Utah Prairie Dog Cynomys parvidens In the Office of Endangered Species U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service United States Department of Interior Petition to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to Reclassify The Utah Prairie Dog as an Endangered Species Under the Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. § 1531 et Seqet Seq. (1973 as amended) Primary Petitioner Forest Guardians 312 Montezuma Ave. Suite A Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501 (505) 988-9126 3 February 2003 Photo of Utah prairie dog courtesy of Richard P. Reading ii Additional Petitioners: Center for Native Ecosystems P.O. Box 1365 Paonia, Colorado 81428 (970) 527-8993 Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance 1471 S. 1100 E. Salt Lake City, Utah 84105 (801) 486-3161 Escalante Wilderness Project 285 West 200 North, P.O. Box 652 Escalante, Utah 84726 (435) 826-4778 Boulder Regional Group PO Box 1455 Boulder, Utah 84716 Terry Tempest Williams HC 64 Box 3710 Castle Valley, Utah 84532 Petition Prepared by: Nicole J. Rosmarino, Ph.D. With Assistance from: Erin Robertson, Center for Native Ecosystems iii Table of Contents Introduction 1 Executive Summary 1 Endangered Species Act Implementing Regulations 8 The Spirit of the Endangered Species Act 9 Petitioners 12 Endangered Species Listing Criteria Applicable 14 to the Current Status of the Utah Prairie Dog Classification and Nomenclature 14 Description 15 Geographic Distribution 16 Population Dynamics 19 Ecology 23 History of Utah Prairie Dog Management 27 Historic and Current Population Status 29 Identified Threats to the Petitioned Species: Criteria for Listing 53 Present and Threatened Destruction, Modification, or Curtailment of Habitat or Range 54 Overuse of habitat for commercial, recreational, scientific, or educational purposes 94 Disease or predation 98 Inadequacy of Existing Regulatory Mechanisms 100 Other Natural or Man-made Factors Affecting the BTPD’s Continued Existence 161 Summary 187 Need for Ecosystem Management 188 Requested Designation 188 References 190 iv List of Figures Figure 1. Prairie Dog Genus Rangemap 16 Figure 2. GAP analysis of Utah Prairie Dog Habitat 18 Figure 3. Utah Prairie Dog Census Counts on SITLA Lands in the West Desert Recovery Area, 1994-2001 37 Figure 4. Utah Prairie Dog Census Counts on Private Lands in the West Desert Recovery Area, 1976-2001 38 Figure 5. Utah Prairie Dog Census Counts on Federal Lands in the Paunsaugunt Recovery Area, 1976-2001 39 Figure 6. Utah Prairie Dog Census Counts on SITLA Lands in the Paunsaugunt Recovery Area, 1994-2001 44 Figure 7. Utah Prairie Dog Census Counts on Private Lands in the Paunsaugunt Recovery Area, 1976-2001 45 Figure 8. Utah Prairie Dog Census Counts on Federal Lands in the Awapa Plateau Recovery Area, 1976-2001 48 Figure 9. Utah Prairie Dog Census Counts on SITLA Lands in the Awapa Plateau Recovery Area, 1995-2001 49 Figure 10. Utah Prairie Dog Census Counts on Private Lands in the Awapa Plateau Recovery Area, 1976-2001 50 Figure 11. Comparison of Modified Census Count with Census Count 53 Figure 12. Modified Census Data, 1976-1989 101 Figure 13. Percentage of UPDs on Private Lands 149 Figure 14. UPDs controlled from 1985-2000 163 Figure 15. UPD Translocation, 1983-1991 169 Figure 16. UPD Translocation and Census Counts 184 v List of Tables Table 1. Colony Disappearance Versus New Colonies: West Desert Recovery Area 35 Table 2. Colony Disappearance Versus New Colonies: Paunsaugunt Recovery Area 42 Table 3. Colony disappearance vs. new colonies: Awapa Plateau Recovery Area 51 Table 4. Failure of Horse Hollow allotments Perry Well #1 and 2 to meet the Utah Prairie Dog Interim Conservation Strategy Vegetation Guidelines 122 Table 5. Take of Utah Prairie Dogs Under Small-Scale Habitat Conservation Plans 161 Table 6. Take of UPDs and UPD habitat under Iron County HCP, 1998- 2000 164 Table 7. UPDs Translocated, 1983-1991 169 Table 8. Livestock grazing on Adams Well Allotment, 1997-1999 174 Table 9. Livestock grazing on Dominguez-Escalante Transplant 175 Site, 1999 Table 10. Tebbs Pond complex vegetative composition as of June 2001 (in % of Ground Cover) 177 Table 11. Willow Spring complex vegetative composition as of June 2001 (in % of Ground Cover) 177 Table 12. Precipitation Data for UPD complexes on BLM lands in the West Desert Recovery Area 185 Table 13. Permitted Take of Utah Prairie Dogs Under Multiple Facets of Recovery Program 186 vi List of Exhibits Exhibit 1: Census Data by Recovery Area Exhibit 2: Map of Present Distribution of Utah Prairie Dog Exhibit 3: Census Data by Site Exhibit 4: Modified Census Data Exhibit 5: Review and Analysis of Cattle Grazing Effects in the Arid West, with Implications for BLM Grazing Management in Southern Utah Exhibit 6: Maps A, B, & C Exhibit 7: Livestock grazing on BLM allotments within occupied UPD range Exhibit 