Colorado wildlife commission votes to accelerate prairie dog shooting ban review

The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission will meet in Fort Morgan on Nov. 4 to begin reviewing a petition that would ban the recreational shooting of prairie dogs on state public lands.

Commissioners Jessica Beaulieu and Rebecca Niemiec moved the start of formal regulatory drafting from a scheduled Jan. 14-15 session in Denver to the earlier November date. The body voted 6-5 to approve the acceleration. The Prairie Dog Coalition filed the petition in April, arguing that mass shootings of the rodents threaten ecosystem health. Defenders of Wildlife, which supports the measure, cited concerns about lead poisoning in scavengers feeding on carcasses.

CPW currently allows a hunting season on public lands from June 15 through February. The petition targets specific areas, including the 200,000-acre Pawnee National Grassland and the 500,000-acre Cimarron and Comanche National Grassland. It does not affect private land or county authority to cull prairie dogs for agricultural damage under state statutes 33 and 35.

Chamois Andersen, a senior representative for Defenders of Wildlife, said the group seeks to stop all take on public lands, not just shooting. She noted that CPW designated prairie dogs as a species of greatest conservation need in its latest State Wildlife Action Plan, approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in January. Andersen pointed to nonlethal management tools, such as grass walls, that reduce conflicts with ranchers.

Dallas May, a CPW commissioner and owner of the May Ranch near Lamar, opposed the petition during the September meeting in La Junta. He argued that the ban would remove tools for landowners managing grazing and tripping hazards. May has been involved in black-footed ferret restoration, a project that reached a milestone last week when biologists released the 100th ferret into a colony on his ranch.

Jay Tutchton, the commission chair, said in a text message that public comments favoring the ban are overwhelming. He added that he has received only a few comments defending the practice. Opponents include Dan Gates, founder of Coloradans for Responsible Wildlife Management, who criticized the timing of the La Junta meeting. Three Cheyenne County commissioners also sent a letter protesting the move, arguing that local control over pest populations should remain with local government.

CPW stated in its remarks that it recognizes prairie dogs as a vital keystone species but must balance ecological benefits with negative impacts on private landowners and agricultural producers.