Who: Arizona Game and Fish Department, and you!
What: Trapping Black-tailed Prairie Dogs
Where: Las Cienegas National Conservation Area - Meeting at Cieneguita Colony
The trip will take about an hour or less from Tucson and the roads are passenger car friendly. To find the site, drive east from Tucson on I-10 East. Take Exit 281 for Hwy 83 Sonoita/Patagonia and follow the highway south for approximately 20 miles. You will pass the border patrol check station and continue on for another mile. Very close to MP40, you will see a sign for Empire Ranch and turn left or east into the ranch. Follow this road for 3 miles until the road T’s at a stop sign. Turn right or south and follow the road for another 1 mile or so. You will drive through a wash and the left turn will be just before a cattle guard. Turn west or left on LC 6904. You will see a big white sign that says “Black-tailed Prairie Dog Re-establishment”. Follow this road for a half a mile or so. This is where we will be camping and also the rendezvous point for those who are just coming out for the day. You will receive further instructions when you arrive at the camp site.
BTPD site directions -Cieneguita Meeting Point
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 September 8-10, 2023: A few people will be opening traps at 6:00am so feel free to come early. We will begin checking traps at around 9:00AM so please arrive by 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 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. 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 (9/7/2023) through Sunday morning (9/10/23) 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. We try to get the camp site next to the Cieneguita colony, but let me know if you plan on camping so I can update you if we need to relocate to another spot.
*Returning Volunteers* If you have a 4WD vehicle and are available to help prebait the traps at all the colonies between 9/1 and 9/6, please email Jennifer with your availability.
If you have any questions feel free to contact Jennifer:
Jennifer Presler
Cell: 602-999-7154
Email: jpresler@azgfd.gov
