State of South Dakota might just say NO to federal law enforcement in the area of wildlife

The controversy between the State of South Dakota and the US Fish and Wildlife Service is heating up again over wildlife officer Bob Prieksat. The latest? According to Kevin Woster at the the Rapid City Journal, the Governor's Chief of Staff is threatening to cancel memorandums of understanding between the state and federal government:
Chief of Staff Rob Skjonsberg said Wednesday that he has given U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials until May 25 to agree to fire or reassign federal warden Bob Prieksat, who has been criticized for alleged heavy handed law-enforcement tactics. If that deadline passes without federal action, Skjonsberg plans to begin dismantling a framework of cooperation – called memorandums of agreement - between the Fish and Wildlife Service and the state Game, Fish & Parks Department.

Those MOAs delegate to state officers federal enforcement authority for a variety of outdoors-related laws, including regulation of aerial hunting, the interstate transportation of illegally taken wildlife or wildlife parts and the protection of migratory birds, endangered species, marine and archaeological resources.

“Everything will come under review. I’m not flinching. I want him gone, and that’s it,” Skjonsberg said. “We do lots and lots of things with the Fish and Wildlife Service. And if there are areas where we can do business without them, they will find out they need us more than we need them.”

Skjonsberg said he would start with MOAs involving wildlife law enforcement but could go beyond those to examine other agreements with the Fish and Wildlife Service for resource management. Skjonsberg said he made his intentions clear Wednesday to Benito Perez, chief of law enforcement for the Fish and Wildlife Service in Arlington, Va., and will take action on the MOAs if nothing is done by the deadline.
Read it all here.

A call for State's Rights or else the state is going to push back? Sounds downright conservative. I wonder if there are any federal MOU's with the Corps of Engineers?

Comments

Anonymous said…
What exactly did this guy do to piss everyone off so badly?
Anonymous said…
Question to ponder:

If Bob Prieksat is so bad why in the world is the state asking for his transfer why are they not asking for DC to investigate and fire him from this department.
Why would someone want to place someone who does a dis-service to the state or federal position in someone else's back yard?

Consider maybe he would be good behind a desk and not out with the general populace maybe he is the guy to help format programs etc.

Not everybody is good working with people.
Anonymous said…
9:05 try and google his name. Look at the Argus Leader or Rapid City Journal but you need to ask a few hunters and land owners to get the scoup.
Anonymous said…
Is this the Storm Clouds thing, it is Friday. Cmon
Anonymous said…
The North Dakota legislature just did something similar to Rounds' announcement of non-cooperation with the feds on an issue.

ND removed its requirement that farmers desiring to plant and grow industrial hemp get a DEA license.

The reason was that the DEA simply refused to issue licenses, although it is within their purview to do so.
Anonymous said…
He arrested most of them for breaking wildlife laws. Granted he does not have a good bedside manner.
I would say that there is a good friend or a Rounds involved?
Look at his arrest convict history, Bob is a very excellent enforcement officer.
The state is acting like a big baby being led by Schonzburg
Anonymous said…
Hey, Gene -

Did you notice that MN just outlawed smoking in bars & restaurants?
Anonymous said…
Skjonsberg has been in over his head since the day he took the job. He's Rounds' hatchet man and gets tapped to play the heavy. Why is Rob taking the lead on this issue and not the GF&P? Because it's Rob's friends who have gotten in trouble.
PP said…
10:37, no, it's not the storm clouds thing. It's so far worse, I can't go into it until it comes out. You'll know it when you see it.
Anonymous said…
“We do lots and lots of things with the Fish and Wildlife Service. And if there are areas where we can do business without them, they will find out they need us more than we need them.”

It's all fun and games until the feds bring out the big guns. Skjonsberg is playing with fire. What is this "if there are areas where we can do business without them"? Maybe he ought to make sure that's the case before he shoots his mouth off.

Even if the feds need our cooperation on Fish & Wildlife issues, let's not forget the federal government has the power to tie federal funds to cooperation. They can coerce legislation (drinking age/speed limits/etc), so I'm guessing they can probably outmanuever the SD Governor's Chief of Staff.

Another note - this seems awfully personal to Skjonsberg. "I'm not flinching. "I want him gone..." Is this some sort of personal pissing contest that could end up being at the expense of South Dakota taxpayers?
Anonymous said…
Wait until next week supports of USFS and detractors of Rob S. Wait until next week...oh yeah, and as far as is known in Pierre no friend of Rob S's or the Gov got arrested by Priekstat, though a good deal of the hunting public was harrassed but the ass.
Anonymous said…
Nobody with a goose camp east of Pierre ever had it's hunters get pinched? Hmmm.....
Anonymous said…
Interesting TID BIT on this blog.
there are 2 post for 9:05 a. I was the second not the first. I still say this is a program glitch not PP's fault, so i would say the problem posting is also a program glitch.

Just a thought.
Anonymous said…
The smoking issue is off topic.

if there was a posted blog post i would take you up on the debate on this issue.
Anonymous said…
12:42 is right. The Minnesota smoking bill is off-issue.

How 'bout it pp? Let's hear your thoughts on the issue, then the rest of ours.
Anonymous said…
You guys can't talk about something without PP's permission?
Anonymous said…
"there are 2 post for 9:05 a. I was the second not the first. I still say this is a program glitch"

Did it ever cross your mind that 2 people might have posted a comment at the same time?
Anonymous said…
Careful, Gene, talking about hemp will get you kicked off this blog.

Don't mess with Mrs. PP.
Anonymous said…
The only thing lacking for Skjonsberg here is support from his boss. Skjonsberg is taking it on the chin because nobody else has the testicular fortitude. Mikey has been pretty quiet letting his "hatchet man" go to war.

Of course it's "personal" it's five years in the making.

And if anyone wants to claim a conspiracy theory of friendship, kinship or any other ship, get off the blog (i.e. your fat tail off the couch with a handful of doritos) and start looking through the clerk of court reports.

I'll bet there isn't a link. Just fed up people and a pissed off Chief of Staff. Good for him. Stay on the sidelines 11:18 or go to the cupboard and get another handful of chips & shuddup!

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