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<br />2. Should prairie dog populations be managed for the eagles <br />that are known to be in the area, as well as other wild- <br />life, and if so, what are their habitat needs? <br />3. How can prairie dog populations be managed to reduce or <br />prevent unwanted movement of prairie dogs? <br />4. How should prairie dogs be controlled? <br />5. What are the hazards of prairie dog poisoning for other <br />wildlife species? <br />6. How will a prairie dog management program affect adjacent <br />land owners and should they be coordinated? <br />I have listed but a few of the questions that need to be ad- <br />dressed in a holistic managment plan. Such a plan should be <br />long range, environmentally sound, and acceptable to the public. <br />Management Alternatives <br />Several management alternatives could be considered, from the <br />total elimination of the prairie dogs to the total elimination <br />of domestic livestock. However, it is my belief that these <br />extremes would both be harmful to the environmental balance <br />of the ecosystems in question. Instead of considering such <br />drastic measures, a more balanced approach may be more bene- <br />_ ficial to the long range goals and objectives for the area, <br />such as the following managment alternatives: <br />1. Manage prairie dog populations at acceptable levels and <br />disperse colonies to key raptor areas on Dowe Flats. Pop- <br />ulations could be reduced through rodenticide treatments <br />and reduced livestock grazing. Emphasis should be placed <br />on pasture and livestock grazing practices that produce <br />vegetation conditions less favorable for prairie dog colony <br />expansion and establishment. <br />2. Increase emphasis on improved pasture management and dis- <br />continue use of rodenticides. In this alternative, the <br />only attempt to control prairie dog populations would be <br />through pasture management practices that result in pasture <br />conditions less suitable for prairie dogs. Livestock graz- <br />ing levels and grazing systems could be modified accord- <br />' ingly, so that they could bring about the desired prairie <br />® dog populations. However, this approach may be too time <br />- 15 - <br />