|
FEDERAL Yes, I want to contact federal officials. Background The federal government should be providing full protection for prairie dogs on its lands. Agencies such as the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service have large holdings that are suitable for prairie dog occupation and relocation, but prairie dogs have been exterminated from the vast majority of these holdings. Some federal agencies such as Wildlife Services under the USDA and the Environmental Protection Agency still assist in the killing of prairie dogs by distributing and registering poisons for use. The following are solutions that need to be enacted at the federal level: • The U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service need to open their lands for the protection and reintroduction of black-tailed prairie dogs. Specifically, Pawnee National Grasslands and Comanche National Grasslands, managed by the U.S. Forest Service, contain prime prairie dog habitat and should be managed for prairie dogs at much greater levels than they currently are. There is an abundance of federal land that is highly suitable for prairie dogs, yet shockingly low numbers of colonies are actually found on National Grasslands in Colorado. Federal agencies are choosing to manage (i.e., control with shooting and other methods) prairie dog populations at rates far below what is seen in nature. For example, the majority of the 193,000 acres on the Pawnee National Grasslands are suitable for prairie dog habitation, yet only 700 of those acres are actually occupied by prairie dogs! Public citizens must pressure these agencies to open their lands to more prairie dog colonies and to protect those colonies from the threats of shooting, poisoning, and bulldozing. The U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management also need to hear that its lands must be managed for other wildlife species, as well as cattle. Presently, public lands ranchers seem to be dictating the policy of federal lands. Yet prairie dogs and cattle can and do get along! Click here for more information on this topic. • Federal government agencies, such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the U.S. Department of the Interior, should be protecting the black-tailed prairie dog, given its threatened status. It
has been determined that black-tailed prairie dogs are a threatened
species. Despite the "warranted but precluded" finding
of the USFWS, federal protection agencies need to be pressured to
take action on behalf of prairie dogs. Letters, phone calls, and/or
e-mails are helpful in conveying public support for such actions
to federal officials. If you would like to make a phone call to an official or agency, you can use the appropriate sample letters as a guide for talking points or click here for phone call suggestions. GALE
NORTON, SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR Phone:
(202) 208-3100 RALPH
MORGENWECK, REGIONAL DIRECTOR Phone:
(303) 236-7920 RICK
CABLES, DEPUTY REGIONAL FORESTER Phone: (303) 275-5350 Home
• Keystone Species •
Threats • Myths
• News
|
