The Utah prairie dog has been listed under the Endangered Species Act since 1973. During this time a lot went towards the slow extinction of these animals, before being listed. One of the main problems was unregulated poisoning.
Each spring the DWR (Division of Wildlife Resources) monitors the population of the prairie dogs in Washington, Iron and Kane counties. During the last three years the population has tripled since they were counted in 1971. Range-wide population has been stable or increasing during the last three decades.
The DWR is now considering taking them off of the Endangered Species Act, but still working on maintaining the population as best they can. A few of these ideas include continuing to monitor the populations during the spring, translocating Utah prairie dogs from areas with private landowners, and preventing disease by using insecticidal dust on their burrows to kill plague-carrying fleas.
Mammal Conservation Coordinator Kim Hersey said, “Working with federal, local and nonprofit partners, we feel secure that the future for the Utah prairie dog continues to be bright.”
What do you think about this? Visit the page wildlife.utah.gov to give feedback.
– by McKynlee Cottam (17) Escalante
Feature image caption: A Utah prairie dog pops out of his hole for a look at the outside world. Courtesy DWR.
McKynlee Cottam – Escalante
McKynlee Cottam is a junior writer, and sometimes editor, at The Byway. She is a senior at Escalante High School. This year she’s had the opportunity to be the school’s Student Body President and Miss Garfield’s Outstanding Teen. McKynlee loves to write about things that are going on in our county and world, as well as some fun out-of-hat pieces. She enjoys playing the violin, participating in basketball, and of course hanging out with her friends. The Byway has been a fun part of her life, and she hopes to keep contributing to it for some time!