Project Details

The Utah prairie dog (Cynomys parvidens) was federally listed as endangered in 1973 and down-listed to threatened in 1984. A Utah Prairie Dog Recovery Plan (Recovery Plan) outlining strategies for delisting Utah prairie dogs was approved by the USFWS in 1991 and was revised in 2012.

Identified threats to the species include habitat loss and fragmentation from urban expansion, cultivated agriculture, and predation. Urban expansion was one of the factors that resulted in the listing of the species under the ESA and continues to be a primary, top-tier threat to the species. Approximately 56% of all known Utah prairie dogs occur on private lands, which are often prioritized for residential and industrial development. Many of these private lands are also in agricultural production and conflicts can arise with farmers. To address these threats, Utah prairie dogs are trapped from private lands and moved to protected land through a process called translocation. These translocations help to establish new colonies to meet recovery objectives, reduce agricultural conflict, and mitigate the impacts of development activities. The Recovery Plan for the species lists implementation of translocation of Utah prairie dogs as a number two priority action for the species.

In 1972, the UDWR initiated the Utah prairie dog translocation program and by 2008, 23,359 Utah prairie dogs were translocated from private to public lands. Translocation initially had low success but has steadily increased throughout the years due to new research and modification of translocation methods. Research to improve translocation efforts is listed as a number two priority action in the species' Recovery Plan.

In the 1980s, survival studies of translocated prairie dogs identified badgers (Taxidea taxus) as the primary cause of failure at transplant sites. Predation, specifically at new translocation sites, is listed as a threat in the species' Recovery Plan. Despite improvements to translocation methods over the life of the program, predation continues to be a threat at translocation sites; warranting further research into improving predator control efforts.

Improved predator deterrence at translocation sites can improve success by allowing transplanted Utah prairie dogs to become established and self-sustaining while they are highly vulnerable to predation. Predator deterrence is a temporary measure to give Utah prairie dogs time to build their own network of burrows, which is their main method of escaping predation in established colonies.

Provide evidence about the nature of the problem and the need to address it. Identify the significance of the problem using a variety of data sources. For example, if a habitat restoration project is being proposed to benefit greater sage-grouse, describe the existing plant community characteristics that limit habitat value for greater sage-grouse and identify the changes needed for habitat improvement.

Provide an overall goal for the project and then provide clear, specific and measurable objectives (outcomes) to be accomplished by the proposed actions. If possible, tie to one or more of the public benefits UWRI is providing.

For the first time in the species' history, Utah prairie dogs met the recovery goal of 1,000 spring-counted adult animals present in each recovery unit within protected habitat in 2023 (Table 2). The recovery goal states that this progress needs to be met over five (5) consecutive years. Recovery efforts, such as translocation and sylvatic plague prevention, are likely responsible for the success that Utah prairie dogs have enjoyed. To maintain the progress that has been made, additional efforts will be needed to help keep up the current success. Use of electric fencing at Utah prairie dog translocations sites, paired with faster monitoring provided by cellular trail cameras, are expected to further increase the success of Utah prairie dog translocations.

A literature review of prairie dog translocations in 2001 by Truett et. al. found that electric fences enclosing translocation sites can be used to repel predators. A 1998 study by Truett and Savage used electric wire to repel both badgers and coyotes from translocated prairie dogs. They observed no sign of badger infiltration into their exclosures over 1-2 years. Work by Matchett et al. (2013) on using electrical fencing on prairie dog colonies to protect black footed ferrets from predators also showed promise for prairie dogs. They found that electric fencing effectively decreased coyote activity and saw some evidence of deterrence with American badgers. The review authors concluded that even when electric fencing is not 100% perfect in deterring predators, it is beneficial in sufficiently reducing predation to allow prairie dog colonies become established enough to defend themselves.

Increased translocation success would mean increasing the number and area of occupation of Utah prairie dogs on public or protected land. This would aid Utah prairie dogs in continuing to meeting the Recovery Goals, Objectives, and Criteria listed in the Recovery Plan, and potentially lead to a delisting of the species.

