Return of black-footed ferret possible By MIKE CORN
But he's interested in the area not so much for the prairie dogs but for its potential as a site for the reintroduction of black-footed ferrets, the nation's most endangered mammal. If it makes the grade, Logan County could be the newest home for as many as 50 captive-bred ferrets. It is an area that that once had the animals. " It would be an experimental program over a five-year term," LeValley said of the reintroduction program.
LeValley is project leader for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's field office in Manhattan. As a result, he is the contact person between private landowners where the ferrets might be released and the federal wildlife agency. The Logan County reintroduction plan is different than any others. " They've usually been on public land," he said. "The colony size in Logan County is quite a bit smaller than what we've used to in the past." But, he admits, the results have also been mixed. That's in part a result of outbreaks of sylvatic plague, a disease that is "lethal to prairie dogs and lethal to ferrets," LeValley said. " Kansas, at least Logan County to our knowledge, has not had a plague problem," LeValley said. "The other thing that's unique about this is it's on private land. We haven't done that elsewhere." That's primarily a concern for property owners around the land being considered for reintroduction. LeValley said it shouldn't be, primarily because of the tools that are available to the FWS and its efforts for reintroduction. " If a ferret gets off the land, that's the ferret's tough luck," he said of a scenario that could be put in place in Logan County if the ferrets are returned to the area. "If it gets accidentally killed or whatever, that's just the ferret's tough luck." That's not to say the federal wildlife agency is anxious to lose any of the few ferrets existing today. After all, LeValley said, they "almost went extinct and are still very rare." The ferrets, however, need prairie dogs. " They eat prairie dogs and live in the burrow," he said. But LeValley is also aware that neighbors are concerned. " We need to address the neighbors concerns that do not want prairie dogs," he said. "We're going to have to, at least over the experiment terms, control them on the borders." All that means is the agency has not yet made a decision on when - or if - the ferrets will be released in Logan County. Already, LeValley said, the agency has had a crew out in the area surveying the prairie dog populations. " We're crunching the numbers right now," he said. Given the size of the area being considered, LeValley said the release could amount to 40 or 50 ferrets. " I don't want to be held to that number," he said. Generally, the agency is working with four landowners, including the Nature Conservancy. " They're interested in this too," he said. "They've been working with the neighbors." LeValley simply isn't sure if enough can be done soon enough to get everything in place for a fall release - considered the best time to ensure survival. " It's not clear that we can get things worked out to get things done this year," he said. LeValley is clear on one thing, however, concerning the ferrets: They are not being reintroduced as a means to control prairie dogs. The ferrets do need the prairie dogs for food and shelter. " That's the primary diet," he said. But control them? " No," he said. " I don't want to give anyone the impression ... that they will control prairie dogs. Because they won't," LeValley said. "Our mission is to reintroduce a threatened species." LeValley said the federal agency would also make available some tools to help resolve some of the conflict, such as controlling prairie dogs. That could include a landowner incentive program or assistance with controlling the prairie dogs should they venture beyond the boundaries of land where the ferrets have been reintroduced. " There's no way you can control them 100 percent," LeValley said. "Folks have been trying to control them for 100 years and they haven't controlled them yet. And with the drought, the conditions are very good for them to spread." The state's law on eradication of prairie dogs is cause for concern, he said, and perhaps enough to stop the project. " We certainly don't want to be in a position to be putting ferrets out there," he said, and have the prey basically eliminated. That's the reason to talk to neighbors and the county. " I'm reluctant to put ferrets on the ground ... when the county can come in and control them to the point where we don't have enough prairie dogs to support ferrets." |
