Black-tailed prairie dog monitoring at Scotts Bluff National Monument, Nebraska: annual status report, 2008
Peitz DG and Cribbs JT. 2008. Black-tailed prairie dog monitoring at Scotts Bluff National Monument, Nebraska: annual status report, 2008. Natural Resource Technical Report. Heartland I&M Network and Prairie Cluster Prototype Monitoring Program. Republic, Missouri
In 2008, for the 14th consecutive year, black-tailed prairie dog populations on Scotts Bluff National Monument, Nebraska were monitored using methods outlined by Plumb et al. (2001). The 2008 density estimate (44.7 individuals/ha) for the main colony, was approximately 79 % higher than its fourteen year average. The population estimate of 412 individuals was 113 individuals above average for this colony. The density estimate (83.6 individuals/ha) for the north colony, was approximately 21 % higher than its five year average. The population estimate of 160 individuals was 31 individuals above average for this colony. Sometime between the 2007 and 2008 surveys, the colony in the Saddle Rock Unit went extinct. While the general location of the main and north colonies remained the same as in previous years, the overall size of the main colony was reduced from 18.1 ha in 2007 to 9.3 ha in 2008. In 2008, black-tailed prairie dog occupied 1.6 % of the monument’s 698-ha of grassland habitat. Though tested for, Sylvatic plague was not found to be a causative agent in the die-off of the Saddle Rock colony, and the presence of plague was not observed in the other colonies. The observation of a single burrowing owl occurred during black-tailed prairie dog counts on the main colony.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Peitz, David; Cribbs, J.
- Date of Issue
- 2008-08
- Publisher
- Heartland I&M Network and Prairie Cluster Prototype Monitoring Program
- Units
- HTLN , NGPN , SCBL
- Keywords
- HTLN Black-tailed Prairie Dog Monitoring, Inventory, Monitoring, monitoring report, Population Ecology, prairie dog monitor, Prairie Dog Populations, sylvatic plague