LOCATION: Justify the proposed location of this project over other areas, include publicly scrutinized planning/recovery documents that list this area as a priority, remote sensing modeling that show this area is a good candidate for restoration, wildlife migration information and other data that help justify this project's location.

TIMING: Justify why this project should be implemented at this time. For example, Is the project area at risk of crossing an ecological or other threshold wherein future restoration would become more difficult, cost prohibitive, or even impossible.

List management plans where this project will address an objective or strategy in the plan. Describe how the project area overlaps the objective or strategy in the plan and the relevance of the project to the successful implementation of those plans. It is best to provide this information in a list format with the description immediately following the plan objective or strategy.

If applicable, detail how the proposed project will significantly reduce the risk of fuel loading and/or continuity of hazardous fuels including the use of fire-wise species in re-seeding operations. Describe the value of any features being protected by reducing the risk of fire. Values may include; communities at risk, permanent infrastructure, municipal watersheds, campgrounds, critical wildlife habitat, etc. Include the size of the area where fuels are being reduced and the distance from the feature(s) at risk.

Describe how the project has the potential to improve water quality and/or increase water quantity, both over the short and long term. Address run-off, erosion, soil infiltration, and flooding, if applicable.

Description of efforts, both completed and planned, to bring the proposed action into compliance with any and all cultural resource, NEPA, ESA, etc. requirements. If compliance is not required enter "not applicable" and explain why not it is not required.

The Division coordinates annually with our wildlife conservation partners, including the BLM and Iron County to install Utah prairie dog translocation sites on protected lands. Translocation sites are comprised of multiple clusters of artificial burrows, with 10 artificial burrows per cluster (10 Utah prairie dogs per artificial burrow, 100 per cluster). With assistance from this grant, we plan on installing approximately 2,000 feet of electric fencing (Premier1 Supplies, Washington, IA, USA) around 5 newly installed artificial burrow clusters. Each fence will be powered by one solar energizer (low/wide impedance intermittent pulse to prevent fires) augmented with a 3 foot grounding rod. Fencing will be spaced approximately 150 feet from the center each artificial burrow in each cluster to provide the released animals with a protected foraging area. Fences will be erected approximately 1-2 weeks prior to translocation taking place, and removed no later than the end of October. At least one cellular trail camera will be placed inside the perimeter of each fence to monitor for predators. Between the initial fence install and start of translocations, sites will be monitored to ensure no predators were inadvertently enclosed. Estimated personal services for setting up the fence over two days were calculated based on a $17.50 per hour technician pay rate and a 2013 study by Matchett et al. which calculated the time cost of constructing electric fence at 23.9Ã¢ÂÂperson-hours per 3281 feet.

One additional artificial burrow cluster will be equipped with 20 galvanized steel utility panels secured to the ground atop each artificial burrow system to deter badgers from burrowing into the newly disturbed soil to prey on the translocated prairie dogs. Each panel will have 4"x4" grid spacing to allow Utah prairie dogs to pass through the panels while excluding badgers.

Describe the actions, activities, tasks to be implemented as part of the proposed project; how these activities will be carried out, equipment to be used, when, and by whom.

Describe plans to monitor for project success and achievement of stated objectives. Include details on type of monitoring (vegetation, wildlife, etc.), schedule, assignments and how the results of these monitoring efforts will be reported and/or uploaded to this project page. If needed, upload detailed plans in the "attachments" section.

List any and all partners (agencies, organizations, NGO's, private landowners) that support the proposal and/or have been contacted and included in the planning and design of the proposed project. Describe efforts to gather input and include these agencies, landowners, permitees, sportsman groups, researchers, etc. that may be interested/affected by the proposed project. Partners do not have to provide funding or in-kind services to a project to be listed.

Detail future methods or techniques (including administrative actions) that will be implemented to help in accomplishing the stated objectives and to insure the long term success/stability of the proposed project. This may include: post-treatment grazing rest and/or management plans/changes, wildlife herd/species management plan changes, ranch plans, conservation easements or other permanent protection plans, resource management plans, forest plans, etc.

Potential for the proposed action to improve quality or quantity of sustainable uses such as grazing, timber harvest, biomass utilization, recreation, etc. Grazing improvements may include actions to improve forage availability and/or distribution of livestock.