WTPD Conservation Assessment - Endangered Species & Wetlands ...

3. Conduct monitoring of temporal and spatial population trends on a landscape scale to
evaluate conservation strategies to stabilize and increase white-tailed and Gunnison’s
prairie dog occupancy and abundance.
4. Conduct rigorous and repeatable scientific experiments to determine detrimental effects of
human induced disturbances and disease on white-tailed and Gunnison’s prairie dog
populations and from this research develop responsible management objectives.
On March 4, 2003 the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ President Jeff
Koenings sent letters to the USFWS Regional Directors, Dale Hall and Ralph Morgenweck,
detailing the intent of the States to prepare Conservation Assessments for both white-tailed and
Gunnison’s prairie dogs. The Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ proposed to
the USFWS that the States take the lead role in writing the Conservation Assessments, and that
the USFWS use the documents produced as the basis for the 90-day and 12-month finding for
both the white-tailed prairie dog and Gunnison’s prairie dog petitions.
In December 2002, the White-tailed/Gunnison’s Prairie Dog Working Group began
development of a Conservation Assessment for the white-tailed prairie dog. The objectives put
forth by White-tailed/Gunnison’s Prairie Dog Working Group to be incorporated in the
White-tailed Prairie Dog Conservation Assessment were--1) summarize and evaluate the current
distribution and population status of the white-tailed prairie dog across its historic gross range;
2) develop a Predicted Range Model; 3) identify specific threats impacting the viability of the
species and 4) identify management and research options for consideration in the future
development of a conservation strategy for the white-tailed prairie dog. Data used to meet the
objectives of the White-tailed Prairie Dog Conservation Assessment included published
literature, Environmental Impact Statements for energy clearances on black-footed ferret habitat
and State and Federal grey literature. From the information collected, temporal population
changes and gross spatial changes in occupied habitat across the range were examined, current
and historic management of white-tailed prairie dogs within each State was evaluated and a risk
assessment for the species based upon the five listing criteria used by the USFWS when
evaluating a species’ potential for listing under the ESA was completed.
WHITE-TAILED PRAIRIE DOG
Taxonomy
The family Scuiridae is a successful and widespread family comprised of 49 genera and
262 species. Included in this family are tree and ground squirrels, chipmunks, marmots and
prairie dogs. Prairie dogs, like other ground squirrels, have characteristic flattened heads,
straight claws, short tails and unspecialized ankles (Lawlor 1979). As a group, prairie dogs
diverged from ground squirrels about 1.8 million years ago during the late Pliocene or early
Pleistocene (Clark et al. 1971).
Today there are five extant species of prairie dogs, all of which inhabit western North
America and belong to the genus Cynomys. The genus has been divided into two subgenera
based on pelage color and tail length (Clark et al. 1971, Pizzimenti 1975). The white-tailed,
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