The Utah Prairie Dog Revised Recovery Plan 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 among others. As the official and legal wildlife management agency in the state, these tasks/responsibilities fall primarily to the Division, which maintains databases associated with these programs, acting as the official curator of these 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 is a key member of the Conservation Strategy group where they represent State interests and positions.

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. To a large extent, 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 acres of protected habitats. 4) Increased knowledge of Utah prairie dog biology, habitat needs, recovery options, threats and management. 5) Continued implementation of the Utah prairie dog control program to provide relief in sensitive areas, and relief from agricultural damage. 6) Establishment of additional recovery projects and improvement of existing projects. 7) Inclusion of private lands and private landowners in the recovery program. 8) Coordinated operation of a cooperative Recovery Implementation Program.

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), and 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 5 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 which upon completion is expected to be the driving force behind a push for delisting.

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. Conduct spring population counts on all culturally sensitive areas and key private lands with recurring issues. To be completed by June 15, 2020. Hiring of two full time technicians is needed to complete this task. 2) Update Utah prairie dog databases to include new count information by January 1, 2021. 3) Update all maps of Utah prairie dog habitat and distribution by March 1, 2021. 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 a Conservation Strategy. 6) Oversee and coordinate trapping and translocation of Utah prairie dogs for the establishment of new public land colonies. To be accomplished in July August and September 2020. 7) Administer agricultural depredation program allowing take of Utah prairie dogs causing agricultural damage. Maintain accurate records of prairie dog counts, take allotments, and reported take. Report results of the program in the annual recovery report by March 31, 2021. 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. 10) Provide UPD related scoping comments for federal NEPA processes for which such input is requested. 11) Attend all UPDOG meetings (~4), Recovery Implementation Team meetings (~4) and Recovery Team meetings (~2).

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, results of research projects, etc. 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, SITLA, Utah Department of Natural Resources, affected counties and municipalities. The Utah Prairie Dog Recovery Team supports this proposed project.

This project is a multi-year, multi-agency effort that will continue until the Utah prairie dog is recovered. The Division's continued support of and involvement in Utah prairie dog management is essential for achieving recovery.

07/01/2021

06/30/2022

2022

The annual Utah prairie dog (UPD) population monitoring was completed by late June in 2022. 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). A total of 5,620 adult animals were counted in 2022. All databases were updated to include new count and mapping information. Eight hundred forty-seven (847) UPDs were translocated (417 by UDWR and 430 by USFS) to approved sites in Iron County and Garfield County in July, August, and September 2021. An additional 97 UPDs were translocated in Garfield County by UDWR and USFS from June 28, 2022, to June 30, 2022, for training or safety trapping. Nine hundred forty-four (944) UPDs total were trapped and translocated between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022. Translocations of UPDs occurred on BLM and USFS land in the West Desert Recovery Unit, and Paunsaugunt Recovery Unit. Retention rates from 2021 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 hiring a seasonal predator trapper. Twenty-seven (27) lethal control permits were issued from July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022, with a total estimated take of 417 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 2021 UPD spring count data, including breaking up the data into categories based on Recovery Unit and landownership. At least 20 GRAMA requests were fulfilled between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022, 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 22. The UPD Recovery and General Conservation Plan annual meeting took place on March 24, 2022 and was attended by UDWR and partner agencies. UDWR dusted approximately 105 acres of occupied UPD habitat on three protected properties in the West Desert Recovery Unit in June 2022. UDWR performed outreach efforts via interviews by Cedar City news for UPD spring counts, as well as a separate article about UPD trapping and translocation. UDWR also produced an episode of the WILD podcast (episode 27) about UPD recovery efforts. No plague vaccine baits, fipronil grain, or FipBits were distributed FY 22. The FipBit study, organized by Randy Matchett (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, USFWS) is waiting for permit authorization from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) before any additional work can be completed. 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. If permits from USDA can be acquired, UDWR has section 6 funds for research of FipBits on flea prevalence in UPDs in 2023. UDWR has drafted a Conservation Strategy to be used as a basis for delisting UPDs, and as a management plan if UPDs were delisted.