Black-tailed prairie dog (Credit: Arthur Chapman)

Caitlin Balch-Burnett, Outreach Representative, Colorado

This fall, Defenders of Wildlife volunteers joined me and several wildlife biologists from Boulder County Parks and Open Space to protect an important prairie dog colony near Longmont, Colorado.

The black-tailed prairie dog is a keystone species. Its role in the Great Plains ecosystem is similar to a keystone in an arch: the ecosystem – like the arch – will collapse without it. Black-tailed prairie dog colonies provide abundant food, shelter and habitat for dozens of other species of wildlife such as hawks, eagles, foxes, coyotes, snakes, pronghorn, bison and black-footed ferrets. At least nine wildlife species directly depend on black-tailed prairie dogs for their survival, and dozens more benefit from prairie dogs and the habitat they create.

Prairie dogs even help aerate and fertilize the soil when they dig and maintain their burrows. At the same time, their constant clipping of vegetation allows a greater diversity of plants to thrive, which leads to greater wildlife diversity in and around colonies. Additionally, black-tailed prairie dogs help maintain grasslands by preventing the encroachment of woody shrubs.

A biologist from Boulder County Parks and Open Space works on the “apron” to deter the prairie dogs from climbing over or borrowing under the fence. (Credit: Caitlin Balch-Burnett, Defenders of Wildlife)

Defenders volunteers helped put up a 4-foot-tall chain link fence at Casa Vista, a Boulder County Parks and Open Space property, to serve as a barrier to prevent the prairie dogs from expanding their colony into nearby agricultural areas and trail corridors where they are not allowed due to local regulations and agreements. Once the volunteers erected the chain link fence, they attached chicken wire to the inside of it to create a 3-foot “apron” where the ground and the fencing meet to deter the prairie dogs from climbing over or burrowing under the fence.

It is important to Boulder County Parks and Open Space and other wildlife enthusiasts that this prairie dog population remains healthy, as they are a vital part of the local ecosystem, which includes a nearby bald eagle nest. By keeping this particular population in a pairie dog-friendly area, we can help this population survive and ensure that they can maintain their important role in this ecosystem.

Thanks again to our fantastic volunteers for helping our Colorado wildlife!

A herder and his dogs keep their eyes on a flock of sheep in central Idaho's Wood River Valley.

Just in time for Earth Day, Defenders announced today that it spent over $300,000 in 2011 to help ranchers and communities coexist with wildlife and maintain a healthy environment.

Through our Wildlife Coexistence Partnership program, Defenders implemented or provided incentives for more than 100 projects in nine states across the country, including Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming, as well as Mexico. Projects included hiring range riders, creating buffer zones for prairie dogs, paying for electric fencing, purchasing bear-proof food lockers and dumpsters, purchasing trail cameras to document panther activity and compensating ranchers for lost livestock. These projects benefited prairie dogs, bison, gray wolves, grizzly bears, jaguars, polar bears, Florida panthers and Florida black bears.

“The nonlethal tools that we’re testing in places like Idaho, Oregon and Montana are showing that people really can share the landscape with wolves with a little extra effort,” says Suzanne Stone, Defenders Northern Rockies representative in Boise, Idaho. “Fladry, guard dogs, range riders—these basic deterrents have all proven effective when they’re given a chance. We’ve demonstrated that losses to wolves can be dropped to near zero levels if appropriate, proactive steps are taken to prevent conflict. Ranchers are able to safeguard their livestock while helping to maintain healthy populations of native wildlife.”

A relocation project at Thunder Basin National Grassland in eastern Wyoming has helped save prairie dogs from shooting and poisoning.. Photo by Lacy Gray.

“We recognize that living in areas with grizzly bears or roaming bison isn’t always easy. That’s why we’re investing in projects that benefit people and wildlife,” says Jonathan Proctor, Defenders Rocky Mountain representative in Missoula, Montana. “For example, we helped pay for dozens of projects to keep grizzly bears out of chicken coops, beehives, and trash, primarily by installing electric fencing. These methods work and can prevent conflict with minimal upfront cost to individual property owners.”

