WildEarth Guardians

Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Interior Secretary Salazar Fights Upgraded Protections for Rarest U.S. Prairie Dog

Federal Government Appeals Another Prairie Dog Court Win
Contact: Nicole Rosmarino 505 699-7404

Washington, DC—Nov. 24. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is seeking to overturn a federal court ruling that required him to consider elevated protections for prairie dogs. Yesterday, Salazar appealed a federal court ruling which struck down a 2007 decision to deny upgraded protections for the Utah prairie dog. The case was brought by WildEarth Guardians, with whom U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly agreed that Interior failed to address why an 87 percent reduction in the Utah prairie dog’s range and an array of threats were not a sufficient basis to upgrade it to endangered status under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

The appeal of this decision by Mr. Salazar follows on the heels of an appeal last week of a court win by Guardians regarding ESA protection for the Gunnison’s prairie dog.  Secretary Salazar similarly is trying to overturn a federal court ruling that found he had acted illegally when he de-listed gray wolves in the Northern Rockies.

“Mr. Salazar is continuing to pander to his rancher roots by not only refusing endangered species a much-needed federal lifeline, but by putting animals long victimized by ranchers squarely in his crosshairs,” stated Nicole Rosmarino, WildEarth Guardians’ Wildlife Program Director. “Rather than stepping up for prairie dogs and wolves on the brink, Secretary Salazar is continuing the shameful legacy of persecuting these fascinating and ecologically vital animals.”

The court decision being appealed was issued on September 28 and was in response to a 2003 petition by WildEarth Guardians requesting Interior reclassify the Utah prairie dog as endangered, the highest possible level under the Endangered Species Act. When the Secretary (through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, or FWS) denied Guardians’ petition in 2007, the group sued.      

In her decision, Judge Kollar-Kotelly found that “FWS failed to explain why the reduction in the species' historical range did not indicate that reclassification may be warranted”; “FWS failed to consider the cumulative effect of the ESA's listing factors”; and therefore remanded the 2007 rejection of Guardians’ reclassification petition back to the Service.

Located in southwestern Utah, the Utah prairie dog is the rarest type of the 4 prairie dog species that occur in the U.S. Only approximately 12,000 adult Utah prairie dogs are alive today from a population that once numbered close to 100,000. They are  beseiged by an array of threats, including a Service special rule that allows up to 6,000 Utah prairie dogs to be shot every year; rampant destruction of their habitat by livestock grazing, crop agriculture, and urban sprawl; illegal poisoning and shooting; drought; and other perils.

Scientists consider prairie dogs to be “keystone” species. Prairie dogs serve as prey for a large variety of carnivores including golden eagles, kit foxes, ferruginous hawks, and badgers. Prairie dog burrows provide homes to animals such as burrowing owls, lizards, rabbits, and other wildlife. From big mammals to small butterflies, more than 150 wildlife species benefit from the rich habitat prairie dog colonies create.

“We’re stunned that Mr. Salazar seems intent on snatching away protections for endangered species such as the Utah prairie dog at every turn, despite his legal duty to be the nation’s foremost protector of endangered species,” Rosmarino continued.

WildEarth Guardians is a west-wide conservation group dedicated to protecting and restoring wildlife, wild rivers, and wild places. The group leads a coalition of over 100 scientists and conservation groups calling for Ken Salazar’s resignation as Interior Secretary.

For more information, including photos of the Utah prairie dog and background documents, email nrosmarino@wildearthguardians.org or call 505-699-7404.