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<br />northeast corner of Utah. According to Hall and Kelson (1959) <br />they are burrowing animals, solitary in nature and inhabit well <br />drained short-grass prairies. Durrantt (1952) found none of <br />this species in Utah and was of the opinion that the species <br />might be extinct in the Uinta basin. Our field studies <br />indicated a small population on the proposed coall <br />transportation corridor from Raven Ridge in Colorado to the <br />proposed power plant northeest of Bonanza, Utah. Impact on this <br />species is foreseen to be minimal, however employees should be <br />made aware of their presence and encouraged not to shoot them. <br />In general, on a low to high perturbation scale of 0 to 10 we <br />• estimate impact to be 1. <br />(4) WHITE-TAILED PRAIRIE DOG (Cynomys leucurus) <br />Prairie dogs have been a source of controversy for a long time. <br />Livestock owners have been desirous of having them removed or <br />controlled on rangelands whereas sport hunters and biologists <br />have been desirous of maintaining viable populations. <br />Regardless priarie dog numbers have declined drastically <br />nationwide. With renexed interest in prairie dogs as a critical <br />food resource for higher trophic levels, particularly the rare <br />and endangered black-footed ferret, considerable work has been <br />done to update and augment knowledge of prairie dog density and <br />distribution. The Colorado Division of Wildlife has mapped <br />• prairie dog distribution and determined population status for <br />II.H-116 <br />