The purpose of this inventory is to determine black-tailed prairie dog distribution, densities, and population size within the management zones at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge as adopted in the Refuge’s Habitat Management Plan (HMP) 2010 (FWS 2013a). The results of the inventory will guide future management decisions for the prairie dog populations in support of habitat restoration and black-footed ferret recovery. Approximately 100 kilometers of 3-meter wide transects were surveyed over 12 days beginning July 26 and ending August 19, 2016. The mean prairie dog density of the management zones was 17.5 PD/acre. Management zone densities ranged from 16.7 PD/acre in the Eastern Zone to 20.7 PD/acre in the Southwest Zone. Each of the management zones exceeded the desired population density of 6-10 PD/ac.
