muley and antelope hunting in the country. And their colorful striped buttes, amazing plateaus, rolling hills and scenic river breaks are treasured by hikers, campers, horseback riders, canoeists, photographers and birdwatchers, as well.

Several years ago, the South Dakota Wildlife Federation helped sponsor a statewide poll about wilderness, because we wanted to know how our neighbors and folks across the state felt about our wild lands. We weren’t surprised by the results. More than eight in 10 residents (83 percent) favored wilderness, with even stronger support in the four-county Black Hills area, where wilderness support reached 88.5 percent.

South Dakotans are rightly proud of ouru prairie legacy. We know that conserving some of it in its wild state is an important natural gift we can pass down to our future hunters, campers, hikers, anglers and birdwatchers. Let’s work together to ensure their grasslands heritage.

Chris Hesla, executive director
South Dakota Wildlife Federation, based in Pierre