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

Denver, CO – Sept. 27. Today, a coalition asked a federal judge in Denver to issue a temporary restraining order to prevent poisoning of prairie dogs in South Dakota’s Conata Basin. The same coalition filed suit in federal court last week, arguing that the poisoning would violate several federal environmental laws. The government plans to begin poisoning and to open the area up to shooting this week.

The Conata Basin is the only successful black-footed ferret recovery site in North America and is the only public land area in the entire Great Plains with enough prairie dog colonies to sustain a viable ferret population. Black-footed ferrets-an endangered species-require large numbers of prairie dogs for food and shelter.

“This back-room deal to destroy critical black-footed ferret habitat is a breach of the public trust,” said Jonathan Proctor, Northern Plains Program Director for Predator Conservation Alliance. “It is vital that the courts grant a restraining order against this disastrous poisoning plan.”

The new plan set forth in July by the Bush Administration and South Dakota’s Governor excludes public participation, requires the Forest Service to violate its own management plan, and includes no analysis of impacts to ferrets and other wildlife. Public opposition to the illegal destruction of ferret habitat has come from South Dakota landowners and Tribal members, conservationists, and the American Zoological Association.

“The state and federal agencies aren’t considering common sense alternatives; there is a common ground solution, if people can see with their hearts that wild animals have a spirit and a purpose alongside humankind,” said Doris Respects Nothing, an Oglala Lakota from South Dakota. “The prairie dogs have been here longer than anybody and our lands used to be so full of life because of them.”

“By poisoning prairie dogs, we are killing black-footed ferrets, eagles, swift fox, and many other native wildlife,” added Rosalie Little Thunder, also of the Lakota Tribe in South Dakota.

The plan to poison and shoot prairie dogs on federal lands in South Dakota is the result of political pressure to force federal land management agencies to conform to a new state prairie dog plan, due out September 25, that calls for prairie dog eradication within one mile of any adjacent private lands. Over 50% of the prairie dog colonies on Buffalo Gap National Grassland are within a mile of private land and will be subject to poisoning and shooting. (map available at http://maps.bigsky.org/pca/buffalo_gap.jpg). The state plan will also apply to private landowners, who could be forced to poison wildlife on their property against their will.

“This is an outrageous plan, what right do they have to make me poison wildlife on my land?” asked Ray Keale, a ranch owner who lives near Buffalo Gap. “I might as well be turning over the keys to my property.”

The black-footed ferret was nearly lost to extinction in the 1980s. In 1996 South Dakota’s Conata Basin once again became home to the ferret, one of the world’s most endangered species.

“We will fight the government tooth and nail to prevent this massive poisoning from taking place,” stated Nicole Rosmarino of WildEarth Guardians.

Ironically, South Dakota’s planned mass poisoning effort comes exactly 200 years after Lewis and Clark provided the first descriptions known to western science for the black-tailed prairie dog and black-footed ferret. The explorers came across the animals in South Dakota; impressed with the prairie dogs’ colonies, they immediately ordered the Corps of Discovery to pursue a specimen to send back to President Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson received a live prairie dog several months later, describing it to friends as a “most harmless and tame creature.”

The groups filing for the Temporary Restraining Order today and which filed a lawsuit on this issue last week against the federal government are: Biodiversity Conservation Alliance (WY), Center for Biological Diversity (CO), Center for Native Ecosystems (CO), WildEarth Guardians (NM), Great Plains Restoration Council (SD), The Humane Society of the U.S. (DC and MT), Prairie Hills Audubon Society (SD), and Predator Conservation Alliance (MT).

For a copy of the brief requesting the Temporary Restraining Order, contact Nicole Rosmarino at 505-699-7404.