Habitat Harmony Inc Prairie Dog Relocation Project at

Habitat Harmony, Inc. Prairie Dog Relocation Project at Flagstaff Mall Expansion Site 2003

First Meeting Between Habitat Harmony and Arizona Game & Fish November 2002 • We identified the common goal of protecting Gunnison’s prairie dogs. • Game and Fish needed to locate a suitable release site. • Habitat Harmony needed to locate a suitable capture site.

Meeting with City of Flagstaff Planning Dept. February 2003 • We agreed on the Flagstaff Mall expansion site. • John Silva, city planner, suggested we draft a Memo. • The Memo was forwarded to Westcor, developer of the mall.

FIELD WORK BEGINS – COUNTING BURROWS April 29, 2003 • The mall expansion site covers almost 100 acres. • We needed 15 volunteers to count the active burrows. • It took several days and 135 volunteer hours to count 3, 084 burrows.

Plant and Wildlife Survey • Dr. Randall Scott, botanist and NAU professor, prepared a survey of the plants at the mall expansion site. • Erika Nowak, wildlife biologist, prepared a survey of the animals. • Dave and Marcia Lamkin, members of the Northern Arizona Audubon Society, prepared a survey of the birds.

Identifying Family Groups • 34 family groups were marked off with color coded flags.

Dusting for Fleas

640 traps had to be assembled.

Baiting and Placing the Traps The bait was a mixture of molasses, cracked corn and sunflower seeds.

The Flag System • Many traps were spread out over a large area. • The sunflowers and bee bombs made the traps hard to find. • By flagging every set trap and counting flags as traps were closed, we ensured that all traps were checked.

Gathering the Trapped Prairie Dogs • Traps with Prairie Dogs were covered with burlap. • Trapped Prairie Dogs were placed under a shady tree and the burlap was sprayed with water. • Prairie Dogs were counted and loaded into trucks according to family group.

Meeting with the Press KNAU • The Arizona Daily Sun was interested in our project. • KNAU aired an interview about prairie dogs and the relocation effort.

Are There Ways You Can Help? The End?