10/01/2009
Conservationists in South Dakota Win Prestigious Award
EDGEFIELD, S.C.— The South Dakota State Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) and NWTF Regional Biologist Jared McJunkin recently received the 2009 National Grasslands Project Partner Award from the United States Forest Service (USFS) for taking a leadership role on a continuing riparian restoration project in northwestern South Dakota.
"The banks of western waterways, or riparian areas, have become infested with invasive plants that out-compete native vegetation, such as cottonwoods, willows and other native trees, grasses and shrubs," said McJunkin. "This project has made significant improvements to these riparian areas in the region."
The annual award is presented to individuals or groups that initiate programs and projects that support the interests of the USFS's National Grasslands Council.
"The award is special because it signifies all the NWTF's volunteers can accomplish when working together with partners to address significant threats to wildlife and habitat," said McJunkin. "Many species of wildlife, including wild turkeys, rely on the habitats found in riparian areas, including stands of cottonwood trees to provide locations for roosting and seclusion."
After identifying a downward trend in the overall health and condition of riparian areas in the northern Great Plains region, the NWTF and its partners designed the project to learn more about the best riparian area management and restoration practices. These practices include building fences around riparian areas, planting cottonwood trees and other practices. The project also teaches area landowners how to improve the riparian areas on their properties for wildlife.
Through the Federation's Northern Plains Riparian Restoration Initiative, NWTF volunteers and agency partners are working cooperatively to improve cottonwood stands along creeks and rivers. These improvements will benefit game and non-game species including wild turkeys, bald eagles and many types of waterfowl and mammals.
The USFS's Grand River Ranger District, the Tatanka Resource Conservation and Development Council, area Conservation Districts and South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks also played major roles in the success of the project.
The project also received the NWTF's 2009 Conservation District Partner of the Year Award at the National Association of Conservation Districts annual meeting in New Orleans earlier this year.
The NWTF is dedicated to the conservation of the wild turkey and the preservation of the hunting tradition. The Federation has a membership of 358,000 people in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Together, the NWTF's partners, sponsors and grassroots members have raised and spent more than $286 million upholding hunting traditions and conserving nearly 14 million acres of wildlife habitat.
