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By Lana Robinson
Field Editor
Thanks to the efforts of Texas and other states providing sound science, the black-tailed prairie dog will not be added to the Endangered Species list. After a recent, thorough evaluation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service concluded that the black-tailed prairie dog is out of the woods–at least for the foreseeable future–in terms of numbers and is, therefore, no longer a "threatened"species.
"With new information regarding the range-wide impact of disease, chemical control and other lesser factors and recent state estimates of occupied black-tailed prairie dog habitat, the Service has determined that the black-tailed prairie dog does not meet the Endangered Species Act's definition of `threatened'," said Ralph Morgenweck, director of the Service's mountain-prairie region, in making the Aug. 12 announcement.
Black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) are small, stout ground squirrels. They are important for healthy grassland ecosystems. Their burrows and surrounding low-cut vegetation provide habitat for a variety of other species, including western burrowing owls, mountain plovers, and the endangered black-footed ferret (currently extinct in Texas). Black-tailed prairie dogs are found east of the continental divide in the states of Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, and Nebraska. They have disappeared in Arizona. They are also found in Canada and Mexico.
Work to develop the Texas Black-tailed Prairie Dog Conservation and Management Plan began in 1999 following petitions by environmental groups for the USFWS to list the black-tailed prairie dog as threatened. Earlier this summer, a working group committee of ranching and farming organizations—including the Texas Farm Bureau—environmental groups, state and federal biologists, private landowners and others completed a Texas plan to conserve the prairie dog and its grassland habitat.
According to Mike McMurry, Texas Department of Agriculture's representative in the working group, the process was transparent with a broad spectrum of people. The 25-member working group was comprised of diverse stakeholders, from environmental groups like the Texas Panhandle Audubon Society and the Nature Conservancy to agriculture interests like Texas Farm Bureau, Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association and Plains Cotton Growers.
"TDA felt it was a valuable process. It allowed Texas Parks and Wildlife to generate the kind of data needed to determine what the true status of the species was," said McMurry.
McMurry said the cooperative effort was a model of what should happen when a species is under consideration for addition to the ESA list.
"I think what it bears out is the more transparent the process is, it allows us to gather sufficient information to show that the listing wasn't warranted. We were able to acquire more and better information that was real valuable," said McMurry, noting that sound information from a similar, multi-state working group proved that there were also sufficient numbers of the Swift Fox to keep it off the Endangered Species List. "The prairie dog issue created enough interest that it helped facilitate Fish and Wildlife funding to get a student to do the research. The study design was such that we didn't get some researcher with an agenda that didn't want to find anything, but rather someone willing to look at the facts."
McMurry credited local Fish and Wildlife personnel willing to consider things from the landowners' perspective with advancing the level of trust needed to cooperate on the effort.
"I think the fact that we met in Lubbock, Canyon and Amarillo—points in the range of the prairie dogs—added credibility to the process. It enabled people to attend who were interested. Anybody that came to the door was admitted," he said.
In order to be considered a threat, under the Endangered Species Act, a substantial demonstrable effect should be shown to play a significant role in the population dynamics of the species such that it is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of the range. The USFWS decision not to list assumes that the Texas management plan, and those in other states, goes forward.
"It really didn't matter whether it is on or off the list in terms of the Texas plan," said Derrick Holdstock, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's black-tailed prairie dog program coordinator. "We are committed to implementing it."
Texas' proactive plan includes six goals: (1) Determine the current population size of black-tailed prairie dogs in Texas and establish a long-term monitoring program, (2) Develop and implement an effective education and outreach program, (3) Develop management options and guidelines that conserve prairie dogs at long-term sustainable levels, (4) Review and make recommendations for regulatory changes in the status of black-tailed prairie dogs, (5) Identify research needs and establish a research program that facilitates long-term viability of black-tailed prairie dogs in Texas, and (6) Implement the plan.
The management plan is shooting for 293,129 acres of occupied prairie dog habitat in Texas by 2011. This represents 1 percent of the original available habitat in Texas as estimated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. According to Holdstock, Texas has 150,000 to 170,000 acres of occupied prairie dog habitat in the state, based on aerial photo interpretation and subsequent ground truthing from county roads.
"Part of the good news in Texas is we have more than twice the occupied prairie dog habitat than was originally thought, which was around 68,000 acres based on a 1991 study," said Holdstock.
Knowledge of additional occupied habitat played a supporting role in the decision to remove the species from the candidate list. Management efforts of the Texas and nine other states with occupied black-tailed prairie dog habitat, as well as those of Native American tribes, along with completed surveys, helped agency officials arrive at more accurate estimates of occupied habitat. Also, initial concerns that the losses due to sylvatic plague on a few large black-tailed prairie dog populations were indicative of impacts across the species' entire range were proved wrong. The prairie dog turned out to be more resilient than originally believed.
"There are obviously more of those little critters out there than they thought," said Mike McMurry, the TDA representative.
The latest statistics have increased estimates of occupied habitat in the U.S. to approximately 1,842,000 acres today versus the estimated 676,000 acres in 2000. Although black-tailed prairie dog density varies depending upon the season, region, and climatic conditions, the average is 10 individuals per acre (18,420,000 prairie dogs nationwide).
"Traveling over West Texas, I see them today in places—even down to Midland—I don't remember seeing them 20 years ago when I was a student at Texas Tech," said McMurry.
McMurry said it's possible that because no one bothered to actively control prairie dogs during the major droughts of the late 1990s, and when cattle prices were low, there are higher numbers today.
"In essence, they are part of the landscape. Prairie dogs also provide habitat for other rare species, the keystone prairie species, so there are some benefits to keeping a certain number around where they're desirable," he suggested. "I see them on I-27, in the median. You didn't use to see them there. I see them in bar ditches, which works good because you don't have to mow the road, but when they get out into cotton, they can pose a problem. You have to manage them."
The management plan does not restrict landowners from controlling prairie dogs. Instead, it provides incentives to restore prairie dogs and the grasslands necessary to sustain them. The plan lists various government and nonprofit programs that offer financial grants, free land management advice and other technical assistance.
Holdstock said in some cases, prairie dogs may actually benefit cattle ranching operations. "Several studies show that when prairie dogs graze perennial grass, they keep it at an earlier growth stage with higher nutrient content," Holdstock said. "Typically, in summer, if grasses are not grazed, they'll get to a certain height and will cure and then the nutrient content goes down. With prairie dogs keeping the grass lower, you get that constant growth stage, so cattle don't have to eat as much to get the same nutrients. This requires the right balance, because if you have too many prairie dogs or cattle, you're reducing the quantity of forage more than adding to its quality. We're recommending studies to look at the effects of prairie dog colonies on cattle ranching, specifically on weight gains and how that translates to dollar signs."
The USFWS also recommends the establishment of regulations that allow for better management of recreational shooting. Prairie dogs are currently a nongame species in Texas, with no closed hunting season or daily bag limit restrictions, although a valid hunting license is required.
For details of the Texas Black-tailed Prairie Dog Conservation and Management Plan, visit the working group's web site (www.texas-prairiedog.org). Basic prairie dog biology and life history is on the TPWD web site (www.tpwd.state.tx.us/nature/wild/mammals/prairie.htm).
