Prairie Dog Pals' News

Outreach, Bosque Style

Paul Polechla and Paul Eilers recently provided a group of students from the Bosque school with an introduction to Cynomys Gunnisoni including insights on the finer points of trapping and flushing. In the picture below the Pauls (on the left) are reviewing the trapping protocols. It was a good morning as they trapped several prairie dogs in 2 hours time!

Attend the Governor's Conference!

Prairie Dog Poet! Carrie Biesiot in the news:

Carrie has written poems for our stewards and for Petie. She's recently be written up in Focus magazine. Way to go Carrie!

PUP Season!

Prairie Dog Pals has suspended captures for pup season. We will pick up dispersals from private residenced but will not be trapping or flushing until the pups are weaned, about mid-June. This is a critical time for the prairie dogs and stewards should ensure that sufficient nourishment is provided during the gestation/weaning cycle.

Volunteers needed

The New Mexico Wilderness Alliance (NMWA) Equipment Swap will be held on 18 May 2008.

Once again, Prairie Dog Pals has been invited to do outreach, education and sales tabling during this event.   We have been offered a reserved space provided that we can field enough volunteers for the duration of the event.   The following is required:

Coordinator:   An individual to coordinate PDP's participation including:   Liaison with Craig Chapman of NMWA (843-8696); coordination of volunteers to man the table during the day; pick up, delivery, safeguarding and return of tabling materials including table, chairs, banners, sale items, and distribution materials.  

Volunteers:   Individuals who will staff the table during the day.

The coordinator would need to plan a schedule for the volunteers. Individuals can be assigned specific tasks such as pick up and return of the materials to minimize travel, time and gas, but they will need to perform the agreed upon tasks.   If there are no, or an insufficient number of volunteers Prairie Dog Pals will be unable to participate in the event. The closing date for responses is 30 April 2008.   Email prairiedogpals@comcast.net to confirm your participation.

Regardless of your intention to volunteer, put May 18, 2008 on your calendars! The New Mexico Wilderness Alliance will be conducting a gear swap, and proceeds will benefit NMWA directly. Please consider donating any of your hiking, camping, skiing (the list goes on) gear to NMWA.   The success of our mentor and sister organization, New Mexico Wilderness Alliance, is also a success for prairie dogs in New Mexico, so PLEASE give gear generously!

San Mateo Update

Work at San Mateo was completed on 14 April. A total of 79 prairie dogs were removed. Follow up observation has confirmed that there is no activity. Kudos to the DOT for issuing us a permit and to Guernsey who have contracted with us for the removal. I know many of you have expressed concernabout the prairie dogs along I 40. Please contact the DOT and urge them to take a humane approach to control and/or removal of the prairie dogs along the corridor. Prairie Dog Pals is unable to work on DOT property without the appropriate permits!

Perp Alert

L&A alerted PDP at 700 PM on 6 April that an individual was setting snares in the prairie dog burrows at Landau.   The individual was tall (approximately 6 feet), slim, Caucasian, wearing a green Tilly hat, a survival vest, and was carrying a 12” knife.   The type of vehicle he was driving is unknown, but may have been a black Honda Accord.   He claimed to be associated with “New Mexico Medical Survival Group” (which may actually be “Wilderness Medical Associates” or   “Medical Survival Group”) and said he was teaching survival skills.   He was reluctant to provide any ID and seemed to be avoiding being identified.  

The snares he was using were of the simple slipknot type designed to tighten around the neck of the animal and strangle it.   The traps are cruel and inhumane. Albuquerque's Heart Ordinance and New Mexico's Felony Animal Cruelty Act prohibits trapping, killing, or causing harm to animals in this manner.   Additionally, a Federal permit is required before trapping prairie dogs. The individual left the snares unattended further underscoring the malicious nature of his act.   Finally, cruelly killing innocent animals is no way to practice any skills.  

The snares were removed (approximately 25 in number), and we've reported this to the police and Mayor's office.   We've provided pictures below. If you see this individual, have any information about him, or can get a picture of him or his license number please do so and advise the police, the Mayor's office and/or Prairie Dog Pals.   If you see snares at any of the sites please remove them.

First Catch of the Season:

This year's award goes to Graziella who has been out every week trying to get the singletons! In early march she acheived the season's first captures, snagging two from the roller rink at Juan Tabo and I-40.

Vermont:

Margaret went to Vermont to catch a singleton from someone's yard. She was using the porto flush which, while sounding somewhat obscene, is merely a mini-flushing tool to be used with a garden hose! Good going Margaret. (Vermont Street, not the state of...).

Erbbe:

Eddie went out and picked up a prairie dog from Erbbe Street. It is unclear where this prairie dog came from as he was 1/2 mile from the nearest colony. We suspect they are using the coyotes to get about the city. The home owner has graciously boxed up this prairie dog so it was just a quick pick up. Oh if they weren't all like this!

Sacred Mountain

Well we can't tell you where this prairie dog actually came from but he is one friendly Gunnison!