WTPD Conservation Assessment - Endangered Species & Wetlands ...

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Figure 18. Comparison of white-tailed prairie dog mapping efforts within the Sweetwater Complex, Wyoming from pre-1995 to 2002........................................................... 146 Figure 19. White-tailed prairie dog gross range, predicted range and location of identified colonies in Wyoming from surveys before 1995.................................................... 147 8
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY On 11 July 2002, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) was petitioned by the Center for Native Ecosystems, Biodiversity Conservation Alliance, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, America Lands Alliance, Forest Guardians, Terry Tempest Williams, Ecology Center and Sinapu to list the white-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys leucurus) under the Federal Endangered Species Act (ESA). After the petition was received, the White-tailed Prairie Dog Working Group of the 12-State Prairie Dog Conservation Team began development of a Conservation Assessment for the white-tailed prairie dog to assess the current status of the species range-wide and address possible threats limiting conservation. Data integrated into the Conservation Assessment came from an assemblage of sources including published literature, Environmental Impact Statement reports for energy clearances on potential black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) habitat, and State and Federal grey literature. These sources provided the information used to index temporal population changes, evaluate gross changes in occupied habitat, and examine current management of white-tailed prairie dogs within each State. 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 is included. In order to provide the most scientifically accurate assessment regarding the current status of the white-tailed prairie dog, two types of data were analyzed. The first data set indexed population changes at Black-footed Ferret Management Areas. The second data set evaluated gross changes in occupied habitat at mapped locations in individual States. Both data sets have weaknesses and limitations as described in the text, but are the best available data for this assessment. The incorporation of both data sources provided a more complete assessment of the range-wide status of the white-tailed prairie dog by describing changes not only with regard to numbers of animals, but also examining the distribution of occupied habitat across the range. In addition to the population and occupied habitat data analysis, a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) spatially detailed, Predicted Range Model for the white-tailed prairie dog was produced. This model provided information on the number of hectares in the gross and predicted ranges of the species and the amount of its range being impacted by anthropogenic disturbances. In 1981 with the discovery of black-footed ferrets at Meeteetse, Wyoming, States within the historic range of this species initiated programs to identify complexes of white-tailed prairie dogs as potential reintroduction sites for black-footed ferrets. Because white-tailed prairie dogs and black-footed ferrets occur sympatrically, evaluation of suitable habitat for black-footed ferrets was dependent upon describing the size and spatial arrangement of colonies and densities of prairie dogs within these areas (Forrest et al. 1985, Biggins et al. 1989, 1993). To aid in further evaluation of prairie dog habitat, Biggins et al. (1989, 1993) developed a technique that involved counting active burrows within 1 km x 3 m transects distributed over colonies. The active burrow data was then converted to prairie dog counts and finally to an estimate of density. Although burrow counts may be inaccurate at producing precise population estimates of white-tailed prairie dogs, they are useful for indexing abundance over large scales of time and space. Since no long-term monitoring data are available from sites where black-footed ferret reintroduction is not a consideration, the evaluation of temporal population changes of white-tailed prairie dog populations is based solely on surveys at black-footed ferrets reintroduction sites. 9
Page 1 and 2: WHITE-TAILED PRAIRIE DOG CONSERVATI
Page 3 and 4: TABLE OF CONTENTS RECOMMENDED CITAT
Page 5 and 6: Predation .........................
Page 7: Table 19. Landownership within the
Page 11 and 12: ecovery sites is unknown. It may be
Page 13 and 14: Guardians 2004). Both the white-tai
Page 15 and 16: Utah and Gunnison’s prairie dogs
Page 17 and 18: precipitation ranges from 18 to 30
Page 19 and 20: diet was similar to that of the whi
Page 21 and 22: Ecology and Behavior White-tailed p
Page 23 and 24: Clark (1977) found that young of th
Page 25 and 26: material detected within 0.5 m of a
Page 27 and 28: To assess the changes in occupied h
Page 29 and 30: characteristics that were removed f
Page 31 and 32: The approximate range of the white-
Page 33 and 34: esponse to prospective coal leasing
Page 35 and 36: Mapping of the Colorado section of
Page 37 and 38: located in urban areas (Tables 6 an
Page 39 and 40: Currently the BLM, Montana Natural
Page 41 and 42: white-tailed prairie dog occupied h
Page 43 and 44: Changes in Occupied Habitat Mapping
Page 45 and 46: the complex) were evaluated. Only 1
Page 47 and 48: survival and subsequent reproductio
Page 49 and 50: and Anderson 1991). A standard mapp
Page 51 and 52: within colonies mapped in 2004 indi
Page 53 and 54: Wyoming (Biggins 2003c) cannot be c
Page 55 and 56: terminated. In general, results fro
Page 57 and 58: (Highway 212) crosses the Wyoming S
Page 59 and 60:
1) PRESENT OR THREATENED DESTRUCTIO
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Coalbed methane wells are a relativ
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field offices are currently revisin
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Alteration of plant species composi
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more than 25% (USDI-BLM 1990) and c
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3. Where appropriate, incorporate t
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• Stockrahm and Seabloom (1988) c
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The effect of shooting on the long-
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in addition to abundant flea vector
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they have been found to survive pla
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Colorado, with a large percentage o
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1915, and by 1919, cooperative pois
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dog. Long-term impacts to white-tai
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Urbanization This impact does not r
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dogs within colonies. Populations a
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The threat posed by plague could al
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_______ 1993. A review of plague an
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Cedar Creek Associates, Inc. 1986.
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Crumpacker, D.W. 1984. Regional rip
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Grant, J.H. IV. 1995. Dispersal, ac
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Knowles, C.J. 1982. Habitat affinit
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_______ and S.H. Anderson. 1989. Te
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_______, A.K. Brody and C. Gilbert.
Page 105 and 106:
Ubico, S.R., G.O. Maupin, K.A. Fage
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Wolf Creek Work Group. 2001. A coop
Page 109 and 110:
Table 1. Estimate of white-tailed p
Page 111 and 112:
Table 3. White-tailed prairie dog p
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Table 5. White-tailed prairie dog p
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Table 7. Urban areas located within
Page 117 and 118:
Table 9. White-tailed prairie dog c
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Table 11. White-tailed prairie dog
Page 121 and 122:
Table 13. Comparison of mapped whit
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Table 15. Annual drilling results f
Page 125 and 126:
Table 17. White-tailed prairie dog
Page 127 and 128:
Table 19. Landownership within the
Page 129 and 130:
Figure 1. White-tailed prairie dog
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Page 133 and 134:
Page 135 and 136:
Page 137 and 138:
Figure 9. Study areas in Utah where
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Figure 11. Study areas in Utah wher
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Figure 13. Distribution of township
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Figure 15. Comparison of white-tail
Page 145 and 146:
Figure 17. Comparison of 1991 and 2
Page 147 and 148:
Page 149 and 150:
Good Black-footed Ferret Habitat -
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Appendix II. Summary of Biggins et
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Appendix III. Letter from Wyoming B
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Appendix IV. Letter from Colorado B
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Appendix V. Letter from Montana BLM
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