Event Details (U.S. National Park Service)

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Special Event

Fee:

Free. Free with park admission. Classrooms are eligible for a fee waiver. https://www.nps.gov/brca/planyourvisit/academic-fee-waivers.htm

Location: LAT/LONG: 37.640387, -112.169642

Visitor Center Plaza, Prairie Dog Viewing Areas, Bryce Lodge Auditorium

Dates & Times

Date:

Thursday, May 8, 2025

Time:

9:00 AM

Duration:

8 hours and 30 minutes

Type of Event

Children’s Program

Festival

Talk

See schedule in description.

Description

9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Family-friendly activity booths in the plaza outside of the Visitor Center, and Utah Prairie Dog viewing table at edge of Visitor Center parking lot

1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Family-friendly activity booths in the plaza outside of the Visitor Center, and Utah Prairie Dog viewing table at edge of Visitor Center parking lot

4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Nicki Frey, a professor at Utah State University, and Bonnie Stokes, a Utah State University research graduate student, will discuss Utah prairie dogs, their ecology, and translocation research at the Bryce Canyon Lodge Auditorium. (See detailed description and bios below.)

“Desperate Times, Desperate Measures – Relocating a Species to Save it”

Utah prairie dogs have been extirpated in 90% of their historical range. Because most of the population occurs on private land, this threatened species is continually in conflict with landowners due to burrowing. Additionally, Utah Prairie Dogs can cause a health risk to humans if they locate a colony near homes, businesses, and hospitals. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has been relocating Utah Prairie Dogs from private to public land since the 1970s, to reduce conflicts while protecting the species. While often the best management option available, relocations have been largely unsuccessful due to the natural high mortality of Utah Prairie Dogs. Recently, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Utah State University, and the Bureau of Land Management have partnered to experiment with ways to improve Utah Prairie Dog survival once relocated. Come learn what makes Utah Prairie Dogs so special, and how different strategies to improve relocations are helping to protect and conserve this amazing species.

Nicki Frey is a professor of Human-Wildlife Interactions in the Department of Wildland Resources for Utah State University. She often collaborates with federal, state, and local partners to conduct research or implement new strategies to increase our knowledge of sensitive species, reduce wildlife damage, and increase positive human-wildlife interactions. Her expertise has led her to conduct research and outreach endeavors on a range of species including several small mammal species, ringtails, sage-grouse and free-roaming horses. Dr. Frey is also invested in natural resources youth education, leading several high-school programs throughout the state that involve young adults in the research and exploration of their natural surroundings.

Bonnie Stokes is a current graduate student at Utah State University in the WILD department pursuing my master's in wildlife biology. I am from Bountiful Utah and am currently living in Grand Junction Colorado for my husband's medical school. I graduated from Southern Utah University where I met my husband. I have an almost 2-year-old daughter who keeps me on my toes. I love mountain biking, even though I'm not very good at it, and I am always excited to talk about my study subject of Utah Prairie Dogs.