Brookings wildlife group to hear about declining snow goose population

BROOKINGS The Brookings Wildlife Federation will host Charles Dieter, professor emeritus at SDSU at its Infolunch on Dec. 6 at noon.

Dieter will talk about snow goose hunting regulations, specifically the conservation order that began in 1999 to reduce what was thought to be an over-abundant population of snow geese.

Dieter asks, Is it time to cancel the conservation order that has hunters harvesting thousands of snow geese?”

The Infolunch will be at the Brookings County Outdoor Adventure Center, 2810 22nd Ave. A light buffet will be available for a free-will offering.

Dieter, a retired SDSU wildlife professor, is well- known because of his conservation columns in the Brookings Register (in the past) and his current monthly articles in Dakota Country Magazine. He is the South Dakota Wildlife Federations regional representative from the Brookings region.

Dieters recent articles in the federations newsletter titled SDWF Out-of-doors (July-August issue) about snow goose hunting alerted federation members to the unintended consequences of the conservation order, which has been in effect for 25 years.

The federal conservation order allows birds to be harvested in both spring and fall with liberal hunting methods. This issue has been briefly discussed at previous BWF Infolunches, but at Fridays session, Dieter will fill in the details

Dieter maintains that the snow goose population has declined greatly, perhaps indicating that the order should be canceled because hunters have accomplished their assigned conservation mission, which was reducing the over-abundant snow goose population.

But he also gives shocking reasons why the conservation order might not end, and he has an opinion about what the modern snow goose hunts have done to hunting ethics a generational change in hunter ethics from fair chase to slaughter.

However, canceling the order may be difficult because of push-back from the outfitter industry (many from out-of-state) that has developed to guide snow goose hunts. The SDWF is always concerned with commercialization and privatization of wildlife, which is a public resource.

The BWF is affiliated with the South Dakota Wildlife Federation and the National Wildlife Federation. The BWF is in its 44th year of supplying conservation information and activities to the Brookings community. For more information, contact BWF President Bob Kurtz at 605-695-1361.