Utah Prairie Dog

A Lesson in Conservation

Management
Presented by

Introduction
Scientific name:
Cynomys parvidens
The only mammal
that is completely
endemic to Utah
Smallest species of
Prairie Dog in North
America
Member of the

Habitat
and
Range
Found in the
central and
southwestern
part of Utah
Short
grassland
habitat in
mountain
valleys (prairies)
Deep, welldrained soil and
vegetation that
they can see
over
5,400-feet on

Biology and Behavior

Burrow system
Social colonies
Diurnal
Hibernate
Diet: grasses,
alfalfa, flowers,
seeds, and
insects.
Predator alert
system

HistoryDecimation/Population #s
The decline of the Utah prairie dog began in the
1920s when programs were made to control their
population size
50 years later, only 37 colonies were left, which
was about 3000 individual prairie dogs

Threats
Plague
Urban development
Overgrazing
Climate change
Energy resource exploration

Keystone Species

Def: Species on which another species in an

ecosystem largely depend on.
Main predator: Black-footed ferret
Trophic cascade concept
Black-footed ferrets depend on prairie dogs
for food and for homes for their offspring
When prairie dog numbers start to decline,
this hurts the black-footed ferrets as well

Plague
Bubonic plague is a disease that
affects prairie dogs.
Its passed between prairie dogs
by fleas.
When there is an outbreak, it
will often wipe out the entire
colony.
Dusting dens with pesticides to
kill fleas is the main method of
controlling the disease from
spreading. Scientists are also
working towards developing a
vaccine.

Endangered Species Act

The Endangered Species Act
(ESA) is a government law that
protects species to prevent
them from going extinct.
From 1929 to 1976, Utah prairie
dogs went from 100,000
individuals to 4,000.
Because of this, they were added to the ESA
as an Endangered species.
Utah prairie dogs were protected by the law,
as well as the land they lived on. For
example, prairie dogs couldnt be trapped and
their land wasnt allowed to be built on.

Conservation Status
Utah Fish and Wildlife Services
and Utah Division of Wildlife
Services worked hard to
protect Utah prairie dogs and
their land.
In 1984, the number of prairie
dogs had grown to 34,000 and
werent considered
endangered anymore, so the
ESA changed their status to
Threatened.

Laws are now less strict, for

example, people can build on

Recovery Plan
USFWS recovery plan

Protect habitat
Translocation
Dusting for plague

Whos Helping?
USFWS
Utah Prairie Dog Oversight Group
(UPDOG)
National Parks

What Can YOU Do?

Be aware
Spread awareness
Adopt a Prairie Dog

Questions or Comments?

What weve
done
http://utahlovesutahprairiedogs.blogspot.com/
To do our part in helping the Utah prairie dog we:
Got in contact with UPDOG and Bryce Canyon National
Park to gain more information about Utah prairie dog
management and actions we could take to help.
Asked corporations to consider donating to
organizations that work to help the Utah prairie dog.
Created a lesson plan to help other educators more
easily teach others and made this lesson plan easily
accessible.
Made a poster to help educate others and made it
accessible for others to use for educational purposes.
Presented to a class to educate them about the plight of
the Utah prairie dog and its importance.

Our Presentation!