Noting budgetary constraints and a heavy workload, the FWS instead passed the buck to the eleven states within the black-tailed prairie dog's historic range, highlighting the ability of these states to improve the plight of the species.
Environmentalists note that the states have yet to act.
The agencies have already shown these steps are possible. The U.S. Forest Service placed a moratorium last year on prairie dog poisoning on all Forest Service lands. And on February 4, a proposal was introduced in the Kansas legislature to repeal mandatory poisoning laws first enacted in 1903. All rights reserved.