“By working together, we are able to bring imperiled wildlife back from the brink of extinction and ease the burden on livestock owners and ranchers,” says Craig Miller, Defenders Southwest representative in Tucson, Arizona. “Our coexistence projects offer a bright future for rare and unique wildlife such as wolves and jaguars and also for ranchers and landowners who are taking steps to help make that possible.”

“The Florida panther’s downward spiral toward extinction has been reversed in recent years and the number of cats has been growing. But for the population to continue to recover, it’s essential the endangered cats avoid conflicts with ranchers and livestock as well as pets and farm animals,” says Laurie Macdonald, Defenders Florida director in St. Petersburg. “By exploring coexistence, compensation and incentive programs that work for both panthers and property owners, we can find effective, long-term solutions that protect the big cats and preserve the Florida rancher’s way of life.”

Click to see a larger map of our 2011 Wildlife Coexistnece Partnership projects.

2011 Totals

Minimum number of proactive projects and incentives by region:

• Northern Rockies – 60
• Southwest and Mexico – 20
• Southeast (Florida) – 21
• Great Plains (Kansas & Wyoming) – 3

Number of compensation payments by region:

• Northern Rockies – 38
• Southwest and Mexico – 2

Minimum number of projects and incentives by species:

• Wolf – 34
• Grizzly bear – 39
• Prairie dog – 3
• Bison – 5
• Jaguar – 2
• Florida panther – 10
• Florida black bear – 11

Number of compensation payments by species:

• Grizzly bear – 31
• Wolf – 9

This Florida panther was caught on camera as part of a monitoring study.

Minimum amount spent on various project and incentive types:

• Fladry –$20,497
• Range riders – $65,960
• Technical field assistance, workshops and information – $126,509
• Compensation for livestock depredation – $56,650
• Dumpsters, garbage bins and food lockers – $17,483
• Fencing and buffers – $18,650

Read our full press release.

Black-footed ferrets rely on large prairie dog colonies for food and shelter.

Black-footed ferrets can only survive where there are enough prairie dogs for them to feast on. Burrowing owls use prairie dogs holes to escape from hungry predators. Badgers, golden eagles, swift foxes and dozens of other species benefit from having healthy prairie dog colonies around.

That’s why Rozol is so pernicious. The dust is left behind in prairie dog burrows where it can kill any number of species. But it doesn’t stop there. Rozol is toxic enough to kill any subsequent animal that feeds on the poisoned carcass as long as it persists in the environment.

Fortunately, thanks to the ongoing efforts of Defenders’ legal team, imperiled prairie species in six states will be safer this fall.

Last summer, the DC Circuit court sided with Defenders and put a temporary ban on the use of Rozol in four states. In addition, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency agreed to revisit the impacts of Rozol on threatened and endangered species across 10 states.

As a result of that agreement, EPA announced new conservation measures last week that will limit the use of Rozol in Colorado, Kansas, Montana, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Wyoming. These measures include:

• Prohibiting the use of Rozol in black-footed ferret reintroduction areas
• Prohibiting the use of Rozol in southwestern New Mexico to protect jaguars, Mexican gray wolves, and other species
• Shortening the Rozol application season where prairie dog range overlaps with grizzly bears and Preble’s meadow jumping mouse
• Amending Rozol label to require enhanced searches to remove poisoned prairie dogs before other animals feed on them

Defenders is still concerned that some of these measures don’t go far enough. So far, EPA has posted the new measures on their Bulletins Live! website, but there’s no guarantee that pesticide users will actually implement them. Further, EPA is likely to allow Rozol to be used again in areas not covered by the new conservation measures. Even if Rozol were banned completely, there are still other dangerous poisons on the market that can be substituted, some of which have dire impacts for non-target species.

