News Release, March 28, 2001
Contact: Jonathan Proctor, Grassland Associate or Andrea Poet, Communications Director (406) 587-3389
Bureau of Land Management Feels the Heat Over Black-Footed Ferret Recovery
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is coming under fire for its inaction to protect the black-footed ferret, one of the most endangered animals in North America. In just over a week, the federal agency has received over 3,800 e-mails from the public demanding a change in management practices to protect the animal.
"Black-footed ferrets are one of the most endangered animals out there. They were thought to be extinct. Now they are in trouble again—this time, it’s the U.S. Bureau of Land Management that poses the threat," said Jonathan Proctor, of the Predator Conservation Alliance, a Bozeman, Mont.-based conservation group.
On March 19, Predator Conservation Alliance sent an alert to its members, asking for their help to protect the black-footed ferret on lands managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Since then, nearly a dozen other conservation groups, including World Wildlife Fund and the Humane Society, have joined the fight.
"We want the BLM to take its responsibilities to recover endangered species, follow its management plans, and uphold its commitments seriously. But the BLM has not been listening," Proctor said.
Since 1981, when a few black-footed ferret survivors were found on a Wyoming prairie dog colony, a successful captive breeding effort has provided hope for recovery of this critically endangered species.
About 200 black-footed ferrets exist in the wild today, in only seven recovery areas across the West. Americans have spent millions of tax dollars to restore this amazing animal to these few places. Locations where black-footed ferrets have been reintroduced include sites in South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Arizona and an area along the Colorado/Utah border.
But recovery will not happen until we protect the black-footed ferret's sole habitat and food source—the prairie dog.
Unfortunately for the ferret, prairie dogs are being destroyed by disease, poisoning and recreational shooting across the entire Great Plains. One of the ferret reintroduction sites, which lies in eastern Montana, is on the verge of collapse, and the BLM is contributing to its demise. The BLM manages most of our public lands within this ferret recovery area, but continues to allow the area’s destruction through recreational prairie dog shooting.
Prairie dog shooters often shoot several dozen prairie dogs a day, just for fun. Shooting in Montana’s black-footed ferret recovery area is threatening the success of this recovery effort, yet the BLM will not ban this so-called sport even here. Unless things change soon, our government may pull the plug on Montana's black-footed ferret recovery program.
The only successful ferret reintroduction site to date is located in South Dakota. The ferret population skyrocketed there after prairie dog shooting and poisoning were banned in 1998. Predator Conservation Alliance spearheaded a public pressure campaign that resulted in this ban.
Since 1997, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (which is responsible for protecting endangered species), Predator Conservation Alliance and others have attempted to stop prairie dog shooting here in Montana as well, but the BLM has resisted every step of the way. After extreme pressure, the BLM finally closed 15 small prairie dog towns to shooting in 2000.
"That's just not enough to recover ferrets," said Proctor. "All prairie dog towns on our public lands within the designated ferret recovery area must be protected if we want black-footed ferrets to survive in Montana."
It is sadly ironic that two government agencies, the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service and the BLM—both managed by the Department of the Interior—could be working at such cross-purposes regarding the black-footed ferret.
"We must not let the BLM destroy black-footed ferret recovery through inaction. Federal land agencies, including the BLM, are responsible for maintaining habitat for endangered species, but the BLM is not effectively doing this for black-footed ferrets. If the BLM continues to defy its responsibilities under the Endangered Species Act and jeopardize black-footed ferret survival, it may destroy a solid opportunity to recover this native species in Montana," said Proctor. "This is not what Americans expect from our public land managers."
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