WildEarth Guardians

A Force for Nature

Select Page

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

Press Releases

State and Federal Agencies Still Largely Failing to Protect Prairie Dogs

Date
February 2, 2016
Contact
Taylor Jones (720) 443-2615 tjones@wildearthguardians.org
In This Release
Wildlife   Black-tailed prairie dog, Gunnison’s prairie dog, Utah prairie dog
#ProtectPrairieDogEmpires
Bureau of Land Management

Other Contact
Guardians releases Report from the Burrow annually on Prairie Dog Day (more commonly known as Groundhog Day), to draw attention to the plight of perhaps the most important species to maintaining and restoring healthy grassland ecosystems. Prairie dogs are key ecosystem engineers, providing habitat and food for scores of other species including endangered black-footed ferrets, badgers, bobcats, burrowing owls and ferruginous hawks. Currently, they occupy only 1 to 2 percent of their former range.