Farm Bureau Files Motion in Prairie Dog Case

The American Farm Bureau Federation has filed a motion to intervene in U.S. District Court in Colorado in the case of activist environmental groups challenging a 2004 decision by the Secretary of Interior not to list the black-tailed prairie dog as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act.

The AFBF argues that farmers and ranchers need the ability to control pests, including prairie dogs, which damage the productivity of their land.  “The Endangered Species Act, like many other Federal statutes, directly regulates and restricts the conduct of private citizens on their own private property and the actions of the Federal government in its management federal lands,” writes AFBF. 

Those filing the suit against the U.S. Secretary of Interior and the State of Wyoming include Forest Guardians, Biodiversity Conservation Alliance, Center for Native Ecosystems, and Rocky Mountain Animal Defense.  The groups claim that black-tailed prairie dog populations have been reduced to one percent to two percent of their historic range, and that the secretary’s decision “led to the poisoning of thousands in South Dakota.”

Mike Held, executive director for the South Dakota Farm Bureau, points out that prairie dog populations appear to be thriving in the state, and that the lawsuit is based on outdated information.  “The state has a prairie dog management plan that is designed to allow for a long-term, self-sustaining prairie dog population in South Dakota, while seeking to work with private landowners who do not want prairie dogs on their property.”

“This is simply an attempt by self-proclaimed activist groups to try to control private property,” said Held.

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