General Stuff For those of you who don't know, we have a number of seasonal positions currently or soon to be advertised for the summer of 2004. Please let people who you know who may contact you about eh following positions: two positions for Cave and Karst Inventory, one position for Disturbed Land Inventory, two positions for Native Seed Mixes, three positions for Vegetation Management, and three positions for Exotic Plant Management. Biological Sciences - Wildlife Management
Four deer that had been previously collared were captured in the Boland Ridge area. In all, 24 collars (20 GPS and 4 VHF) were deployed. One of the deer subsequently tested positive for CWD and was killed by park staff on January 31. We now have 39 collared animals being tracked as a part of the study. The operation went very well. Thanks for all the help from each division and to the Great Plains Fire Module for funding the S-271 class. All the advanced planning and preparation paid off in that there were no mishaps or injuries. Physical Sciences Marc has completed the majority of restoration work in the Fairgrounds area of Wind Cave. This consisted of brushing, scooping, and hauling about 1200 pounds of lint/dust out of the cave, as well as washing former buried surfaces. Marc will be continuing restoration work throughout the winter with help from Interpretation. This work will focus on removing lint, hair, and other material shed from the trail along the Fairgrounds tour. The upcoming issue of the NPS Inside Earth newsletter has an article from Marc entitled "Twenty-seven Years of Radon Monitoring in Wind Cave" and will be out soon. This can be viewed at: www2.nature.nps.gov/geology/caves/newsletter.htm. Resource Information Management In mid-January, Bill Koncerak conducted a meeting/demo explaining our GIS data structure, available software and methods of work. Those who attended received a lot of good information as to the ins and outs of the Park GIS. Please contact Bill if you need assistance. Comments and feedback about Resource Ramblings are encouraged and can be made to Dan Foster, in person, or via email. |
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The first photo
documentation of a black-backed woodpecker in the Park was made
by Dale Gentry in December of 2003. The woodpecker was observed
just south of Rankin Ridge fire tower. Dale is a PhD candidate
working with Dr. Kerri Vierling on cavity using species in post-fire
successional pine forests. Black-backed woodpeckers are a secretive
and rare North American woodpecker closely tied to recently burned
forest habitat. This woodpecker is monitored by the South Dakota
Natural Heritage Program.
The final deer
capture operation took place of 14 January 2004, as 24 mule dee
(8 males, 16 females) were captured in the park using a net gun
from a helicopter. The operation began around 07:30 and ended
around 14:00. The first deer was captures in the western port
of the park and the remaining deer were captured on the eastern
side of the park.