Recovery of the black-footed ferret: progress and continuing challenges--Proceedings of the Symposium onthe Status of the Black-footed Ferret and Its Habitat, Fort Collins, Colorado, January 28-29, 2004

Edited by Roelle, James E.; Miller, Brian J.; Godbey, Jerry L.; Biggins, Dean E.

Abstract:

The black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) is a member of the weasel family (Mustelidae) and is closely related to the Siberian polecat (M. putorius). Compared to its relatives, the black-footed ferret is an extreme specialist, depending on the prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.) of North American grasslands for food and using prairie dog burrows for shelter. The black-footed ferreta??s close association with prairie dogs was an important factor in its decline. Prairie dogs were regarded as an agricultural pest as human settlement progressed westward, and they became important hosts from plague as that disease colonized eastward from its sources of introduction on the west coast. Prairie dog numbers were dramatically reduced by poisoning, cropland conversions, and plague during the first half of the 20th century, and black-footed ferret was included on the first lists of endangered species, and its status was precarious by the time the Endangered Species Act of 1973 was passed. Its rebound from a low point of 10 known individuals in spring of 1985 (Biggins and others, 2006) is impressive, but the species is not yet a??recovereda?? in either the biological or legal sense (for further details, see Lockhart and others, this volume). Conservation activities to assist black-footed ferrets have extended through the past five decades. Included in those activities were three previous workshops and a symposium organized to facilitate interchange of ideas and information. The contents of their published proceedings illustrate changes in emphasis regarding issues important to black-footed ferret recovery. Placing these meeting in a chorological context of major events in ferret conservation helps to explain motives for convening them and the content of the papers, and provided context for the current volumea?|

Genre:

USGS Numbered Series

ProdID:

79399

Citation Author:

Edited by Roelle, James E.; Miller, Brian J.; Godbey, Jerry L.; Biggins, Dean E.

Citation Contributing Office:

Fort Collins Science Center

Citation Datum:

Citation Day:

Citation Edition:

Citation Editor:

Citation End Page:

Citation Issue:

Citation Keywords:

Citation Language:

English

Citation Larger Work Title:

Citation LatN:

Citation LatS:

Citation LonE:

Citation LonW:

Citation Month:

Citation No Pagination:

Citation Number Of Pages:

296

Citation Online Only Flag:

Citation Phsyical Description:

viii, 288 p.

Citation Projection:

Citation Public Comments:

Citation Publisher:

Citation Series:

Scientific Investigations Report

Citation Series Code:

SIR

Citation Series Number:

2005-5293

Citation Search Results Text:

Recovery of the black-footed ferret: progress and continuing challenges--Proceedings of the Symposium onthe Status of the Black-footed Ferret and Its Habitat, Fort Collins, Colorado, January 28-29, 2004; 2006; SIR; 2005-5293; Edited by Roelle, James E.; Miller, Brian J.; Godbey, Jerry L.; Biggins, Dean E.