But overall, the changes made by EPA are a step in the right direction. Meanwhile, Defenders will continue working to get rid of other pesticides that are harmful to imperiled wildlife.

Lindsey Sterling-Krank of the Human Society (left), Jonathan Proctor of Defenders and Kristy Bly of World Wildlife Fund do their best jump-yip imitation after successfully relocating hundreds of prairie dogs at Thunder Basin last summer.

It’s not everyday that Defenders gets recognition from the federal government for our tireless work to protect and restore wildlife. So when it does happen, it’s cause for serious celebration!

For the second straight year, our prairie expert Jonathan Proctor received an award for his efforts to save prairie dog colonies across the Great Plains. This time he’s getting the Rocky Mountain Region award for “Outstanding Wildlife Partners” from the U.S. Forest Service for work that started several years ago at Conata Basin, part of the Buffalo Gap National Grassland in South Dakota,  and has expanded more recently to include Thunder Basin National Grassland in Wyoming.

Jonathan has been instrumental in promoting several prairie dog conservation projects. But in particular, he helped implement new nonlethal prairie dog management strategies on public lands. At Conata Basin, a tall-grass “vegetative buffer” has helped reduce poisoning by over 90 percent. At Thunder Basin, a precedent-setting relocation project has moved hundreds of prairie dogs from areas near private lands where they’re often shot or poisoned to fully protected ground at the center of the grassland. Protecting these prairie dogs also ensures the survival of all the species that depend on them for food or use their burrows for shelter, including burrowing owls, ferruginous hawks, golden eagles, swift foxes, badgers and endangered black-footed ferrets. (Read more here about our success at Thunder Basin.)

Lindsey, Jonathan and Kristy at Thunder Basin in 2011.

But Jonathan didn’t do it alone. What makes this award truly special is that it recognizes our close collaboration with World Wildlife Fund and the Prairie Dog Coalition of the Humane Society of the United States, as well as our project partners with the U.S. Forest Service, Wyoming Game and Fish and many individual landowners.

Here’s the text of the award:

Outstanding Wildlife Partners – 2012

Lindsey Sterling Krank – Prairie Dog Coalition, The Humane Society of US
Jonathan Proctor – Defenders of Wildlife
Kristy Bly – World Wildlife Fund

Managing prairie dogs, the endangered black-footed ferret, and associated wildlife species on the National Grasslands is often difficult, costly and fraught with controversy.  The Forest Service has received invaluable support from Kristy Bly of World Wildlife Fund, Jonathan Proctor of Defenders of Wildlife, and Lindsey Sterling Krank of the Prairie Dog Coalition-a program of The Humane Society of the United States.

These three individuals and their organizations have been important partners on the Buffalo Gap and Thunder Basin National Grasslands. Over the past four years, these individuals have worked individually or coordinated as a group with the Forest Service and accomplished the following:

1. Purchased 12.5 miles of electric fence materials worth approximately $18,600 for Conata Basin.  This fencing material was key to successfully reducing prairie dog colonization onto adjacent private land by forming an ungrazed vegetative buffer. They provided about 3 miles of electric fence to Thunder Basin for use in prairie dog translocation projects and to create vegetative buffers. Also provided labor to help install electric fences.
2. Purchased prairie dog shooting closure signs worth close to $2,000.
3. Purchased and delivered $10,000 worth of Delta Dust in 2008 for emergency plague control in the Conata Basin, the first year plague was discovered in the ferret reintroduction area.
4. Provided dust donations in 2010 and 2011 for operations in the Conata Basin and Thunder Basin National Grassland.  The donation in 2011 alone consisted of 3,095 pounds of Delta Dust worth approximately $31,000, which helped protect 14,708 acres of habitat from plague.
5. In Dec. 2011, World Wildlife Fund worked with the Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service and Prairie Wildlife Research to prepare a grant proposal for Conata Basin black-footed ferret recovery, securing $155, 950 worth of Delta Dust and other supplies to be used over the next several years.  Without WWF’s assistance it is unlikely that this would have been successful.
6. Provided labor, equipment and expertise to conduct a prairie dog relocation effort on National Forest System lands, implementing the revised Thunder Basin National Grassland Plan.  This project reduces conflicts with private landowners, while restoring prairie dog habitat that had been diminished by plague in the heart of the ferret reintroduction area. As a result, 899 prairie dogs were moved from conflict areas and 8 new colonies were re-established.
7. Their commitment and tenacity has not only resulted in successful projects, but also helped develop more positive relationships between the Forest Service, environmental groups, and local ranchers and landowners by fostering communication and developing creative solutions.

