Black-tailed Prairie Dogs were extirpated from Arizona in the 1960s due mainly to systematic poisoning. In 2008, AZGFD began reintroduction efforts of the species to Southern Arizona. After realizing their keystone importance in the grassland ecosystem, cooperative agreements between AZGFD and BLM, State Lands, Pima County, and a few private landowners have allowed for Black-tailed Prairie Dogs to once again thrive in the Southern Arizona grasslands.
Since the first reintroduction effort in 2008, which translocated 78 individuals from New Mexico, Black-tailed Prairie Dogs populations in Arizona have continued to expand. Today, Black-tailed Prairie Dog populations include four reintroduced colonies and three satellite dispersal colonies.
By the Numbers:
Current Black-tailed Prairie Dog population estimates are a minimum of 300 individuals
The species currently occupies at least of 36 acres of grasslands in Southern Arizona
More than 700 acres of grassland restoration and mesquite removal have been completed in at Las Cienegas National Conservation Area to aid in colony expansion
Since 2008, about 500 Black-tailed Prairie Dogs have been translocated from colonies in New Mexico and Sonora, Mexico