Burrow Away

Utah Prairie Dog

By: Justin Merrill

https://student.societyforscience.org/article/mating-slows-down-prairie-dogs

ECOLOGY:

http://ecos.fws.gov/tess_public/profile/speciesProfile?spcode=A04A

     Underground, burrowed away is one of the greatest dirt architects digging tunnels to create its home. And you don't have to go far to see them either, because Prairie Dogs are native to North America. These rodents have five species: the black-tailed prairie dog, the white tailed prairie dog, the Gunninson prairie dog, the Mexican prairie dog and the Utah prairie dog. Specifically, the Utah prairie dog is the smallest of the prairie dogs. The average adult length of an Utah prairie dog is 12-14 inches and weighs about 1-3 pounds. This species is believed to once be apart of the white tailed prairie dogs until it became isolated and genetically different. The Utah prairie dog still has the identifiable white tail, but one thing that makes it unique is the dark mark above their eyes. As a whole, prairie dogs including the Utah prairie dog tend to be herbivores, eating grass, flowers, leaves, and seeds, but prairie dogs do enjoy the occasional munch of a small insect. The Utah prairie dog's habitat is very specific, requiring open habitats for surveillance of predators, and highly vegetated areas that are present all year round. It is also important that the habitat has good soil for the prairie dogs to burrow in, so that they do not collapse and provide the prairie dogs with adequate temperatures. The photo above shows the range and habitat of the Utah prairie dog.

Status:

Today, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) has the Utah prairie dog listed as threatened, due primarily to habitat loss and fragmentation, plague, unauthorized take, and climate change. Below is a video taken by Fox News that describes some issues that Utah citizens have with the prairie dog. These issues are what lead to the Utah prairie dog being threatened.

Back in June 4th 1973, the Utah prairie dog was enlisted as an endangered species by the ESA and a recovery plan was put into motion. Due to this plan, the Utah prairie dog was moved to threatened in 1984, which is a remarkable accomplishment. In 2012,they finally finished the final revised recovery plan which started in 1991. Today, with this new recovery plan, the goal is to delist the Utah prairie dog from the ESA list so that the species can thrive. As stated in the video, the prairie dog is a keystone species to prairie habitats, since they create homes for species and are a substantial prey. It is important to accomplish certain criteria before delisting a species from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife. Some of these are achieving at least 5,000 acres of protected habitat, having a population size of at least 2,000 prairie dogs in each protected habitat. As well as having management teams ready to respond to threats or diseases. Educating the population around the habitats is very important as well, so that people understand the importance of this species. This education would be to prevent further issues like the ones stated in the above video.

Actions required for recovery:

1. Have new and up-to-date information about locations of Utah prairie dogs, and there habitat.
2. Protect the habitat acres so that they have sufficient land to thrive
3. Reduce the effects of diseases and illness through research
4. In case of natural disturbances or disasters, maintain plans to rescue the Utah prairie dogs
5. Continue the relocation of the prairie dogs to more suitable habitats without breaking protocol
6. Create a public awareness program to help educate humans on this issue and hopefully create a better outlook on prairie dogs 
7. Create models to help identify and remove threats to the prairie dogs existence and be able to respond adequately to these issues when they arise
8. Enable surveillance to coerce efficiency in the recovery plan

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service created an expenditure for the above actions  in order to break down the estimated cost of each action and the total recovery.

http://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/species/mammals/utprairiedog/2012MarchRevisedRecoveryPlan_Final.pdf

With all this in consideration, it is estimated that the Utah prairie dog will be fully recovered by the year 2042, but this is just an estimate with lots of unknowns that can change not only this date, but also the entire recovery plan.

So What Can You Do?

• Encourage others to become more aware of human affects on species, the better educated we are the better we can help our planet.
• Specifically, if you feel inclined you can write a letter to the Utah government to encourage them in protecting the prairie dog since it is such an important species in its habitat.
• Also donating and supporting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will help all endangered and threatened species.

Works Cited

Map of Utah. Digital image. Environmental Conservation Online System. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2015. http://ecos.fws.gov/tess_public/profile/speciesProfile?spcode=A04A.

"Utah Prairie Dog." Endangered Species: Mountain-Prairie Region: U.S. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 6 Nov. 2013. Web. 30 Nov. 2015. http://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/species/mammals/utprairiedog/.

The Utah Prairie Dog Menace. Fox News, 26 June 2014. Web. 30 Nov. 2015. http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/06/26/endangered-prairie-dog-outnumber-residents-in-utah-town/.

"Utah Prairie Dog." (n.d.): n. pag. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Mar. 2012. Web. 30 Nov. 2015. http://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/species/mammals/utprairiedog/2012MarchRevisedRecoveryPlan_Final.pdf.

Utah prairie dog standing up. Digital image. Student Science. N.p., 13 Oct. 2006. Web. 30 Nov. 2015. https://student.societyforscience.org/article/mating-slows-down-prairie-dogs.