Colorado advocates urge protection of prairie dogs amid development in Douglas County
Conservationists are sounding the alarm about the impact of development in Douglas County on wildlife, specifically prairie dogs. While they're often referred to as "pests," the animals play a key role in the ecosystem.
Nearly a decade ago, a colony of prairie dogs was relocated to a meadow west of Sedalia from what is now the Promenade shopping center in Castle Rock.
"People say, 'Well, put them in your backyard then,' and it's like 'I have, and I'm very happy I did, and so is the whole community of life that lives here,'" said Deanna Meyer.
Meyer saved about a fifth of that prairie dog colony from extermination by bringing them to her land.
"It was a battle to get these prairie dogs up here," Meyer said. "This was the only place we had, the only land that we could find." Though the land is higher than their traditional habitat, the prairie dogs have now thrived for eight generations.
"It has definitely benefited this land. We see so many golden eagles, bald eagles, hawks, coyotes and bobcats," Meyer said. "The grasses have become super diversified."
Meyer runs Prairie Protection Colorado, a nonprofit that advocates for the keystone species.
"They support hundreds of other species, and without them, the grassland community is not going to be healthy," said Meyer. Biologists estimate prairie dogs have lost 98% of their habitat to development.
"Prairie dogs live in all the places that are ideal for development, the short grass prairies, areas that are flat and easy to build on," said Meyer.
According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, black-tailed prairie dogs are abundant in Colorado and are not a state or federally protected species. White-tailed and Gunnison prairie dogs are less abundant and are listed as Tier 1 species in the State Wildlife Action Plan for priority conservation consideration.
In Colorado, prairie dogs can be legally hunted with a proper license during their hunting season. While some Colorado towns like Boulder, Longmont and Parker have stricter rules, in general, private landowners are free to manage prairie dogs as they see fit. This can include relocating them with proper permits from Colorado Parks and Wildlife or humanely euthanizing them.
"With the rapid growth we're having in Colorado, they are continually destroyed for development, so they are bulldozed over and suffocated down or poisoned with phosphine gases," said Meyer.
Meyer encourages landowners to donate prairie dogs to wildlife refuges. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been working to restore biodiversity by relocating prairie dog colonies to the U.S. Army Chemical Depot in Pueblo.
Prairie dogs can help restore populations of other at-risk animals, such as the black-footed ferret and burrowing owl.
"Black-footed ferrets are the nation's most critically endangered mammal, and they cannot live without prairie dogs," said Meyer.
Meyer hopes more laws will be put in place to protect the animals. As new communities like Dawson Trails , and the proposed Pine Canyon development prepare to come to Douglas County, Meyer urges them to protect the prairie dogs on that land.
"These animals are refugees in their own home, we have completely overtaken their territory, and they are just trying to survive," said Meyer.
She hopes that development will slow before all of the prairie dog's habitat is gone.
"The devastation that these developments bring cannot be overstated," she said. "Our health is dependent on the health of the environment, and rapid growth is detrimental to all of us and all the species who live on it."
Prairie Protection Colorado can help connect landowners with resources to relocate prairie dogs. The window to relocate them this year will soon close, as Meyer says it is best to do so between July and October.
If landowners choose to exterminate prairie dogs, Prairie Protection Colorado urges they do so humanely and avoid using poisons that could have a ripple effect throughout the ecosystem.
