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Grand Canyon Sierra Club Press Releases and Action Alerts09/20/01 ACT NOW TO HELP BRING BACK BLACK-TAILED PRAIRIE DOGSTHEY’RE CRITICAL TO THE HEALTH OF ARIZONA'S GRASSLANDSPlease send your letter of support before September 30, 2001 Also, if possible, please attend the Game and Fish Commission meeting in Phoenix on October 19th! Please write to the Arizona Game and Fish Department today and tell them that you support re-introduction and recovery of the Black-tailed prairie dog in Arizona. Prairie dogs are key to the health of many ecosystems including some of Arizona's grassland communities. Without prairie dogs, the health and biodiversity of these grassland areas are significantly threatened. Burrowing and grazing activities by prairie dogs enhance plant diversity and productivity and increase the nutritive value of plants for other grazing animals. Their colonies tend to support more small mammals, insects and birds than surrounding grasslands without prairie dogs. There are two species of prairie dogs native to Arizona, Gunnison’s in the northern part of the state and the Black-tailed in the southeast. The Black-tailed prairie dog was extirpated in the 1930s and the Gunnison’s only persists in small, isolated populations. The Arizona Game and Fish Department has just completed a draft interagency management plan for black-tailed prairie dogs in Arizona. The plan basically establishes general principles and guidelines for prairie dog recovery. And while to some degree, the plan is being drafted to avoid listing these prairie dogs as endangered, it does provide an opportunity for us to advocate for recovery of the species. The details of the actual recovery plan will be critical, however. If Game and Fish does not act aggressively to recover the species, we can come back later and advocate for the listing. It is important that Game and Fish hear from you now and that you express support for the recovery of the species. Please write Game and Fish and tell them you support prairie dog recovery in Arizona. Thanks for your help! If you have any questions, feel free to call Sandy Bahr at (602) 253-8633. Page updated: 09/20/01 Return to Press Releases and Action Alerts page Sierra Club, Grand Canyon Chapter, 202 E. McDowell Rd, Suite 277, Phoenix, AZ 85004, (602) 253-8633 |