Saturday, June 21, 2008

Prairie dogs get safe removal from their BF burrows

Kenn Rodriguez News-Bulletin Staff Writer; krodriguez@news-bulletin.com

Bosque Farms Some in Valencia County find prairie dogs to be a nuisance. For others, they're a joy to watch in many empty fields.

Still, the large empty lot off N.M. 47 next to the McDonald's restaurant is not the most hospitable home for the little critters, which can be seen running across the flat expanse of the lot almost every day.

Unfortunately, the prairie dogs also run out onto North Bosque Loop a lot as well, getting run over more often than not.

It's that common occurrence, as well as the inhospitable lot the prairie dogs have chosen as a home, that got Karen Dremann to start the Bosque Farms Prairie Dog Relocation Project.

"This is so needed," she said. "Every year a bunch of them get hit by cars. Not to mention that if you look here on the ground there's nothing to eat. With the last rain, this is all that came up was a little tiny bit of grass.

"Some neighbors have fed them over the years, but it's really inappropriate for them to be living here and it's hard on them," she said. "We're trying to get them moved to a great habitat."

To do that, Dremann, who is a riparian biologist, called on Prairie Dog Pals, a non-profit organization based in Albuquerque that catches prairie dogs in a humane manner and then relocates them to wildlife refuges in the state.

"The landowners were gracious enough to give us permission to come up on the land because there are a lot of prairie dogs here," said Lee, a volunteer from Bosque Farms who is helping capture prairie dogs.

She said Prairie Dog Pals first came down on Sunday, June 7, then returned this second Sunday, June 14, to capture more prairie dogs. Prairie Dog Pals' Ed Urbanski said he, his wife Yvonne Boudreaux, who works with him on the project, and volunteers caught between 30 and 40 of the animals on the first Sunday and expected to pick up as many their second time in Bosque Farms.

He said the group uses two methods to catch the prairie dogs - flushing and humane trapping.

Urbanski said volunteers have to watch the traps, which are baited with apples and carrots, very carefully because trapped prairie dogs can die in as little time as four minutes due to the trauma of being trapped.

"With flushing, we use a non-toxic, biodegradable soap and mix it with water to make foam," he said. "The foam goes down the burrow and encourages the prairie dog to come out. They don't always come out because they have escape chambers, air chambers and such.

"The foam has a lot of air trapped in it so they can breathe. And as you can see, if they're there, they'll come out."

Urbanski, who said he and his wife have been doing the relocation of prairie dogs for eight years - mostly in Albuquerque, said the animals will be captured then taken to their Duke City compound where they're taken care of.

Prairie Dog Pals checks the prairie dogs for pests and makes sure they're healthy then takes them to the relocation area, which is often a grassland area.

"There are 10 different factors, from soil composition, the amount of vegetations that make for a good relocation area," he said. "You want something with some relief, rolling hills so they can hide from predators, a few trees. Generally, it should have a good amount of native grasses."

Once at the new habitat, the prairie dogs are first acclimated in artificial burrows for a week before being released.

Urbanski said the prairie dogs captured in Bosque Farms would likely be relocated to a wilderness area near Socorro with pristine grasslands.

Urbanski said that prairie dogs are an endangered species, despite not being on the official federal list for endangered animals.

"Over the last 100 years, they've lost 98 percent of their number and range area due to development," he said. "If we can help preserve the species, I feel we should."

Dremann said the BFPDRJ pays Prairie Dog Pals $35 per animal they catch and relocate.

"All the money we raise goes to Prairie Dog Pals," she said. "We're really just trying to get these guys to a safer environment."

Anyone who would like to donate to the Bosque Farms Prairie Dog relocation Project and have the opportunity to name a prairie dog can send a check to BFPDRP, P.O. Box 904, Peralta, N.M., 18704. Checks should be made out to Prairie Dog Pals.

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