Wyo. grassland prairie dog plan allows poisoning

Ranchers and environmentalists are at odds over a plan for managing black-tailed prairie dogs on the Thunder Basin National Grassland in northeast Wyoming.

Environmentalists don't like how the plan would allow prairie dogs to be killed with poison in places where they're not wanted.

Ranchers counter that poisoning must be an option to keep prairie dogs from spreading and damaging ranchland by eating away the grass that grows around their colonies.

"They're very damaging," said Rosanne Driskill, a rancher near Devils Tower. "They'll kill a large acreage if they get a chance."

The Forest Service has scheduled a public meeting Oct. 22 in Douglas to gather a final round of comments on the plan. The agency expects to make a final decision on the plan before Nov. 10.

The purpose of the plan is to establish prairie dogs in large enough numbers to support a reintroduced population of black-footed ferrets. Prairie dogs are the only prey of black-footed ferrets.

The first ferrets could be reintroduced to the Thunder Basin National Grassland around this time next year, said Misty Hays, deputy district ranger for the Forest Service in Douglas.

The U.S. Forest Service is considering five options for managing prairie dogs on the grassland. All five plans would allow poisoning under varying circumstances.

The Forest Service's preferred option would set a goal of 18,000 acres of active prairie dog colonies in an area 25 miles southeast of Wright. In addition, the Forest Service would set a goal of 9,000 acres of active prairie dog colonies on mostly private land in the surrounding area.

Poisoning would be a last-resort option to keep prairie dog populations from spreading beyond those areas.

"We're not all about killing prairie dogs, but yet we recognize that it's a complex issue and there are two very controversial sides to the story," Hays said. "So we need to try to balance those to meet the needs of landowners and still meet the needs of ferrets and prairie dogs."

The Biodiversity Conservation Alliance based in Laramie is one of three groups that last month petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list the reintroduced ferret populations in Arizona, South Dakota and Wyoming as endangered.

Poisoning of prairie dogs is one reason the group believes the ferrets should be listed.

The Forest Service itself has listed the black-tailed prairie dog as a sensitive species, pointed out Duane Short, wild species program director for the Biodiversity Conservation Alliance.

"It doesn't seem appropriate to poison an animal that's on your sensitive species list, especially when that animal is entirely responsible for the success or failure of the black-footed ferret," Short said.

The alliance also was involved in a lawsuit over the status of black-tailed prairie dogs under the Endangered Species Act. A settlement required the Fish and Wildlife Service to look at whether protection under the act would be warranted.

The Fish and Wildlife Service expects to publish a decision on listing black-tailed prairie dogs as threatened or endangered in early December, said Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman Diane Katzenberger.

An endangered species listing would require the Forest Service to consult with Fish and Wildlife on poisoning and any other issues that could affect prairie dog numbers.

An endangered species listing for black-tailed prairie dogs would have little effect on the planning for prairie dogs on the Thunder Basin National Grassland, Hays said.