Segways on the Mickelson trail.

Hunting seasons for mountain lions and antelope.

A new Game, Fish & Parks regional office complex and outdoor learning center in Rapid City.

Those are just three of a broader selection of issues facing the state Game, Fish & Parks Commission, which meets Thursday, July 10, in Rapid City.

The commission, which typically comes to Custer State Park for its May meeting, is making a relatively rare appearance in town for its July meeting. And commissioner Jeff Olson of Rapid City hopes citizens will take advantage of the chance to sit in, listen and raise issues of concern.

"The GF&P Commission meets once a month to take input from our stakeholders - hunters, fishermen, landowners and all those who recreate outdoors," Olson said Monday. "We hear from many of these users through e-mail. But the best forum is at our public meetings. We like to hear from the public face to face."

The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. Thursday in the Sylvan One room at Best Western Ramkota Hotel and Convention Center. But the first hour is scheduled for an executive session, from which the public and reporters are barred.

In open session, commissioners are scheduled to take action on the staff document explaining and affirming changes made in the 2008 mountain lion season. Opponents of the changes have requested that statement, which GF&P Wildlife Division assistant director George Vandel of Pierre said is "an available option in the rules process."

"We don't have any problem with that," Vandel said.

The statement will address only the changes in the season. Those include opening the season later in the year and establishing a special lion permit for landowners living outside of the Black Hills.

Landowners already can kill a lion that is a safety threat to them or their livestock. The new permit would allow landowners on their own property to kill a lion at will, following other hunting season rules.

The commission will take final action on a series of hunting seasons. They include the firearms antelope hunt, for which GF&P is planning to authorize up to 49,484 antelope tags - a record number - in hopes of trimming the burgeoning state herd.

Vandel said there are about 85,000 antelope in South Dakota now. Last year, hunters killed 15,000 of the swift prairie animals - the most in more than 20 years. And still, antelope keep expanding their numbers and range.

"With the good reproduction and high recruitment rates we have with antelope, they've basically reproduced faster than we can harvest them," Vandel said. "There's just lots of antelope out there."

At 2 p.m. Thursday, the commission will have a public hearing on the antelope season and others set to be finalized this month. It will follow with a proposal for waterfowl hunting seasons.

Not on the agenda but possibly to be discussed are the prohibition of Segways - electric, upright, two-wheeled scooters - on the state's Mickelson Trails in the Black Hills and ongoing negotiations to acquire land in Rapid City for a new GF&P regional office complex and outdoor learning center.

GF&P staffers are discussing the land deal with Rapid City businessman Stan Adelstein. The Segway issue came up last week when GF&P officials told an area tour company that it couldn't take patrons on the Mickelson trail on Segways.

If you go Who: South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks Commission

What: July meeting

When: 11 a.m. Thursday, July 10

Where: Sylvan One, Best Western Ramkota Hotel, Rapid City

From the agenda: License sales report

11 a.m.:

12:30 p.m.: Revenue and visitation reports, Roughlock Falls dedication information, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, opportunity for public comment

2 p.m.: Public hearing, followed by finalization of antelope, East River deer, refuge deer, early fall Canada geese, youth waterfowl and mentored youth hunting seasons

Other issues to follow: Propose waterfowl seasons, depredation hunts, statement of reasons for mountain lion season changes, boating officer of year, HuntSafe instructor and team of year

Contact Kevin Woster at 394-8413 or kevin.woster@rapidcityjournal.com