by Rick LoBello
There was a time when black-tailed prairie dogs were common in El Paso and the surrounding area. Today there are no recent records of a single prairie dog anywhere and I am convinced that if enough people will work together on a plan, we can bring them back.
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Prairie dogs are crucial to their ecosystems as keystone species, meaning they have a disproportionately large impact on their environment and the survival of many other species. They are considered “ecosystem engineers” because they modify their environment in ways that benefit other species. Their actions as ecosystem engineers have a significant impact on soil health, plant diversity, and the overall structure and function of grassland ecosystems.
Who wants to help find some natural open space in El Paso where we can reintroduce prairie dogs? To start up a colony they need a minimum of 5-10 acres. They are no longer known to El Paso County. John Sproul supported the idea of Rio Bosque a while back, but I am not sure what is possible out there today. Texas Parks and Wildlife Urban Biologist, Lois Balin wants to help. Currently I am trying to protect a small prairie dog town in Hudspeth County about an hours drive east of here with the help of Janae Reneaud Field of Frontera Land Alliance.
Steve West, who I worked with at Carlsbad Caverns and Guadalupe Mountains National Parks, and I tried to get the National Park Service to do more to bring back prairie dogs to the Capitan Reef Region protected by the two parks. Unfortunately, the National Park Service does not have the funding to spend on resources in bringing back extirpated species and I believe that at this time the idea is no longer on the park’s conservation radar screen. I have reached out to Michael Haynie at Guadalupe to see if he knows anything. At one time the park was working on a plan to restore grasslands important to prairie dogs.
To keep the dream alive I made a Facebook page in October of 2014 at https://www.facebook.com/friendsofchihuahuandesertprairiedogs
In 2021 I met Jacob Croft who was working on a degree at UTEP and NMSU. We worked together for a couple of years until we reached a dead end. You can learn more here – Efforts continue to bring back prairie dogs to El Paso – Conservation Education.
One important fact that many do not realize is the connection between prairie dogs and a critically endangered species we have at the El Paso Zoo called the black-footed ferret. Many are aware of how prairie dogs are a keystone species benefiting all kinds of wildlife including Burrowing Owls, but not everyone understands that if you don’t have large prairie dog towns you can’t have black-footed ferrets because they are directly dependent on them for prey. Check out this recent report I posted on the Zoo blog to learn the latest about the threat of the current administration in cutting the budget for black-footed ferret conservation efforts. https://elpasozoo.home.blog/2025/04/24/last-chance-to-see-3/
Photos
Feature – Brian Garret, Wikimedia Creative Commons