RANGE-WIDE GENERAL CONSERVATION PLAN - FOR THE UTAH PRAIRIE DOG - IN RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT AREAS

Sep 29, 2026

RANGE-WIDE GENERAL CONSERVATION PLAN defines key terms and operational concepts for conserving Utah prairie dogs in residential and commercial development areas. The glossary explains regulatory instruments enabling authorized incidental take, and describes prairie dog social structure (clans), territorial and clearance-area survey logic, colonies and complexes, and mechanisms to offset impacts through conservation banks and easements. It also clarifies the timing and planning logic for translocations, what constitutes ground disturbance, and how incidental take and related permits are governed under relevant federal rules.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages208

Reading Time8 h 44 min

AccessFree to download

GLOSSARY

Core definitions and governance terms

Conservation offsets and land protection mechanisms

Survey areas, colonies, complexes, and disturbance

Translocation timing and permitting concepts

# RANGE-WIDE GENERAL CONSERVATION PLAN FOR THE UTAH PRAIRIE DOG IN # RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT AREAS U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Utah Ecological Services Field Office April 3, 2018 # GLOSSARY Certificates of Inclusion (CI) are instruments created under a master incidental take permit(permit) for a habitat conservation plan (HCP), or in this case a general conservation plan (GCP),for the purpose of providing authorized incidental take of listed species to enrollees. Clans are social groups of Utah prairie dogs consisting of an adult male, several adult females,and their offspring. These groups maintain geographic territorial boundaries, although they usecommon feeding grounds. Clearance Area in the major development area includes all Utah prairie dog mapped habitat(Mapped Habitat in Glossary) . The clearance area in the minor development area includes allUtah prairie dog mapped habitat plus a 0.35 mile (mi) buffer that represents the averagedispersal distance for prairie dogs (Mackley 1988) . The clearance area is the zone where theUtah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) would assist project proponents with completingoccupancy surveys for Utah prairie dogs as part of the compliance process for this GCP.Outside of the clearance area, project proponents should consider voluntarily completingoccupancy surveys for Utah prairie dogs to ensure compliance with the Endangered Species Act(ESA) . Colonies are groups of animals with associated mounds, burrows, and food resources that arewithin calling distance of each other. These units are genetically similar and vulnerable to localcatastrophes including epizootic disease outbreaks. Colonies may contain one or several clans. Complexes are groups of colonies that are generally within 2 mi of each other, not separated bygeographic barriers, and exchange migrants every one to two generations. Impassablegeographic barriers include features such as towns, large mountain ranges, or waterways whichreduce connectivity between prairie dog populations. Conservation Banks are permanently protected lands that contain natural resource values.These lands are conserved and permanently managed for species that are endangered,threatened, candidates for listing, or are otherwise species-at-risk. Conservation banks functionto offset adverse impacts to these species that occurred elsewhere, sometimes referred to as off-site mitigation. In exchange for permanently protecting the land and managing it for thesespecies, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) can approve a specified number of habitator species’ credits that bank owners may sell to project proponents (USFWS 2003) . Conservation Easements are defined by Utah Code (57-18-1 through 57-18-7) as easements,covenants, restrictions, or conditions in a deed, will, or other instrument signed by or on behalfof the record owner of the underlying real property for the purpose of preserving andmaintaining land or water areas predominantly in a natural, scenic, or open condition, or forrecreational, cultural, wildlife habitat or other use or condition consistent with the protection ofopen land. A conservation easement is an interest in land and runs with the land whenever it issold or exchanged. Specific to Utah prairie dogs, conservation easements under this GCP would permanently limit uses of the land in order to protect its conservation value for thespecies. To offset permanent impacts to the Utah prairie dog, conservation easements under thisGCP would typically be established in perpetuity. Developed lots are lands within 50 ft of an occupied, residential or commercial structure,including lawns, landscaping, gardens, and driveways. Feasibility of Translocations would be determined by the project proponent’s developmentschedule: • If the project proponent is able to plan the project to occur during the prairie dogtranslocation season (generally July 1 through August 31, though unseasonable warm andsno

FAQs

What are Certificates of Inclusion (CI) in this plan?

Certificates of Inclusion are instruments created under a master incidental take permit for a habitat conservation plan, here a general conservation plan, to authorize incidental take of listed species by enrollees.

How is the clearance area defined for major vs. minor development areas?

In the major development area it includes all mapped Utah prairie dog habitat. In the minor development area it includes mapped habitat plus a 0.35 mile buffer representing average dispersal distance for prairie dogs.

What qualifies as ground disturbance and how does it affect clearance surveys?

Ground disturbance removes vegetation or redistributes soil in a way that removes signs of prairie dog presence. Normal agricultural practices do not constitute ground disturbance, but clearance surveys require a 14-day waiting period after ground disturbance before they are considered valid.

Sep 29, 2026

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