It’s not the rich soil of Fillmore County, but residents of what was once Nebraska’s easternmost black-tailed prairie dog town might find life near the Niobrara River suits them just fine.
Conservation groups released more than 100 prairie dogs from the former Aldrich Prairie Research Site onto a refuge at the Hutton Niobrara Wildlife Ranch Sanctuary on June 27, nearly two months after it appeared the colony would be eradicated. Another 77 were released on Friday.
In the sandy ground of Rock County, the prairie dogs discovered burrows abandoned by an earlier cohort that had been recolonized on the refuge in 2012 before those animals moved on to bigger and better digs, said Ron Klataske.
Others found the prairie dog starter homes Klataske dug with a tractor-mounted auger in early June, as he planned their relocation in north-central Nebraska.
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“As far as I can tell, they seem to be settling it†said Klataske, executive director of the Audubon of Kansas.
More than 220 prairie dogs will be removed to the 15-acre refuge when the effort wraps up later this month.
That would mean at least three-fourths of the estimated population of the colony that called the former Doane University research site home for the better part of a century had the opportunity to survive — even thrive — in a new home.
The optimism shared by Klataske and others marks a long swing from the alarm sounded two months ago, when Doane sold the 320 acres deeded to it by an alumnus in 2000 to a trio of lifelong farmers who planned to expand their operation.
Even as the Lovegrove family plowed and planted soybeans on the acreage, they also gave their blessing to the dedicated team of conservationists and volunteers who hoped to recolonize the Aldrich prairie dogs.
Klataske said the effort to trap the prairie dogs began in May with 30 steel traps baited with sunflower seeds, although he admitted it was less than successful, the result of extra-wary animals exhibiting added caution to the changing environment.
“We didn’t have much luck despite our best intentions,†he said. “Prairie dogs are routinely very wary of going into traps — it’s almost like a sixth sense that they have.
“If we had 100 raccoon in an area, we could probably capture 80 of them in a few weeks, but with prairie dogs, we would only catch a few,†Klataske added.
Enlisting the aid of the Prairie Dog Coalition of the Humane Society of the United States, as well as Nebraska Wildlife Rehabilitation, and reinforced by a $20,000 pledge from Doane President Jacques Carter to fund the relocation effort, the team renewed their approach in early June.
New traps, 140 in all, baited with sweet oats meant for horses, were laid around the site to acclimate the prairie dogs to their presence.
For 10 days, the traps were wired open, allowing prairie dogs to enter and exit unimpeded as their foraged for food, said Laura Stastny, executive director of the Nebraska Wildlife Rehab, which is based in Omaha.
Then, on June 19, the live traps were activated.
Over the first weekend the traps were active, 11 animals were captured. Thirteen more followed a few days later. That number grew, until the end of the month when most of the colony dogs had been trapped, ready for evaluation by Stastny’s team and transportation to the Hutton Ranch.
“We’re assessing each prairie dog to ensure they are not injured and are in good body condition,†Stastny said. “We want to keep the family groups together, and from there, we’ve been assigning them a number.â€
Juveniles and prairie dogs without a coterie, or family group, were taken to Nebraska Wildlife Rehab to be bottlefed and monitored before they will be released back to the colony, she added, likely before August.
Klataske said he will keep monitoring the colony to ensure it takes the right steps toward survival.
Conservationists and prairie dog experts say they expect it will. Don’t bet against the lowly Cynomys ludovicianus, they say.
“Prairie dogs, as everyone would probably agree, are a very adaptable species,†said Lindsey Sterling Krank, director of the Prairie Dog Coalition. “The transportation is not difficult, but the relocation itself can be stressful on the animal.
“But if you do a good job on the receiving end, the retention rate will be high. We wouldn’t do it if there was a low success rate,†she added.
Those who have been working to relocate the Aldrich prairie dog colony say they hope the exercise helps educate Nebraskans about the importance of species like the black-tailed prairie dogs.
Often seen as a nuisance to farmers, prairie dogs are a keystone species for prairie ecosystems, Stastny said, serving as prey for badgers and hawks as well as homemakers for insects, squirrels and burrowing owls seeking to escape the elements.
“A lot of states kind of villainize prairie dogs, so their colonies are being eradicated,†she said. “But they are an exemplar of the interconnectiveness of nature.â€
Sterling Krank said survival of prairie dogs in Nebraska will ensure the survival of other species.
“Love them or hate them, we’ve got to have them.â€