The Service will complete the comprehensive review before making any decision whether to propose to list the black-tailed prairie dog. To ensure that the review of the species is as complete and comprehensive as possible, the Service is asking the public to submit any additional scientific information on the species and the state conservation strategy.

"Our review will include all available information, not just what was provided to us in the petitions, but all additional information submitted by other government agencies, scientists and the public," said Ralph Morgenweck, the Service’s Regional Director the Mountain-Prairie Region.

The black-tailed prairie dog is a small, stout ground squirrel that measures 14 to 17 inches long and weighs 1 to 3 pounds. It is found in Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Wyoming, southern Saskatchewan, Canada and northern Mexico. Historically, the species also inhabited Arizona but no longer occurs there. The occupied range of the prairie dog has declined up to 99 percent in the United States during the last century, with less than 1 million acres remaining of what may have been more than 100 million acres of original black-tailed prairie dog habitat.

Five species of prairie dogs exist in North America: the black-tailed prairie dog, white-tailed prairie dog, Gunnison’s prairie dog, Utah prairie dog, and the Mexican prairie dog. Black-tailed prairie dog complexes can contain thousands of individuals and extend for miles. Today, seven black-tailed prairie dog complexes larger than 10,000 acres still exist. These seven colonies represent about 36 percent of all remaining occupied black-tailed prairie dog habitat in North America. Four of these large colonies are located in South Dakota where plague is absent at this time. The remaining three large complexes are located in Montana, Wyoming and Mexico. Six of the seven large colonies are located on federal and tribal lands and are believed to be the most viable and important populations of the species.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish and wildlife and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System comprising more than 500 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands, and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state wildlife agencies.