The Utah Prairie Dog Revised Recovery Plan (USFWS 2012) sets forth recovery goals while addressing species threats and prescribing mitigation measures. Recovery actions include annual population monitoring and assessment, habitat identification and mapping, habitat improvement, establishment of new colonies via translocation, establishing conservation easements, research into Utah prairie dog biology and habitat requirements, and disease abatement. Many of these tasks/responsibilities fall to the Division, which maintains databases associated with the Utah prairie dog program and acts as the official curator of the data for the recovery program. In addition, Division personnel sit on the Utah Prairie Dog Recovery Team and the Utah Prairie Dog Oversight Group (UPDOG), and are teh Division is a key member of other cooperative Utah prairie dog management efforts.

The goal of the Utah prairie dog program is recovery and delisting of the Utah prairie dog. Individual objectives vary depending upon Recovery Team and UPDOG priorities and various cooperative agreements. Largely, objectives are defined by and closely tied to the tasks listed below in Methods. Anticipated outcomes are as follows: 1) Improved habitat conditions for Utah prairie dogs. 2) Increased numbers of Utah prairie dogs and acres of habitat on public and protected lands. 3) Increased knowledge of Utah prairie dog biology, habitat needs, recovery options, threats and management. 4) Continued implementation of the Utah prairie dog control program to provide relief in sensitive areas, and relief from agricultural damage. 5) Establishment of additional recovery projects and improvement of existing projects. 6) Inclusion of private lands and private landowners in the recovery program. 9) Coordinated operation of a cooperative Recovery Implementation Program.

Cessation of Utah prairie dog management efforts to proactively address recovery goals, actions, and threats, could lead to up-listing and more stringent ESA regulation. The Division needs to continue its role in actively managing and monitoring the species to prevent both a decline for Utah prairie dogs and decreased public support for Utah prairie dogs. Threats for Utah prairie dogs include plague, urban expansion, over-grazing, cultivated agriculture, vegetation community changes, invasive plants, OHV and recreational uses, climate change, energy resource exploration and development, fire management, poaching, and predation. Each of these is addressed through current mangement efforts.

All activities in this proposal are done in support of the Utah Prairie Dog Revised Recovery Plan. The objectives of that plan are as follows: 1) To protect suitable habitat that is of sufficient size to support a viable Utah prairie dog population and is spatially distributed to provide connectivity within each Recovery Unit (RU). 2) To establish and maintain viable Utah prairie dog populations in each RU. To achieve these objectives, the following criteria have been established: Criteria: 1) At least 5,000 ac (2,023 ha) of occupied habitat are protected in perpetuity in each RU (West Desert, Paunsaugunt, and Awapa Plateau). These occupied habitat criteria will be spatially distributed to provide sufficient connectivity and gene flow within each RU. The Division routinely collaborates with other agencies and entities to increase Utah prairie dog habitat (easements), and protect and conserve existing habitat whenever possible. 2) At least 2,000 adult animals (at least 1,000 counted adults in the spring counts) are present in each RU (West Desert, Paunsaugunt, and Awapa Plateau) within protected habitat for five consecutive years. The Division oversees and coordinates all trapping and translocation efforts with the goal of sustaining, increasing, and creating new viable colonies on public and protected lands. 3) Management strategies are in place to prevent and respond to threats from disease. The Division coordinates plague abatement activities with other public land entities (BLM, USFS), as well as participates in ongoing research into plague dynamics. 4) Education, outreach, and public relations programs and State and/or local regulations are in place and are sufficient to minimize illegal take, manage legal lethal control post-delisting, and foster habitat management practices. The Division routinely participates in educational programs at schools and local interest events. The Division also performs training sessions for section 7 consultation on a yearly basis. The Division meets with local permitting offices, builder association and realty groups, appears on local radio etc. to ensure information is widely distributed regarding Utah prairie dog regulations. 5) Utah prairie dog-specific adaptive management strategies are in place on protected lands to improve suitable habitat in a manner that also will facilitate management responses to changing climatic conditions and other threat factors that are difficult to predict. The Division is an active member of the Utah Prairie Dog Recovery Implementation Team. While the Division does not have sole authority on public lands, input is given and recommendations are made regarding adaptive management strategies. On privately owned yet protected parcels, the Division works with the landowner and managing agency on adaptive management strategies. In addition to the Recovery Plan, the Division is the leading agency in the development of a Conservation Strategy. Upon completion, the Conservation Strategy is expected to be the driving force behind delisting the species. Additionally, Utah prairie dog is a SGCN in the Utah Wildlife Action Plan (WAP). This plan is used by the Division and federal management agencies to prioritize wildlife population and habitat management programs across the state. Each of the threats to Utah prairie dogs listed in the Recovery Plan are aso addressed in the WAP. Federal amanagement of Utah prairie dog is also directed by the resource management plans of Dixie National Forest and BLM Field Offices (Cedar City, Kanab, Richfield, Hanksville). Translocations and habitat manipulations are conducted in coordination with those agencies as provided for in those plans.