In appreciation for their tireless efforts, positive attitudes, creative problem-solving, and passion for conservation of prairie species, we are pleased to present Jonathon, Lindsey and Kristy with this award.

Congratulations, Jonathan! And nice team work, everyone!

Joel Sartore, National Geographic photographer, Defenders board member, and concerned Nebraskan.

Not only is Defenders board member Joel Sartore a world-renowned wildlife photographer, but he’s also a consummate activist. Read the column below that was published today in the Lincoln Journal Star opposing a  terrible piece of legislation in Nebraska that would expand counties’ authority to poison prairie dogs.

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Local View: Oppose LB473: Protect our wildlife and property rights

By Joel Sartore

For more than 20 years, I’ve had the privilege to photograph wildlife all around the world for National Geographic Magazine.

And in every place I’ve visited, there’s at least one plant or animal that is considered a “keystone” species for the outsized role it plays in maintaining nature’s balance. In parts of Africa, it’s elephants. In our oceans, it’s sharks and sea otters. For Nebraska, it’s the black-tailed prairie dog, though it’s an animal already so reduced in numbers you would be hard-pressed to find one if you drove this state from one end to the other.

So it’s hard to imagine why some of our elected leaders seem hell-bent on getting rid of as many of the remaining prairie dogs as possible, even forcing landowners to poison them against their wishes. Right now, a bill (LB473, “The Black-tailed Prairie Dog Management Act”) is working its way through the Legislature that would allow county governments to force the poisoning of prairie dogs on private land should any cross a property line. To add insult to injury, the bill would allow the county to come on your property without asking, and then send you the tab for killing native wildlife.

Forget about the prairie dogs for a minute and think about this with me. What if a deer beds on one landowner’s property but eats crops on a neighbor’s land? Should the landowner where the deer sleeps be held responsible? Of course not. Nobody owns wildlife, so why would anyone be liable for a species that moves from one parcel of land to the next?

In an era where every new government mandate is met with great outrage (remember Obamacare?), how is this any different? This bill is an effort by the government to force individuals to pay for something they do not want; trespassers and poisoning at the landowner’s expense.

So this leaves just one question: How did this thing ever get out of committee? This not only is an affront to property rights, but to personal liberties and freedoms as well. Beyond that, is it even constitutional to force private citizens to eradicate a native species at their expense and against their will?

The fact that few senators have spoken out against this actually speaks volumes about the Unicameral at this point in time. Nebraska Game and Parks remains silent as well, even though they’re the agency designated to protect our nongame wildlife.

If individual landowners want to poison prairie dogs on their own dime, that’s their business. But this bill is similar to a 1901 Kansas law that still is being enforced against the wishes of private landowners.

This new bill would similarly set Nebraska back to an outdated mind-set when healthy wildlife and healthy lands were not valued. And this clear violation of property rights stands to have major impact on not only prairie dogs, but on all the other imperiled species that rely on them, from burrowing owls to salamanders.

In a crowded world worn increasingly ragged, we should be doing everything we can to protect these vital animals and restore the ecosystems that depend upon them, not making it easier for counties to wipe them out.

It’s time for our elected leaders to stand up for both Nebraska’s wildlife and our property rights by rejecting this bill. Contact your state senator now. They will vote on this within days, and it will take only a simple majority, 25 out of our state’s 49 lawmakers, to allow this terrible idea to become law.