FORT COLLINS, CO – Pudgy and vocal, black tail prairie dogs in matriarchal colonies have co-existed with Coloradoans along the Front Range for decades. But the state’s new construction boom threatens their urban habitats in northern Colorado towns. Groups of “prairie dog advocates” are asking local governments to help relocate colonies instead of gassing them or bulldozing their habitats.
Members of a prairie dog “town” maintained their busy lives on six acres near the corner of Lemay Street and Buckingham Avenue in Fort Collins for more than 20 years. That was until New Belgium Brewery and a student housing developer bought parcels on the site.