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f* SOUTH DAKOTA 



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General description: South Dakota lies within a 300 square mile area, known as 



Q the pothole region, which extends from central Canada into the north-central 



X United States. The region is typically dotted with small lakes, around and within 



t which shallow and deep marshes develop (Red Lake). In addition, there are also 



O extensive sloughs, such as Cottonwood and Clubhouse, where extensive marshes 



W have developed in shallow elongated depressions. The vegetation of these 



marshy areas includes cattails, bulrushes, spikerushes, and smartweeds. From 



the state wetland inventories (Best 1963; Fredrickson 1967a, b), fresh deep and 



shallow marshes represent the typical wetland types, although those with high 



salt concentrations also occur. Ungar (1970) describes the saline areas in 



Codington and Day counties located on the Dissected Till Plain in the eastern 



part of the state. He recognized seven community types associated with Bitter 



and Stink lakes. These include: Salicornia rubra, Puccinellia nuttalliana, dwarf 



Distichlis stricta, Scirpus paludosus, Distichlis stricta — Hordeum jubatum, 



Potamogeton pectinatus, and prairie. Here sulfates make up 50% of the soil's 



total ionic concentration. The species distribution surrounding these lakes shows 



a distinctive zonation, which appears to be primarily due to differential salt 



tolerance. 



Status of the wetlands: Wetland inventories of three counties in eastern South 

 Dakota give some indication of wetland status (Best 1963; Fredrickson 1967a, 

 b). Of the 6574 natural wetlands in Deuel County, including primarily marshes 

 and open water, drainage had affected 117 (Fredrickson 1967b). In Marshall 

 County, 15,943 natural wetlands were reported, with 509 affected by drainage 

 (Fredrickson 1967a). In Brown County, 21,634 were reported, 457 affected by 

 drainage (Best 1963). It is within this prairie pothole country that wetland 

 destruction has been especially severe, in part by the government farm price 

 support policy (Goldstein 1971 ). It is hoped that this policy will be modified in 

 the near future since the prairie pothole complex represents a unique resource 

 in North America. 



Source of data: Data have been supplied by Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife 

 personnel. 



Recommendations: In the prairie pothole region, Lynn Lake, Lake Thompson, 

 and Red Lake all represent sizeable tracts with some type of state control on 

 portions of the acreage. The least disturbed appears to be the 8872-acre Lake 

 Thompson area. Lynn Lake is threatened by competing agricultural uses and 

 Red Lake by water diversion. Among the three sloughs reported, Club House 

 Slough and the contiguous Cottonwood Slough comprise nearly a 20,000-acre 

 wetland with ownership divided between the state and private interests. Buffalo 

 Slough, a 600-acre tract, represents a smaller wetland complex under state 

 ownership. At least one of these sloughs should be included as a Natural Land- 

 mark. 



Of the alkaline areas, Bitter Lake, a 4000-acre tract studied by Ungar ( 1970), 

 appears to be least threatened. The shoreline is state owned. Swan Lake, a 

 2000-acre area owned by the state, should also be investigated. At least one 

 saline wetland type should be included as a Natural Landmark. Wall Lake 

 located at the headwaters of the Crow Creek drainage is a flat-bottomed, shal- 

 low lake with marshy vegetation. It should be field inspected to obtain further 

 details on the nature of the marsh vegetation. 