Fuels treatments within and adjacent to Utah prairie dog colonies can be advantageous to the species.

Not applicable

All aspects of the Utah prairie dog recovery program maintain compliance with ESA standards. When applicable, NEPA and cultural resources surveys are conducted as required, primarily by the federal land management agencies.

The following tasks support the Utah Prairie Dog Revised Recovery Plan: 1) Complete annual population monitoring on all federal and Division lands. 2) Annually update Utah prairie dog databases to include new count information. 3) Anually update all maps of Utah prairie dog habitat and distribution. 4) Support plague abatement on public and protected lands. 5) Administer provisions of the Recovery Plan and assist in development of future management documents/plans/agreements, including the Conservation Strategy. 6) Oversee and coordinate trapping and translocation of Utah prairie dogs for the establishment of new public land colonies. 7) Administer agricultural depredation program allowing take of Utah prairie dogs causing agricultural damage. 8) Assist and advise publics and fulfill requests for information and education as needed. 9) Coordinate habitat management actions on the SITLA mitigation bank lands in the Awapa Recovery Unit with the Habitat Section and SITLA.

Many of the tasks identified in this project will be implemented on public lands. Land management agencies have already, in many cases, amended or established land/resource use/management plans providing for such actions. The Division's involvement in Utah prairie dog recovery is tied directly to guidance and mandates of the Utah Prairie Dog Revised Recovery Plan. The effectiveness of Utah prairie dog recovery actions will be monitored through annual population counts, habitat evaluations, and results of research projects. Dixie National Forest, Bureau of Land Management and the Division all have annual monitoring responsibilities within the recovery program. In addition, the Utah Prairie Dog Oversight Group meets quarterly to evaluate the Utah prairie dog recovery program and make recommendations for future recovery efforts.

United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, United States Forest Service, National Park Service, Southern Utah University, Brigham Young University, Utah State University, SITLA, Utah Department of Natural Resources, affected counties and municipalities. The Utah Prairie Dog Recovery Team supports this proposed project.

Future management of Utah prairie dogs is directed by the Recovery Plan and the plan will continue to be the guiding document until rescinded. Federal agency resource management plans, some under review/renewal, will also continue to direct recovery actions. The Division and other management partners are in the process of developing a Conservation Strategy that will guide management efforts after the species is de-listed.

Funding this program would allow for biological input on grazing allotments associated with Utah prairie dog conservation. The Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service are multi-use agencies and have grazing allotments on many of the Utah prairie dog colonies on federal land. In addition, the sagebrush removal projects the Division aids with to improve Utah prairie dog habitat may improve grazing conditions.

