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Daniel Budge

02/3/17

English 2010

Mrs. Bown

Sustaining the Utah Prairie Dog

Contents:

Introduction

The Utah Prairie Dog

Detailed History

Current Status

Introduction

Endangered species often have far reaching impacts on economies,

environments, and even quality of life for the general population. The Utah Prairie Dog

has faced a turbulent past, experiencing varying levels of endangerment since the

settlement of the state of Utah in 1847. Populations are now on the rise due to focused

efforts by state and federal organizations aiming to preserve the ecosystems the Utah

prairie dog sustains, notably with a disproportionate amount of influence. Despite this,
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the Utah prairie dog is still heavily reliant on these efforts and remains classified as

Threatened.

The Utah Prairie Dog

Cynomys parvidens, or the Utah prairie dog, is a rodent of the Sciuridae family. It

exclusively inhabits southern Utah, thus its name. Utah prairie dogs live in colonies

sometimes referred to as towns, a name coined by early pioneers

after witnessing the expansive burrows the Utah prairie dog builds

(NPS #2). The average Utah prairie dog stands 341 millimeters

(1.12 feet) tall and weighs 636 grams (1.4 lb.) (Smth #4).

The Utah prairie dog (UPD) consumes mostly desert

foliage, occasionally feasting on insects. Come Winter, the UPD

enters and covers the entrances to its burrow 1-2 meter (3-6 feet)

below the ground. It then hibernates in this burrow until early

Illustration: Todd Zalewski

March for the males, and late March for the females.

The UPD is considered a keystone species. This means that proportional to

population, the UPD has a large impact on its environment and, like a keystone, its

habitat would crumble without it. Its burrows are used by all manner of like sized animal

such as owls, squirrels, and weasels. The UPD increases the nitrogen intake of the

surrounding plants by stirring up the soil, and even keeps foliage at a healthy height.
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Detailed History

The earliest estimation of UPD population is that of 93,000 head spread across

700 colonies in the year 1920. The next available data occurs over fifty years later in

1972, showing 3,300 UPDs across 37 colonies - a reduction of 96%. It is speculated

that various control campaigns and the sylvatic plague were the cause of this drastic

decline in population, but no firm evidence is available as yearly counts were not

instituted by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources until 1976.

Utah Prairie Dog Spring Adult Count 1976-2014 (UDWR #1)

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1972-1973 were key years for the UPD. The UPD was officially put on the

endangered species list on June 4th, 1973. Experts predicted the extinction of the

animal by the year 2000 if no action was taken. In response, the Utah Division of

Wildlife Resources implemented a translocation program aimed at relocating UPDs from

private land (where the majority, 71%, resided) to public, protected and optimal habitats.

Federal protections were also added to the inherent protections of being an endangered

species. As a result, the population steadily rose beginning around 1976.

Current Status

The past and present habitat of the Utah Prairie Dog (UDWR)
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As of 2015, the UPD population has grown to 22,700 with 6,700 on public

protected land and 16,000 on private land. This can be attributed to the extensive

relocation initiatives carried out by the UDWR resulting in over 30,000 UPDs having

been relocated since 1972, increased collaboration between state and federal agencies,

as well as natural factors such as warmer winters and plague reduction. Despite this,

the UPD remains a threatened species. If efforts to protect the UPD were to cease, the

UPD would likely rapidly plunge into extinction. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

explains the importance of preventing this: "Conserving endangered and threatened

species facilitates commerce in a number of industries, including pharmaceuticals,

agriculture, aquaculture, scientific study, hunting, fishing, and tourism, because it

preserves individual species and biodiversity which are important resources for these

industries, either now or potentially in the future. Even if a particular species could

have no independent commercial value, the interrelationships of species mean that the

loss of one species can have significant impacts on other species and interstate

commerce. As stated, the loss of the UPD would negatively affect the economy as well

as the environment.

Due to the delicate, complex, biological nature of this issue, the most effective

thing the general public can do about this issue is contact their representatives. The

UDWR has professional staff taking care of the groundwork - all that is needed is public

interest and political will.

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Citations

1. Image: Todd Zalewski from Kays and Wilson's Mammals of North America,

Princeton University Press (2002)

2. National Parks Service. "Utah Prairie Dog." National Parks Service. U.S.

Department of the Interior, n.d. Web. 2 Mar. 2017. <https://www.nps.gov/brca/learn/

nature/upd.htm>.

3. ODonoghue, Amy Joy. "Government Wants Protection Restored for Utah

Prairie Dogs." KSL.com. KSL, 28 Sept. 2015. Web. 2 May 2017. <https://www.ksl.com/?

sid=36717709&nid=148&title=government-wants-protection-restored-for-utah-prairie-

dogs>.

4. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. "Cynomys Parvidens." North

American Mammals. Smithsonian, n.d. Web. 2 Mar. 2017. <http://naturalhistory.si.edu/

mna/image_info.cfm?species_id=53>.

5. Utah Division Of Wildlife Resources. "Utah Prairie Dog Management Plan for

Non-federal Lands." (2015): 1-23. Mar. 2015. Web. <https://wildlife.utah.gov/pdf/

prairie_dog_plan.pdf>.