Who: Arizona Game and Fish Department, and you!
What: Trapping Black-tailed Prairie Dogs
Where: Las Cienegas National Conservation Area - I will provide specific meeting instructions by email to all who have RSVPed, early in the week of trapping (around 10/5).
Why: We have been re-establishing black-tailed prairie dogs since 2008 and every spring and fall we assess the animals health and determine an estimate of the population. You will have the opportunity to handle the prairie dogs and help us collect measurements, weights, sex, age, and mark each animal.
When: 8:30 AM October 9-11, 2026: those of us camping out will be opening traps at 6am so feel free to come early. We will begin checking traps by 9:00AM so please arrive around 8:30a to get directions to the site you will be working at and still have time to drive to it if needed. We will be working from sunrise to sunset Friday and Saturday and until noon on Sunday. You are welcome to sign up for one or multiple days. We may also be able to accommodate partial days as needed, but please let me know in advance, so I can plan appropriately.
Note that Friday will likely be the busiest trapping day with the most opportunity for handling experience, as on Saturday and Sunday we will start recapturing some of the prairie dogs that have already been processed. We will just let these individuals go without processing them.
What to Bring: I recommend hiking boots, and long pants for protection from the brushy vegetation. A chair for any down time between trap checks. Plan for a variety of weather, and bring layers and sun protection. Bring your own food and water. For those with seasonal allergies, you may want to bring some allergy medicine. The required trapping and handling equipment will be provided.
Camping: We will be camped out at Las Cienegas Thursday night (10/8/2026) through Sunday morning (10/11/2026) and you are welcome to camp out with us - the more the merrier! It is a primitive camp site without facilities, so please come prepared. If the conditions support it, we typically have a campfire each night.
*Returning Volunteers* If you have a 4WD vehicle and are available to help pre-bait the traps at all the colonies between 10/2 and 10/8, please email Jennifer with your availability.
If you have any questions feel free to contact Jennifer:
Jennifer Presler
Call/Text: 602-999-7154
Email: jpresler@azgfd.gov
