Dept. of Game, Fish and Parks
For Immediate Release: Wednesday, May 30, 2001
For more information: Emmett Keyser, 773-4607

SOUTH DAKOTANS RECEIVE RECOGNITION FROM WILDLIFE SOCIETY

PIERRE – The South Dakota Chapter of The Wildlife Society (TWS) recently recognized three individuals for their contributions to management of South Dakota’s wildlife and other natural resources. Arden Petersen, regional supervisor for Game, Fish and Parks in Sioux Falls, Dr. Jim Johnson, Extension Range Management Specialist for South Dakota State University in Rapid City and Dr. Gary Larson, Professor of Biology and Curator of the C.A. Taylor Herbarium for South Dakota State University in Brookings were this year’s recipients.

Arden Petersen received this year's Chapter Professional Award. Petersen began his career as a wildlife professional with Game, Fish and Parks in the early 1980s, following graduation from South Dakota State University. He served first as a Game, Fish and Parks conservation officer in Howard, S.D. and was promoted to assistant regional supervisor for land management in 1988, overseeing public land management activities in Region 3, encompassing a twenty county area of southeast South Dakota. 

In the late 1990s, Petersen was promoted to Regional Supervisor for the administrative region, which encompasses southeast South Dakota and has served in that capacity over the past four years. In this role, Petersen supervises over 30 employees and provides oversight to fish, wildlife and habitat management efforts as well as the law enforcement and public relations functions of the Wildlife Division.

In nominating Petersen for the Professional Award, Wildlife Division Assistant Director Emmett Keyser said, "Arden was involved in many aspects of fish and wildlife management while serving in each of these positions. Throughout his career, all of his supervisors have recognized his drive to excel, his outstanding work ethic and a strong dedication to South Dakota's fish and wildlife resources."

In the early 1990s, Game Fish and Parks began work on an ambitious project with the City of Sioux Falls and the Sioux Falls Sertoma Club to bring outdoor educational opportunities to Sioux Falls. "Arden served as a key member of this ‘Outdoor Campus" project development team, and was also instrumental in the development of the habitat plantings at The Outdoor Campus site," Keyser said. "Because of Arden’s attention to detail and ability to work well with others, he was a key player in helping this important project move forward and become a reality."

The year’s "Citizen Award" was given to two individuals, Dr. Jim Johnson and Dr. Gary Larson, in recognition of their dedication to educating and informing natural resource professionals on the importance of management and conservation of native plants and grasslands in South Dakota. Their specific works include: Grassland Plants of South Dakota and the Northern Great Plains and Plants of the Black Hills and Bear Lodge Mountain. 

In recognizing the long and arduous hours Johnson and Larson spent collecting specimens and putting the reference books together, Ken Parr, Bureau of Reclamation, said, "Jim and Gary are to be commended for their efforts in putting this important collection of information into the hands of natural resource management professionals, students and others. These books are critically important reference guides and can be found on the bookshelves of nearly every resource professional who manages grasslands and other types of natural habitats found on the northern Great Plains." 

Dr. Jim Johnson is Professor of Range Science and an Extension Range Management Specialist with South Dakota State University at Rapid City. Jim works with extension educators, livestock producers, youth range judging teams and other natural resource specialists advising them on a wide variety of resource management issues. 

He has been a key player in several venues and has facilitating citizen involvement efforts on many contentious issues, including the management of prairie dogs in southwestern South Dakota.

Dr. Gary Larson is Professor of Biology and Curator of South Dakota State University’s C.A. Taylor Herbarium. Larson teaches agrostology, plant systematics, range plants and aquatic plants courses and coaches the SDSU Range Plant Identification Team.

Both men have been instrumental in providing educational training opportunities to Native American tribes in South Dakota. Gary Larson has helped train tribal conservation officers, biologists and technicians in botany and wetland plant identification as a part of the Native American Fish and Wildlife Society workshops at SDSU. Jim Johnson has provided range management training to tribal natural resource managers on the Pine Ridge Reservation. "These two individuals have been a great help to natural resource managers and serve as a real asset to the people of South Dakota. They are truly deserving of this prestigious recognition," said Parr.

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