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north. They strip vegetation and alter the soil chemistry, making it difficult for plants to replenish, said Rocco Murano, senior waterfowl biologist for the department.
• Murano said the federal officials have been watching these geese since the late 1990s, coordinating efforts to reduce their numbers.
• Commissioner H. Paul Dennert asked department officials if the 50 geese limit might lead to waste and whether there are other methods of population control.
• "This is the first step. It may not have a real big impact on the population," said Tony Leif, director of the Division of Wildlife in the department.
• He said if the state makes this effort, other population control mechanisms may be more socially acceptable in the future.
• Commissioners also gave initial approval to changes in duck licenses, which will likely allow for more blue-winged teal harvesting in the first 16 days of the season. The waterfowl proposals, including duck and light geese will be open for public comment at the commission's August meeting, which will take place in Fort Pierre like the current meeting.
• After receiving public comment Tuesday, commissioners finalized the antelope hunting season, reducing the number of resident licenses by 27 percent.
• Game, Fish and Parks officials hope to increase antelope numbers in the state from around 55,000 to 68,000, give or take 15 percent. These animals, also called pronghorns, are most densely concentrated in the Northwestern part of the state. Department staff updated the state's management plan for antelope, which commissioners are reviewing.
• Plans to finalize the wild turkey hunting season were delayed, as the commission voted to make a change that requires public comment. Because the population has been declining, commissioners voted to allow 2 instead of 5 licenses per person.
• Other changes already in place reduced the size of the hunting area for turkeys and shortened the season by a month.
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• BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) -- Residents of the Dakotas may be noticing hazy skies this week as smoke from wildfires in Canada's Northwest Territories has made its way south to the U.S.
• Adam Jones with the National Weather Service in Bismarck says strong northwestern winds have brought the smoke to North Dakota and South Dakota. The Northwest territories are about approximately 1,000 miles northwest of Bismarck.
• Jones says because the wildfires are so big, large amounts of smoke have been traveling high into the atmosphere. The upper layers of the atmosphere have strong

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