Wildlife Habitat in the James River Valley, South Dakota

A wildlife habitat inventory was conducted on the 12 485 ha study area of the James River floodplain in north-eastern South Dakota. Included were vegetation mapping, small mammal trapping, waterfowl breeding pair counts, waterfowl brood counts, bird census routes, and general observations. Natural vegetation consisted of 3181 ha of grassland, 2002 ha of woodland, 1115 ha of savannah, and 392 ha of marshland. Small mammal trapping revealed low densities of mostly white-footed mice (Peromyscus spp.). No vegetation type was more valuable to small mammals than any other. Waterfowl breeding pairs, mostly mallard, blue-winged teal, and wood duck, numbered 244 in 1974 and 638 in 1975, a record flood year. Counts on bird census routes showed 138 species of birds using them, with the majority being summer residents in the woodlands. Other observations showed four double-crested cormorant and great blue heron rookeries, several nesting red-tailed and Swainson’s hawks, number valuable dead trees that often formed jams in the river, and a general condition of excessive grazing on the area. The dynamic condition of the river channel on the study area appeared to enhance the value of the floodplain to wildlife although overgrazing and flooding were preventing the full potential of the floodplain as wildlife habitat from developing.