Prairie Dogs Delisted

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that the black-tailed prairie dog will be removed as a candidate for listing under the Endangered Species Act. NCBA and the Public Lands Council are pleased with this science-based decision and have been working with the Administration to bring light to this issue. According to the USDA, “new information from states and other entities about the range-wide impact of disease, chemical control and other lesser factors and the number of acres of occupied black-tailed prairie dog habitat,” resulted in USDA coming to this decision. State agencies now estimate approximately 1,842,000 acres of occupied black-tailed prairie dog habitat across the United States. 

NCBA and the Public Lands Council are pleased that the Administration has taken action on this issue and understand firsthand the damages of overpopulation of prairie dogs. The removal allows for a proactive control plan to be put in place. A revised Prairie Dog Management Plan has been developed in collaboration with South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds and the U.S. Forest Service, USDA Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the South Dakota Departments of Game, Fish and Parks and Agriculture. The revised plan incorporates prairie dog control measures on complaint-driven federal and private lands, proposed changes to shooting regulations in the Conata Basin, expanded live trapping, and completion of the management plan by the South Dakota Legislature.