HURON — For the first time in as long as can be remembered, the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks (SDGFP) commission is holding a meeting in Huron.

The two-day meeting is set for Thursday and Friday, Oct. 3 and 4, at the Huron Convention Center and is open to the public.

Former state senator Jim White of Huron, who is nearing the two-year anniversary of his appointment to the commission, was instrumental in bringing the meeting to Huron.

“We are looking forward to being in Huron for our October meeting,” White said. “We have some tours of Huron and the area set for Thursday morning and will open the public commission meeting Thursday afternoon.”

The meeting will continue Friday morning and conclude by noon.

Among the areas set for the commission to tour are the Huron Gun Range, in which the SDGFP has an interest, as well as the Maga-Ta-Hopi Waterfowl Production Area west of Huron and the Dakota Events CompleX (DEX) on the S.D. State Fairgrounds.

While agenda for next week’s meeting is not yet available, White acknowledged that two of the items upon which the commission will seek to take action are possible changes to the mountain lion action plan, as well as the fee and license increases proposed at the September commission meeting in Rapid City.

The commission unanimously endorsed the new fee structure earlier this month, but have taken comments on the proposal throughout September. The deadline for comments on any items for the Oct. 3-4 meeting is 11:59 p.m. on Sunday. Comments may be made through the department’s website: gfp.sd.gov.

White was appointed to the commission by Governor Kristi Noem in 2022, after a career in banking in Huron and several terms in the S.D. Legislature. He said he enjoys serving on the commission .

“Although we are a state agency,” White noted, “Game, Fish and Parks receives minimal tax dollars. We are largely self-sustaining and are very conscious of making the funds we receive achieve our goals.”

White said that the department is split in two areas - Game and Fish - which oversees management of game such as deer, elk, turkeys and pheasants, among others in the state, and the state’s waterways and fishing. “South Dakota is a very popular destination for hunters and fisherman,” White noted. The other arm, Parks, oversees the state’s system of 13 state parks, 43 recreation areas, six nature areas and a trail.

Kevin Robling is the department secretary, with Tom Kirschenmann as the director of wildlife and Jeff VanMeeteren handling directorship of the Parks.

The proposed fee increases address park entrance licenses, camping, boat licenses and some other miscellaneous fees. White said that the increases will re-align South Dakota with neighboring states, as some of the fees proposed have not been adjusted for several years.

“And this isn’t a ‘now, today’ sort of thing,” White said. “The commission is looking at the future when it makes these recommendations.”

One thing on the proposal is a plan to sell outdoors-themed license plates, with the revenue dedicated for habitat conservation. The authority to do so was in a bill adopted by the state legislature in the last session.