8: Bowery Allotment Monitoring Reports Exhibit 9: Webster Flat Range Inspection Exhibit 10: Panguitch Lake Allotment Monitoring Reports Exhibit 11: Horse Creek Allotment Monitoring Report Exhibit 12: Utah Prairie Dog Habitat on USFS Land Exhibit 13: Jones Corral Allotment Monitoring Report Exhibit 14: Mount Dutton Grazing Study Exhibit 15: East Fork Allotment Monitoring Report Exhibit 16: Robert Gardner Correspondence Exhibit 17: Utah Prairie Dog Control Data Exhibit 18: Translocation Data by Recovery Area Utah Prairie Dog Cynomys parvidens In the Office of Endangered Species U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service United States Department of Interior Petition to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to Reclassify The Utah Prairie Dog as an Endangered Species Under the Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. § 1531 et Seqet Seq. (1973 as amended) Primary Petitioner Forest Guardians 312 Montezuma Ave. Suite A Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501 (505) 988-9126 3 February 2003 Photo of Utah prairie dog courtesy of Richard P. Reading ii Additional Petitioners: Center for Native Ecosystems P.O. Box 1365 Paonia, Colorado 81428 (970) 527-8993 Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance 1471 S. 1100 E. Salt Lake City, Utah 84105 (801) 486-3161 Escalante Wilderness Project 285 West 200 North, P.O. Box 652 Escalante, Utah 84726 (435) 826-4778 Boulder Regional Group PO Box 1455 Boulder, Utah 84716 Terry Tempest Williams HC 64 Box 3710 Castle Valley, Utah 84532 Petition Prepared by: Nicole J. Rosmarino, Ph.D. With Assistance from: Erin Robertson, Center for Native Ecosystems iii Table of Contents Introduction 1 Executive Summary 1 Endangered Species Act Implementing Regulations 8 The Spirit of the Endangered Species Act 9 Petitioners 12 Endangered Species Listing Criteria Applicable 14 to the Current Status of the Utah Prairie Dog Classification and Nomenclature 14 Description 15 Geographic Distribution 16 Population Dynamics 19 Ecology 23 History of Utah Prairie Dog Management 27 Historic and Current Population Status 29 Identified Threats to the Petitioned Species: Criteria for Listing 53 Present and Threatened Destruction, Modification, or Curtailment of Habitat or Range 54 Overuse of habitat for commercial, recreational, scientific, or educational purposes 94 Disease or predation 98 Inadequacy of Existing Regulatory Mechanisms 100 Other Natural or Man-made Factors Affecting the BTPD’s Continued Existence 161 Summary 187 Need for Ecosystem Management 188 Requested Designation 188 References 190 iv List of Figures Figure 1. Prairie Dog Genus Rangemap 16 Figure 2. GAP analysis of Utah Prairie Dog Habitat 18 Figure 3. Utah Prairie Dog Census Counts on SITLA Lands in the West Desert Recovery Area, 1994-2001 37 Figure 4. Utah Prairie Dog Census Counts on Private Lands in the West Desert Recovery Area, 1976-2001 38 Figure 5. Utah Prairie Dog Census Counts on Federal Lands in the Paunsaugunt Recovery Area, 1976-2001 39 Figure 6. Utah Prairie Dog Census Counts on SITLA Lands in the Paunsaugunt Recovery Area, 1994-2001 44 Figure 7. Utah Prairie Dog Census Counts on Private Lands in the Paunsaugunt Recovery Area, 1976-2001 45 Figure 8. Utah Prairie Dog Census Counts on Federal Lands in the Awapa Plateau Recovery Area, 1976-2001 48 Figure 9. Utah Prairie Dog Census Counts on SITLA Lands in the Awapa Plateau Recovery Area, 1995-2001 49 Figure 10. Utah Prairie Dog Census Counts on Private Lands in the Awapa Plateau Recovery Area, 1976-2001 50 Figure 11. Comparison of Modified Census Count with Census Count 53 Figure 12. Modified Census Data, 1976-1989 101 Figure 13. Percentage of UPDs on Private Lands 149 Figure 14. UPDs controlled from 1985-2000 163 Figure 15. UPD Translocation, 1983-1991 169 Figure 16. UPD Translocation and Census Counts 184 v List of Tables Table 1. Colony Disappearance Versus New Colonies: West Desert Recovery Area 35 Table 2. Colony Disappearance Versus New Colonies: Paunsaugunt Recovery Area 42 Table 3. Colony disappearance vs. new colonies: Awapa Plateau Recovery Area 51 Table 4. Failure of Horse Hollow allotments Perry Well #1 and 2 to meet the Utah Prairie Dog Interim Conservation Strategy Vegetation Guidelines 122 Table 5. Take of Utah Prairie Dogs Under Small-Scale Habitat Conservation Plans 161 Table 6. Take of UPDs and UPD habitat under Iron County HCP, 1998- 2000 164 Table 7. UPDs Translocated, 1983-1991 169 Table 8. Livestock grazing on Adams Well Allotment, 1997-1999 174 Table 9. Livestock grazing on Dominguez-Escalante Transplant 175 Site, 1999 Table 10. Tebbs Pond complex vegetative composition as of June 2001 (in % of Ground Cover) 177 Table 11. Willow Spring complex vegetative composition as of June 2001 (in % of Ground Cover) 177 Table 12. Precipitation Data for UPD complexes on BLM lands in the West Desert Recovery Area 185 Table