Black-tailed prairie dogs are a very important but vanishing member of the prairie ecosystem. Over 170 wildlife species have been found in Prairie Dog towns. But black-tailed prairie dogs now occupy less than one percent of their historic range nationwide, and in Wyoming have been reduced significantly. As a result, several species, which depend on or benefit from prairie dogs, have similarly declined to a point that their survival is jeopardy. Recently, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated the black-tailed prairie dog as warranted for listing under the Endangered Species Act.

Probably the best known endangered prairie critter is the Black-footed ferret. Once thought to be extinct, Black-footed ferrets live only in prairie dog towns and now exist in only a handful of locations in the wild. The Thunder Basin's Cheyenne River area is one of the highest priorities in the entire country for reintroduction of Black-footed ferrets, but the Forest Service proposes to manage less than half of the available habitat for ferret restoration. This will not go far enough to help recover one of the most endangered mammals in North America.

Right now not a single acre of the 550,000 acre Thunder Basin is designated Wilderness. There is no permanently protected example of the native prairie in Wyoming. However, citizens previously identified six prairie grassland areas which still meet the Wilderness criteria. All six are still primarily wild and are larger than 5,000 acres (see table below). In the proposed Plan, however, the Forest Service did not recommend a single area for wilderness designation! Because of the high development pressure on the Thunder Basin (coalbed methane, oil & gas, and coal mine development), it is likely that if the six remaining wild areas are not protected now, in the management plan process, there will never be a chance for wilderness on the Thunder Basin.

The Forest Service is taking public comment on the proposed Grassland Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement. Of the alternatives studied by the Forest Service, the agency wants to adopt Alternative 3. While Alternative 3 makes some positive steps, it fails to adequately protect the natural legacy of the Grasslands. Alternative 4 is much better, it recommends some wilderness designation, protects prairie dogs from poisoning and recreational shooting, and protects special biological values by designating more acres for Research Natural Areas. However, both Alternatives 3 and 4 leave out bison restoration and Wild & Scenic River designation for the Cheyenne River. Overall, citizens need to support the good points of Alternative 4 and push for needed improvements. Regardless of the Alternative, we recommend the following:

• All six confirmed roadless areas should be recommended for Wilderness designation, and the three potential roadless areas should be protected and field checked for Wilderness potential (see list below).
• Prairie Dogs, Black-footed Ferrets, and all native wildlife should be given stronger protection. The entire 120,000+ acre Cheyenne River Ferret site should be designated for Ferret restoration, rather than the proposed 47,890 acres. Protecting the entire area would allow about 70 more endangered ferret families to survive, and help achieve national ferret recovery goals. prairie dog shooting and poisoning should be completely prohibited in occupied prairie dog towns. Anything that limits or slows down recovery of prairie dogs should be halted until 20% of grassland suitable habitat is occupied.
• Research Natural Areas should be designated to protect natural values and special ecological communities, wherever they occur on the Thunder Basin. The Forest Service only plans to designate two - which just isn't enough. See below for list and description of areas which should be designated.
• Wild Bison should be restored to the Grasslands. The Cheyenne River Ferret reintroduction site and other areas should be evaluated for use as Bison reserves. The Forest Service should also consider replacing cattle on some allotments with Bison.
• Livestock grazing should be better controlled to protect streamside areas and wildlife habitat. In problem areas, range riders or grazing prohibitions should be emphasized, not construction of additional fences.
• Some areas should be off-limits to oil, gas, and coal bed methane development. All Roadless Areas, Special Interest Areas, Research Natural Areas, and other important wildlife and recreation areas should be protected.
• Streams and Rivers need better protection. The Cheyenne River needs to be re-evaluated for designation under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.
• Wishy-washy environmental protection "guidelines" should be changed into measurable and nondiscretionary "standards" so they are enforceable and actually result in resource protection.
• Strengthening standards to conserve at risk wildlife and plants. Lethal predator control must be prohibited, protection must be provided for native fisheries dependant on turbid waters, all construction and pesticide use within 2 miles of important sites for breeding and nesting birds and swift fox must be prohibited, and a complete list of at risk species must be developed and protections devised.

Write your comments on the Forest Service's management Plan now! Feel free to use any or all of the information on this website to write your letter, but remember, personalized letters carry the most weight with decision makers.

Please send your written comments to be received by January 22nd, 2002 to:

Area Name	Acres	Ecological Community/Features
Antelope Creek	1,090	Two pieces; high quality plains stream ecosystem
Big Draw	2,480	Western wheatgrass/green needlegrass, blue grama/western wheatgrass and big sagebrush/western wheatgrass, boxelder/chokecherry associations
Cedar Knoll	1,592	Western wheatgrass/green needlegrass, ponderosa pine/sun sedge, and prairie cordgrass associations
Cheyenne River	1,009	Plains river ecosystem, Plains cottonwood/western wheatgrass/leafy bulrush community, sandbar willow/mesic graminoid community type, mountain plover and black_tailed prairie dog communities
Coal Bank Draw	2,327	Prairie sandreed/needle and thread association, birdsfoot sagebrush type, ponderosa woodland
Cow Creek Buttes		Scoria buttes, sandstones, sand and shale badlands, shrubland-woodland mosaic
Downs	3,502	Birdsfoot sage community, shrub steppe, scoria buttes, sandstones, woodland
Meadow Creek	4,273	mixed grass grassland associations: little bluestem/blue grama, little bluestem/threadleaf sedge, western wheatgrass/green needlegrass, blue grama/western wheatgrass, big sagebrush/western wheatgrass/black greasewood, little bluestem/prairie sandreed grass, and ponderosa woodland
Miller Hills		Scoria buttes, sandstones, sand and shale badlands, shrubland-woodland mosaic
Playas	342	Western wheatgrass/needle spikerush association, playa lakebeds
Rochelle Hills	3,570	Ponderosa pine and Rocky Mountain juniper woodland grassland mosaic on sandstone, scoria substrates; escarpment plant associations: bluebunch wheatgrass/Sandberg bluegrass associations, four wing saltbush and silver sagebrush associations
Rock Creek	590	Big sagebrush/needle and thread and Silver sagebrush/western wheatgrass plant associations
Wildlife Draw	631	Big sagebrush/needle and thread and needle and thread/blue grama plant associations