Dear supporters, especially the people of the Great Plains (South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, Minnesota, and Montana)

On 02/05/2025 we secured the introduction of the house bill 1262 aimed at terminating the unprecedentedly cruel bloody slaughter, that has been ongoing in South Dakota since 2019 - the Nest Predator Bounty Program (NPBP). Bill 1262 has bipartisan support, with backing from 10 legislators across 7 legislative districts, and declares a state of emergency for the South Dakota legislative session of 2025. It would immediately enact the amendments to the law if passed. If passed.

Hearing are scheduled for next Tuesday morning, 02/18/2025. Our current challenge is to convey our concerns to all South Dakota legislators from residents of all legislative districts. If you share our views and want to be a part of the campaign, please send a message to your legislators, urging them to join as co-sponsors of the bill or simply vote 'yes' to pass Bill 1262. See simple instructions below how to do this. We need your voice to terminate NPBP.

Feel free contacting us via phone or e-mail, if you need more information.

Nancy: phas.wsd@rapidnet.com, nhilshat@rapidnet.com, +1(605)787-6466 (landline), https://phas-wsd.org/sd-nest-predator-bounty-program/

Alexey: alexey.egorov.jr@gmail.com +1(605)736-3929, https://chng.it/c4KnXJDhZd

1. Find your legislative district and your legislators. If you are not South Dakota resident, you may choose any Legislative District and any South Dakota senator/representative.
2. Send a message to your legislators via either e-mail addresses or their phone & urge them to support House Bill 1262. A brief message written in your own words will be better. Do not write so long message, even a couple of sentences would be enough. Or, you can use one of our templates, if you wish:

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Dear Senator/Representative _______,
In 2019 Game, Fish and Parks (GFP) created the Nest Predator Bounty Program (NPBP), aimed to boost pheasant and duck populations by paying bounties to trappers to kill native predators that eat the eggs and hatchlings. The GFP has spent >4 million dollars over 6 years, and has approved further expenditure of at least a million for 2 more years. In the sixth year (in 2024), the GFP Commission acknowledges that there is no data indicating that the NPBP has increased the pheasant population. Statewide (and even county-wide) predator bounty programs do not work, as shown in countless examples in other states in the XX Century and in recent scientific studies. The NPBP’s impact on predators in SD is too diffuse to work. A better alternative is implementing habitat improvement projects, which i) have proven effective and less expensive to increase ground nesting bird population; ii) can be cost shared at a rate of 50% to over 75% through a variety of programs.
The effort has led to the senseless killing of >290,000 indigenous animals (raccoons, striped skunks, badgers, opossums, and red fox), and >500,000 cubs. In 2019-2021 GFP received hundreds of public comments on the NPBP (>90% were opposed); private and joint letters from NGOs on behalf of thousands of members opposed to NPBP. Objections to this program by the general public and NGOs have been ignored by GFP, so I urge you to support House Bill 1262 in the 2025 legislative session to stop the program.
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Dear Senator/Representative _______,
As a South Dakotan [or your state], I respectfully ask that you support HB 1262 (https://sdlegislature.gov/Session/Bill/26187 a bill to end the Nest Predator Bounty Program.
The Nest Predator Bounty Program wastes over $500,000 yearly. It is questionable if bounty programs work to reduce predator populations, however the Nest Predator Bounty Program’s impacts are too diffuse, over too large an area to actually work. Habitat improvement is an alternative that works.
This program has wasted over 4 million dollars in the last six years and intends to waste a million more in the next two years. If you want to increase nesting success of ground nesting birds, there are much better and cost-effective alternatives.
Please vote yes to pass HB 1262,
Thank You,
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