Colorado State University researchers have identified priority areas for the conservation of the black-tailed prairie dog in the United States, extending from Montana to Texas and New Mexico to Arizona. Protecting these regions will also benefit North America's Central Grasslands and the many associated grassland species that flourished there centuries ago.
Once rivaling Africa's Serengeti in species abundance and diversity, North America's Central Grasslands supported a rich ecosystem comprised of millions of bison, pronghorn, elk, wolves, grizzly bears, grassland bird species and prairie dogs. Today, this ecosystem -- stretching from Canada to Mexico -- is one of the most endangered in the world, with widespread declines in native wildlife, including the near extirpation of wolves and grizzly bears, more than 95% decline in bison and prairie dog populations and a 50% decline in grassland bird species.
After looking at ecological, political and social factors, climate change, and land use throughout the central and western United States, CSU researchers have mapped a blueprint that identifies the best landscapes for black-tailed prairie dog conservation. Conserving this habitat benefits other grassland species that depend on the prairie dog for food and habitat.
Published in Diversity and Distributions in January, this research and accompanying maps aim to guide state, regional and national conservation initiatives, supporting the goal to conserve 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030 by identifying priority conservation areas for the most effective use of limited resources.
This research was led by Ana Davidson, a CSU research scientist at the Colorado Natural Heritage Program and joint faculty member in the Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology Department. As part of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies' Western Grasslands Initiative, Davidson and other researchers, including CNHP colleague Michael Menefee, collaborated with scientists and state biologists to identify the most intact and connected grasslands with the highest long-term stability and viability in the face of climate and land use change.
They also considered the political and social landscapes that exist within these areas, such as available funding for conservation and social attitudes, to understand whether a community could and would support prairie dog habitat conservation.
"Grasslands are declining significantly because they are the primary biome that humans rely on for agriculture, so there is a lot of potential for conflict with livestock production and loss of habitat to cropland," Davidson said.
The results of this research are found in a publicly available interactive map that outlines BTPD geographic range in parts of Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming, and identifies the top 10% and top 30% of areas that have the highest conservation potential for the prairie dog ecosystem.
Davidson's "Homes on the Range" core research team -- comprised of scientists from the Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Humane Society of the United States, Prairie Dog Coalition, WAFWA and United States Department of Agricultural Research Services -- is already putting their research into action. The team is applying for large grants to help implement conservation in the priority regions and working to build on existing relationships with local ranchers, land trusts, agency biologists and managers, and conservation groups.
Davidson stated that this effort is not a "one-size-fits-all approach," and the goal is to support the unique needs of different communities. The needs of a rural community in Wyoming may differ from those of a community in southeastern Colorado, which may further differ from the needs of tribal communities in South Dakota, for example.
Lindsey Sterling-Krank, co-author and expert in conflict resolution with the Humane Society of the United States, added, "We want to work together with communities to address local needs that can support both prairie dog ecosystem conservation and co-existence with human activities."
According to Davidson, this research and the maps they have generated will also help inform State Wildlife Action Plans as well as other large-scale grassland conservation efforts like the Central Grasslands Roadmap and The North American Grasslands Conservation Act.
"Initiatives such as the Homes on the Range project are making significant progress toward the ambitious goals of conserving the lands and waters upon which all life depends -- collectively, at the global scale," said co-author Fernanda Thiesen Brum, spatial prioritization scientist on The Nature Conservancy's Global Science Team.
Prairie dogs: Keystone species of the grasslands
The depletion of grasslands is attributed to the detrimental farming practices of the late 1800s, and as grasslands have suffered, so has the prairie dog ecosystem. The early 1990s saw a massive government-led campaign to eradicate the prairie dog, which can compete for forage with domestic livestock. Later, a non-native disease from Asia -- the "plague" -- contributed to the continual widespread declines in their populations. This loss has resulted in the cascading decline in species that rely on prairie dogs for survival.
Prairie dog colonies are often called "towns" because they support many animals in addition to their own species. Their vast underground infrastructures provide homes and shelter for wildlife such as burrowing owls. Prairie dogs serve as prey for predators like the endangered black-footed ferret, hawks and eagles; improve soil quality through aeration and organic matter; and create open grassland habitat by maintaining dense, short-statured grasses that attract birds like mountain plovers.
Once a prairie dog colony is established, floral cover increases, and other species flock to these grassland oases for feeding, foraging, pollinating and nesting.
"This prairie dog recovery effort is really about the ecosystem," said Davidson. "If we focus on prairie dogs, we get a big bang for our buck. We know we can reintroduce prairie dogs or protect them and see the ecosystem revitalized -- foxes, eagles and rabbits will return to an area buzzing with birds and insects."
Davidson noted that compared to other ecosystems, like the redwood forest, the Central Grasslands often get overlooked. "Grasslands are understudied, underfunded and underappreciated, and they have an important story to be told," said Davidson.
