Izaak Walton League of America, Rapid City SD Chapter #105

06/19/2026

This guy's nickname, Big Bird, has been around for while now, but it’s time we give him a proper name!

Just as this bird has made history at BHRC, we want to acknowledge the history of the Black Hills, Paha Sapa. We collected names from a few Lakota friends, and have narrowed the options. Now, we’re asking for your help to choose one that best suits this great raptor.

Big Bird was thought to be struck by a vehicle which caused blindness in one eye. We came to find that he actually was shot, and survived many pellet shots in his body. Some of these Lakota words were chosen for his story.

🦅 Akicita (ah-KEE-chee-tah): meaning warrior, protector of the people
🦅 Cante (chun-TAY): heart
🦅 Itan (ee-DAHN): to be proud
🦅 Woape (woh-AH-pay): hope
🦅 Zuya (ZOO-yah): a philosophical term, referring to the walk and path of life and its journey

Vote online for the name you like best. You can vote as much as you wish before July 3, and his name will be announced on July 4, our country’s 250th anniversary. https://www.blackhillsraptorcenter.org/name-our-newest-bird/

06/19/2026

06/19/2026

06/19/2026

06/17/2026

The ruling, which affects thousands of leases across the Great Plains, will not go into effect immediately to give the Trump administration a chance to

06/17/2026

Saturday evening the Trinity Echo Prayer Park celebrated their tenth anniversary. The Ike's were invited to set up a table and share conservation information. We met several new people and discussed clean water and the Black Hills. The event concluded with a performance by Grace Music. If you could not attend, you missed a great evening. 's Tacos RC fed the crowd.

06/16/2026

ATTENTION: This is a reminder that it's still primary ground nesting season. Ground nesting season runs through August 1st.

Many of our native species in Illinois ground nest in our grasslands and CRP. Species like pheasant, quail, turkey, killdeer are some of our well known ground nesters, but there are even more that you may not be aware of. The majority of our native sparrows, meadowlarks, nighthawks, the bobolink, and even a bird of prey species, the northern harrier, are ground nesters. Some of these species are considered endangered in Illinois!

Please refrain from mowing areas these ground nesting wildlife may reside! Be vigilant and keep a lookout while doing other maintenance activities in these areas during this time.
Photo Credit: Rachel Carroll

06/16/2026

The creature you most want gone from your house is the one keeping the flies, mosquitoes, and roaches out of it.

North America has thousands of spider species, and nearly every one is harmless to you. Spiders aren't out to bite people — they're shy, they want to avoid anything your size, and they bite only when trapped against skin. Of all those species, just two groups are worth learning to recognize: the recluses, which live only in the south-central US, and the widows. Both are reclusive and stay out of the way.

Here's the part doctors keep pointing out: most "spider bites" were never spiders. Brown recluses get blamed for wounds across the whole country, including regions where they don't even live — and when those wounds are actually tested, the most common culprit is a MRSA skin infection, not a bite. A confirmed spider bite is the rare exception.

Everything else is quietly working for you. Spiders are the most important insect controllers in a yard, eating the flies, mosquitoes, gnats, and garden pests you'd otherwise be swatting or spraying. And their silk is so strong — pound for pound, several times tougher than steel — that hummingbirds bind their tiny nests together with it.

🕷️ What's already hunting near you:
- The little spider on the wall that swivels to look at you is a jumping spider — sharp-eyed, web-free, and out hunting flies on foot in daylight
- The big wheel-shaped web on the porch each morning belongs to an orb-weaver; she often eats it and rebuilds it overnight, and it's catching the gnats you'd be swatting
- The fast brown spider that darts across the floor is a wolf spider, a ground hunter clearing out roaches and crickets — and if it's a female, she may be carrying her young on her back

Two spiders earned the fear. The rest earned the rent 🕸️