PIERRE, S.D. - Game, Fish and Parks has been helping landowners with prairie dog problems, and so far this fall, the department has treated more than 13,000 acres of private lands for the invading animals.
This program is for landowners who are experiencing prairie dogs invading their property from adjacent public lands. Landowners with a complaint regarding prairie dogs invading from public grounds needed to have contacted Game, Fish and Parks before Oct. 1. Landowners who missed the Oct. 1 deadline have been put on the list for 2006. “After making landowner contacts and verifying that prairie dogs were encroaching from public grounds, department officials began poisoning and documenting GPS coordinates of the targeted prairie dog towns,” said Layne Sievers, GFP Conservation Technician. “To date, about 13,987 acres have been treated with 15,848 treatable acres being documented with GPS coordinates. This includes everyone on the 2005 list.” Sievers noted that the state is also treating GFP lands.
Total funding available for this program is $280,000 with $98,332 used to date. The South Dakota Prairie Dog Management Plan may be seen by visiting online at www.sdgfp.info/Wildlife/hunting/PrairieDog.htm or by calling the GFP Wildlife Damage Program at 773-5913.