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Species faces multiple threats to its survival
January 22, 2003 Laramie, WY- A coalition of six conservation groups, plus renowned author Terry
Tempest Williams, yesterday formally petitioned the Bureau of Land Management to designate key white-tailed prairie dog colonies as Areas of Critical
Environmental Concern. This protective designation that would aid the Bureau in
recovering the beleaguered wildlife species. Additionally, the coalition
released a report entitled "Recovering the White-Tailed Prairie Dog and its
Habitat: Management Needs." The report spells out the steps required of
state and federal agencies to stem the precipitous decline of the prairie
dog.
The highly imperiled white-tailed prairie dog is found in the "Sagebrush
Sea" of central and western Wyoming, northwestern Colorado, northeastern
Utah, and Montana's Carbon County. The prairie dog is an irreplaceable part
of the sagebrush ecosystem. Endangered black-footed ferrets depend on
prairie dogs for food, and on their burrows for shelter. Prairie dogs also
provide food and crucial habitat to many other animals, including swift fox,
burrowing owls, and golden eagles. White-tailed prairie dogs are one of
five prairie dog species in North America. Two of the species, the Utah and
Mexican prairie dogs, are already protected under the Endangered Species Act.
In 2000, the Fish and Wildlife Service determined that a third, the
black-tailed prairie dog, also warranted Endangered Species Act protection.
Because of ongoing declines and the refusal of state and federal agencies to
take action, this conservation coalition petitioned the Service to list the
white-tailed prairie dog as Threatened or Endangered in July 2002.
While white-tailed prairie dogs are a common sight in some parts of the region,
appearances are deceiving; white-tailed prairie dogs now occupy only 8
percent or less of their historic range. Sylvatic plague, a Eurasian
disease accidentally introduced to North America around 1900, is now present
throughout the range of the white-tailed prairie dog. Prairie dogs are
extremely susceptible to this exotic disease, and the white-tailed prairie
dog has suffered major large-scale population declines as a result. Oil and
gas drilling, suburban sprawl, and conversion to agriculture have also
devastated prairie dog habitat. Most prairie dogs now live in small,
isolated colonies that are all too easily extinguished by plague outbreaks,
poisoning, or recreational shooting.
"The white-tailed prairie dog has declined by at least 92% and is headed for
extinction," said Jacob Smith, Executive Director of the Center for Native
Ecosystems. "In our report we've detailed what the agencies need to do to
stem these declines." Key recommendations of the report include:
The petition to the Bureau of Land Management to designate Areas of Critical
Environmental Concern represents one of the report's key recommendations.
The coalition is seeking Area of Critical Environmental Concern designation
for the 25 largest known white-tailed prairie dog complexes in Colorado,
Utah, and Wyoming. Each is at least 5,000 acres in size.
"The Bureau of Land Management has the responsibility to protect prairie
dogs, which are a keystone species for high desert ecosystems and are critical to the
survival of rare wildlife such as burrowing owls, black-footed ferrets, and ferruginous
hawks," explained Erik Molvar, Wildlife Biologist for Biodiversity Conservation
Alliance. "Designating these colonies as Areas of Critical Environmental Concern would
be a huge step in the right direction."
"In the late 19th century, the passenger pigeon declined from billions to
dozens in the span of only thirty years," added Nicole Rosmarino, Endangered
Species Coordinator of Forest Guardians. "If we don't act now to recover
the white-tailed prairie dog, it may well become the passenger pigeon of the
Sagebrush Sea."
The coalition, led by the Colorado-based Center for Native Ecosystems
(Paonia, CO), also includes Biodiversity Conservation Alliance (Laramie,
WY), the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (Salt Lake City, UT), American
Lands Alliance (Washington, DC), Forest Guardians (Santa Fe, NM), Sinapu
(Boulder, CO), and renowned author and naturalist Terry Tempest Williams.
The report and Bureau of Land Management petition, including a map of the
proposed Areas of Critical Environmental Concern, are available at
www.nativeecosystems.org.
Background information on the white-tailed
prairie dog, including the ESA listing petition, fact sheets, and
downloadable photographs, is available at
www.nativeecosystems.org/press/020711.htm.
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Biodiversity Conservation Alliance P.O. Box 1512, Laramie, WY 82073 (307) 742-7978 - maggie@voiceforthewild.org |
