Groups file lawsuit over white-tailed prairie dog
Joseph Van Os
Posted: 02/08/2013
Last Updated:
104 days ago
HELENA, Mont. - Four conservation groups based in Wyoming, Colorado and Montana have filed a lawsuit seeking to compel federal officials to address the white-tailed prairie dog population.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has said the species doesn't warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act, but the groups disagree.
The groups filed a lawsuit Thursday in federal court alleging the agency didn't adequately address everything it should have as required by federal law before making its determination.
The white-tailed prairie dog is found in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and Montana.
Federal wildlife officials said in 2010 that the species' population hadn't substantially changed and that the white-tailed prairie dog didn't face significant threats from urbanization or energy development.
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