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THREATS TO PRAIRIE DOGS
Prairie dogs are one of the most persecuted animals in Colorado. They are routinely shot, poisoned, and bulldozed, and they are suffering a catastrophic population decline. This is despite the fact that they are one of the most ecologically important animals on the Great Plains. In fact, the prairie dog is a "keystone" species in the prairie ecosystem. Biologists have documented this extensively:
•A Montana study indicates 163 vertebrate species are associated with prairie dog towns. Reading, R.P., et.al. 1988. "Attributes of Black-tailed Prairie Dog Colonies in Northcentral Montana, with Management Recommendations for the Conservation of Biodiversity." in The Prairie Dog Ecosystem: Managing for Biological Diversity. Eds. Clark, Tim W., Dan Hinckley, and Terrell Rich. Montana BLM Wildlife Technical Bulletin No. 2. Billings, MT: Bureau of Land Management.
•A South Dakota study indicates 134 vertebrate species are associated with prairie dog towns. Sharps, J.C. and D.W. Uresk. 1990. "Ecological Review of Black-tailed Prairie Dogs and Associated Species in Western South Dakota." Great Basin Naturalist 50(4).
Alarmingly, they suffer from dramatically reduced numbers.
•They have been petitioned for protection under the Endangered Species Act. Biodiversity Legal Foundation et al. 1998 Petition to List the Black-tailed Prairie Dog as Threatened under the ESA.
•They occupy 1-2% of their original range. Miller, B., G. Ceballos, and R.P. Reading. 1994. "The Prairie Dog and Biotic Diversity." Conservation Biology 3(3); Samson and Knopf. 1994. "Prairie Conservation in North America." BioScience 44(6).
•Even those interested in controlling prairie dogs on rangeland acknowledge a 98% decline. Marsh, R.E. 1984. "Ground Squirrels, Prairie dogs, and Marmots as Pests on Rangeland." Proceedings of the Conference for Organization and Practice of Vertebrate Pest Control. ICI Plant Protection Division, Fernherst, UK.
Prairie dogs and livestock agriculture are compatible. (RMAD, however, does not support livestock production in any form.)
•Prairie Dog competition with livestock for forage is negligible, and studies have established that killing prairie dogs is not economically beneficial to ranchers. Uresk 1985. "Effects of Controlling Black-tailed Prairie dogs on Plant Production." Journal of Range Management 38(5):466-8; Collins et al. 1984. "An Economic Analysis of Black-tailed Prairie Dog [Cynomys ludovicianus] Control." Journal of Range Management 37(4):358-61; O'Meilia et al. 1982. "Some Consequences of Competition between Prairie dogs and Beef Cattle." Journal of Range Management 35(5):580-85; Klatt and Hein 1978. "Vegetative Differences Among Active and Abandoned Towns of Black-tailed Prairie dogs (Cynomys Ludovicianus)." Journal of Range Management 31(4):315-17; Hansen and Gold 1977. "Blacktail Prairie dogs, Desert Cottontails and Cattle Trophic Relations on Shortgrass Range." Journal of Range Management 30(3):210-14.
Poisoning, bulldozing, and shooting are imminent threats to prairie dogs. All three contribute to the reduction of prairie dog acres, and to the condition of small, isolated, and fragmented prairie dog populations, which may seriously threaten prairie dog viability. Plague, of course, may exist alongside the three other threats, making the situation even more bleak for prairie dogs and the species they sustain.
•Poisoning has greatly reduced prairie dog populations, and it continues to be unrestricted on private lands. In the 1920s alone, 13 million hectares (approximately 32 million acres) of prairie dogs were poisoned in the U.S. Powell, Kenneth. 1992. "Prairie Dog Distribution, Habitat Characteristics, and Population Monitoring in Kansas: Implications for Black-footed Ferret Recovery." M.S. Thesis, Kansas State University. 131 pp.
•In Colorado, 91% of prairie dogs had been eliminated through poisoning by as early as 1912. Wuerthner, George. 1997. "Viewpoint: The Black-tailed Prairie Dog - headed for Extinction?" Journal of Range Management 50(5): 459-66; Clark, Tim W. 1989. Conservation Biology of the Black-footed Ferret (Mustela nigripes). Wildlife Preservation Trust, Special Scientific Report No. 3. Philadelphia, PA. 175 pp.
•Today, the poisoning effort continues. Federal agencies continue to be deeply involved in the distribution of prairie dog poisoning, and the poisoning of prairie dogs on federal land. Roemer, David M. and Steven C. Forrest. 1996. "Prairie Dog Poisoning in Northern Great Plains: An Analysis of Programs and Policies." Environmental Management 20(3): 349-59.
•Development is an especially significant threat to prairie dogs in Colorado. In recent years, development alone may account for a 25% reduction in prairie dog acres in the state. Knowles, Craig J. 1998. "Status of the Black-tailed Prairie Dog." Prepared for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, June 17, 1998; See RMAD factsheet on prairie dogs and development for more cites.
•Shooting has significant impacts on prairie dogs, including dramatic population reductions, and social disruption which may result in genetic inbreeding. Stockrahm, D.M.R.B. 1979. "Comparison of Population Structure of Black-tailed Prairie Dog Towns in Southwestern North Dakota." MS thesis, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks; Knowles, C.J. 1988. "An Evaluation of Shooting and Habitat Alteration for Control of Black-tailed Prairie Dogs." Proceedings of the 8th Great Plains Wildlife Damage Control Conference; Irby, L.R. and T.C. Vosburg. 1994. "Impacts of Recreational Shooting on Prairie Dog Colonies." Fish and Wildlife Program, Biology Department, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT. December.
All of the above cites are from wildlife and conservation biologists. They include government publications and are all sound science.
All scientific indicators point to protection of the prairie dog. The moral imperative of protecting one of Colorado's most persecuted animals is equally clear.
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