Friday, May 16 is the 8th annual Endangered Species Day - a day set aside to celebrate our nation’s wildlife and wild places.
South Dakota has birds, fish, reptiles, mammals, and more on its rare, threatened, and endangered animals list including the whooping crane, the pallid sturgeon, and the black-footed ferret.
Nancy Hilding is the President of South Dakota’s Prairie Hills Audubon Society. She says local environmental and conservation groups are getting together and holding an informational meeting this evening in Rapid City.
“We educate about the species, the actions that need to be taken to recover the species, but it’s also partly a celebration of conservation efforts and an honoring of all the good work people are doing to conserve the species,” says Hilding.
Hilding says speakers at the event will address the northern long-eared bat, the sage grouse, and the effects of pollution on South Dakota wildlife. The event is being held at the Rapid City School Admin Building at 6 pm. Hilding says the public is welcome to attend.