07/01/2022

06/30/2023

2023

The annual Utah prairie dog (UPD) population monitoring was completed by mid-June in 2023. Counts were completed by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR), U.S. Forest Service (USFS), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the National Park Service (NPS). An approximate total of 9,200 adult animals were counted in 2023, and finalization of the data is in progress. All databases will be updated to include new count and mapping information. One thousand three hundred and two (1,302) UPDs were translocated (829 by UDWR, 270 by USFS, and 203 by BLM) to approved sites in Iron County and Garfield County in July, August, and September 2022. Translocations of UPDs occurred on BLM and USFS land in the West Desert Recovery Unit and Paunsaugunt Recovery Unit. Retention rates from 2022 translocations were high, and all the sites had UPDs counted in the spring 2022. New colonies continue to be established and waning colonies are replenished throughout the species' range as a result from the translocation program. UDWR continues to management translocation sites by monitoring for predator presence, providing supplemental food and water, and providing predator trapping at translocation sites. Fifty-two (52) lethal control permits were issued from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023, with a total estimated take of 669 animals, which helped relieve agricultural conflict issues. Permits were issued both in Iron County and Garfield County. Occupied and mapped habitat acreage was calculated in ArcGIS Pro for the 2022 UPD spring count data, including breaking up the data into categories based on Recovery Unit and landownership. At least 13 GRAMA requests were fulfilled between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023, as well as several impromptu requests for UPD information. All Utah Prairie Dog Recovery Implementation Team (UPDRIT) and Conservation Strategy meetings were attended throughout FY 23. The UPD Recovery and General Conservation Plan annual meeting took place on February 1, 2023, and was attended by UDWR and partner agencies. UDWR dusted approximately 1,089 acres of occupied UPD habitat on ten protected properties in the West Desert Recovery Unit, Paunsaugunt Recovery Unit, and Awapa Plateau Recovery Unit in June 2023. UDWR performed the following outreach efforts in FY 23: (1) Cedar City news for UPD trapping and translocation, (2) assisted a child with collecting data for their science fair project, (3) helped with UPD Day at Bryce Canyon National Park, (4) interviewed on TV for KUTV 2 News about UPDs, and (5) created a UPD website with helpful information for the public. No plague vaccine baits or FipBits were distributed FY 23. The FipBit study began field work in July 2023. UPDRIT met several times in FY 23 to discuss strategy and planning for FipBit field work in FY 24. No habitat management projects took place on the SITLA mitigation lands.

The Utah Prairie Dog Revised Recovery Plan (UPDRRP) became effective in 2012. The UPDRRP dictates the new recovery goals for the species, including a spring count of 1,000 adult animals on protected land in each Recovery Unit, as well as 5,000 acres of occupied habitat on protected land in each Recovery Unit. UDWR and partner agencies work to record the data necessary to track if/when the recovery goals have been met, including counting UPDs in the spring, collecting colony and active area locations via ArcGIS Field Maps, and analyzing the data in ArcGIS Pro. In addition, UDWR helps implement the USFWS special 4(d) rule, which reduces human-wildlife conflict issues by offering UPD trapping and lethal take control permits for agriculture properties and in safety situations. UDWR continues to participate in UPDRIT, which is an organization that helps coordinate recovery efforts between the partner agencies, as well as non-profit organizations like the Nature Conservancy. The superb coordination efforts between participants in UPDRIT are responsible for the outstanding work completed for UPD recovery range wide.

UDWR plays a crucial role in Utah prairie dog recovery actions and projects. UDWR collects a significant portion of the UPD spring count data, as well as trapping and translocating numerous UPDs. UDWR is also responsible for curating the official databases for the UPD spring count and translocation data. In recent years, multiple court rulings have dictated management authority, alternating between the USFWS and UDWR. While authority currently lies with USFWS, UDWR's involvement will be especially important moving forward due to the delicate nature of UPDs in Utah. Numerous strides were made under state management, and UDWR will continue to coordinate with partner agencies to ensure management continues in a productive, proactive, and community supported approach. UDWR and partner agencies will continue to collect UPD spring count data, as well as translocate UPDs from private property to protected land. The new plague abatement strategies (fipronil grain, FipBits) remain some of the most important advances in prairie dog recovery in years. Continued support of these programs is imperative for recovery actions to succeed. Additional field work for FipBits will be conducted in 2024. UDWR has drafted a Conservation Strategy to be used as a basis for delisting UPDs, and as a management plan if UPDs were delisted.