Current work in wildlife, rivers, public lands, and climate

Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Endangered Species Decision On Prairie Dog Due In November

Guardians pushing for protection of the black-tailed prairie dog
Contact: WildEarth Guardians

Denver, CO. WildEarth Guardians and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) settled a lawsuit today requiring the Service to determine whether the black-tailed prairie dog warrants consideration for Endangered Species Act (ESA) protection by November 30, 2008.

“We will keep pushing for protection of the black-tailed prairie dog under the Endangered Species Act until this persecuted species is safely onboard the nation’s legal ark,” said Lauren McCain, Desert and Grassland Projects Director of WildEarth Guardians. “The black-tailed prairie dog has declined by 98-99% in less than a century, faces escalating threats and widespread persecution, and simply doesn’t have the luxury of time,” added McCain.

WildEarth Guardians filed a petition on August 1, 2007 documenting growing threats to the species from plague and poisoning and the loss of some of the largest remaining populations. After the Service failed to issue a preliminary finding on that petition, the group filed suit in federal court in Washington, D.C. in March.

Today’s settlement requires the Service to issue a preliminary determination by this November on whether WildEarth Guardians’ petition contains substantial information warranting a full status review for the black-tailed prairie dog. If the Service’s decision is positive, the agency must issue a finding on whether the species warrants protection under the ESA by November 30, 2009.

The black-tailed prairie dog was previously a candidate for ESA protection from February 2000-August 2004. WildEarth Guardians contends that it was removed from the candidate list due to intense political pressure, particularly from elected officials in the state of South Dakota. Listing decisions are supposed to be solely based on biological data, but there is nation-wide evidence of political interference in these decisions.

“We need to take the politics out of endangered species decisions, especially when addressing a species that has suffered extreme persecution, such as the prairie dog,” said McCain.

Now a shadow of its former self, the black-tailed prairie dog was once quite common. Historically the species thrived across grasslands of 11 western states from Montana to New Mexico and reached into parts of southern Canada and northern Mexico. Existing in large colonies or “towns,” prairie dogs once dominated prairie ecosystems, sustaining many other species. Lewis and Clark, the first official U.S. Government explorers of the western territories reported seeing “infinite numbers” of prairie dogs in the early 1800s.

Today, populations are fragmented and isolated and are tiny remnants of the massive colony complexes once found across the Great Plains and Southwest. Of particular concern are the seven large complexes (measuring 10,000 acres or more) that the FWS relied upon in 2004 to avoid federal listing. Since 2004, three of these seven complexes were decimated from plague, drought, and livestock. Three additional complexes have been subjected to extensive poisoning. For the first time ever, one of these complexes – the Conata Basin in South Dakota – was hit with plague in May.

There is broad consensus that black-tailed prairie dogs play “keystone” roles in the ecosystems they create and sustain due to their extensive burrow systems, the prey base they provide, and their modification of plant communities. Recent research indicates they should be considered “highly interactive species” that should not only be saved from extinction but also recovered in high enough numbers across a broad geographical distribution. Prairie dog recovery and conservation is essential in order for this keystone animal to continue playing its important ecological roles.

There are five species of prairie dogs, and prairie dogs are unique to North America. Two species, the Utah and Mexican prairie dogs, were listed when the ESA was originally passed. The other three species – the black-tailed, white-tailed, and Gunnison’s prairie dogs – have all been petitioned for listing. Due to several lawsuits by WildEarth Guardians, the Gunnison’s prairie dog was designated a candidate for ESA protection in portions of its range in February 2008. A recent lawsuit settlement by the Center for Native Ecosystems, WildEarth Guardians, and others requires the Interior Department to rule on federal protection for the white-tailed prairie dog by June 2010. Despite issuing a brochure in the 1990s recognizing that protection for prairie dogs could safeguard the ecosystems they create and sustain, the FWS has refused to list any prairie dogs over the past thirty years.

Background documents and photos are available upon request from WildEarth Guardians.

Contact: Lauren McCain, Desert and Grassland Projects Director, WildEarth Guardians: 303-780-9939, Email lmccain@wildearthguardians.org