Boulder County Parks and Open Space live-trapped prairie dogs at seven properties in 2017 — six of them on areas designated “no prairie dog” zones — but the majority of the trapped rodents were destined for raptor and black-footed ferret programs.
“Some of the removal we do is relocation, but that is a small number,” said Rob Alexander, an agricultural resources manager with the county. “With the live trapping, some are euthanized and donated to the raptor program and others are kept alive and donated to the black-footed ferret recovery program.”
About 1,200 prairie dogs were trapped in 2017, Alexander said, addressing about 50 people inside the parks and open space administrative building in Longmont.
A very small number are relocated or used for bubonic plague research, as an outbreak about a decade ago sparked a steep decline in prairie dog populations.
The county has areas in its open space deemed “no prairie dog” zones, much of which is agricultural land that the county leases to farmers. Left unchecked, the animals can ruin crops.
Of the 17,000 acres of county land considered a no-go for prairie dogs, the animals only burrow on about 4 percent of it — less than 700 acres.
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