In order to help the black-tailed prairie dogs at Las Cienegas and Sands Ranch stay well fed during the arrival of pups and the dry spring and pre-monsoon summer ahead, we at Arizona Game and Fish are organizing weekly feedings at three of the colonies (Cieneguita, Road Canyon, and Sands Ranch). If anyone is looking for an excuse to get outside and spend some time in nature, we would be happy for your help. Supplemental feeding has shown to increase survivorship and recruitment for the prairie dogs during the drier months, and helps the prairie dogs avoid predation by decreasing their need to stray far from their burrows to find food.
Feeding the prairie dogs consists of tossing a small handful of alfalfa pellets down/around each active-looking burrow at each colony once per week. Food and buckets are located in aluminum feed bins. Please take care to make sure the containers are bungeed shut and inaccessible to cows. If you sign up for a week, you can usually get to all of the colonies in a few hours.
You will need a 4WD high clearance vehicle to get out to the Sands Ranch and Road Canyon colonies. (Use your best judgment and if you feel uncomfortable with the roads at any point, feel free to discontinue the route and move onto the next colony.)
If you are interested in helping, please sign up using the shifts listed below and let me know if you have any questions. The feeding can occur at your convenience anytime during the week following your sign up (Monday-Sunday). If you have signed up for a week but are unable to complete the feeding anytime that week, let me know and we will try to get someone else out there.
**If the food bins are running low, please let me know so I can make sure to get them refilled.
