Part Two of Southern Plains Land Trust – ferrets, birds, and new projects on the horizon!

One of the most recently released black-footed ferrets at SPLT (photo courtesy of Karen Voepel)

EDITOR’S NOTE:  This is Part II of a story about Southern Plains Land Trust in southeast Colorado.

As Judith and I continued our tour of the property, I asked about an article I had recently read about the reintroduction of black-footed ferrets in Colorado and their recent release at Heartland Ranch.  She confirmed this and said that the ferrets are one of the most exciting additions to the ranch.  The black-footed ferret, originally declared extinct in 1979, was rediscovered in Wyoming in 1981, when a dog named “Shep” came home with one in his mouth and led his family to a small population of them on their land.  It is the only ferret species in North America and was one of the first to be listed as endangered by the Endangered Species Act in 1973.   SPLT is helping immensely with the repopulation of this beautiful little animal, with over 70 having been released here in the past 3 years.  A recent release, this time with 33 ferrets finding their new home on the Heartland Ranch Nature Preserve, occurred on October 29 with the help of Colorado Parks and Wildlife as well as the Natural Resources Conservation Service.  In speaking with Henry Pollock afterwards, he told me that this is the largest allocation of the ferrets in the country.  There are currently 18 black-footed ferret recovery sites in the US, but the Heartland site has the most potential due to the size of the preserve and the potential for future growth there.  The ferrets are obligate predators and prairie dogs make up over 85% of their diet. The high number of healthy prairie dogs thriving at Heartland should encourage the ferrets’ continued population growth.

Recent ferret release (photo courtesy of Karen Voepel)

As I stated in my previous article, the vast numbers of prairie dogs at Heartland have remained plague-free with the help of biologists from CPW and the use of Delta Dust and Fipronil to kill the fleas that carry the disease.  They have also learned how to make and distribute a plague vaccine hidden in peanut butter pellets resembling blueberries.  The ferrets are solitary predators and, as such, are released one at a time into individual prairie dog burrows.  Each ferret has a “pit tag” much like microchips used for pets.  The biologists use a special ring reader during their regular nighttime surveys to keep track of the ferrets.  They spend many overnight hours driving the preserve and using spotlights to look for the glow of ferret eyes and observing the burrows, helping to monitor survival rates, health and population growth.  If a ferret is spotted but no pit tag is read, it represents a kit born on site. The ferrets are strictly nocturnal and spend only 1-3 hours above ground each night. Since plague isn’t a threat here, predators are one of their biggest threats.

Recent ferret release (photo courtesy of Karen Voepel)

Pollock told me that the ferrets released by CPW onto SPLT land have been bred into captivity and then have to be “trained” to survive on their own.  Once they can show they are able to hunt they are released into the wild.   Jay Tutchton, Preserve Manager at SPLT, does preliminary work before ferret releases to minimize them being victims of predators.  He spends weeks putting up electric fence enclosures to capture predators and move them outside this boundary temporarily.  The goal is to try and “buy the ferrets some time” as they adjust to a new environment which includes predators.“  Jay is an attorney who, for over 30 years, worked tirelessly to represent environmental organizations and individuals seeking to protect the environment.  He helped start the Environmental Law Clinic at the University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law. He now spends his days happily managing the bison herds and other wildlife on the preserve.

Jay Tutchton, Preserve Manager at SPLT (photo courtesy of SPLT)

Other staff on site includes Kieran Andreoni, M.S., who is the Conservation Director.  Kieran is an ecologist with years of experience working with prairie wildlife, focusing on restoration and conservation of plant communities that native wildlife depends on.  He has a Master’s degree in Natural Resources and Environmental Science and has worked on grassland conservation projects across the western United States.  SPLT has a Board of Directors comprised of 9 members, one of whom is a founder of SPLT.  The other board members have a wide variety of backgrounds, including non-profit accounting, the tech industry, and real estate.  They all bring something different to the board but are all united in a singular goal, which is to continue the work that has been done and continue to improve on it.

Kieran Andreoni, Conservation Director at SPLT (photo courtesy of SPLT)

Heartland Ranch is also a part of the Motus Wildlife Tracking System, which is an international research network led by Birds Canada in partnership with a network of scientists who use coordinated automated radio telemetry to facilitate research and education on the ecology and conservation of migratory animals. Motus is a Latin word that means “movement”.  As of 2023, there were more than 1,200 such stations across 31 countries. The mountain prairie region which includes Colorado is home to approximately 70 of the towers, most of which are located on wildlife refuges.  Bird Conservancy of the Rockies has partnered to provide tower installations and bird tagging in our area.  There is a large Motus tower on one of the farmhouses on Heartland.  It automatically tracks small flying organisms (birds, bats and insects) with great precision.  It offers a cost-effective way to perform research and education on the migratory patterns, stopover and breeding areas and overwintering since the tracking is automated in its detection of the tags. The detection range of the tower can vary from 10-15 kilometers (approximately 6 to 9 miles).  Henry explained that such information gives the researches not only “dots” along the animals’ paths, but once connected, those dots form migratory lines.  He stressed that some of the most important information these lines provide is the full annual cycle and that where the animals winter over and breed is where conservation efforts need to be focused.  “We all like to think of these migratory birds as ‘our’ birds, but we are simply observers” said Pollock, “since we only get to see the birds as they travel through our area”.

Western Kingbird, one of the many species of birds at SPLT (photo courtesy of SPLT)

Henry and Judith both spoke excitedly to me about the newest venture for SPLT, a new preserve they have named the Purgatoire River Preserve.  A 458-acre shortgrass prairie property in Boggsville, near Las Animas, was recently purchased by the group.  GOCO and the Gates Family Foundation generously donated a large amount of the money necessary for its purchase.  SPLT is planning a first-of-its-kind nature hub in the area, with a focus on education.  Publicly-accessible trails, information signage and educational workshops and packages for local schools are in the plans.  Henry told me they are working closely with property owners who are adjacent to the land, wanting their input and support for the project.

The next endangered animal the group is focusing on is the lesser prairie chicken, a species in the grouse family.  The bird inhabits shortgrass prairies, but is primarily found in southwestern Kansas and south into western Oklahoma and Texas.  Their habitat has been fragmented and degraded and the range has decreased by 93% since the 1800s.  Biggest threats are habitat loss, drought, barbed-wire fences and utility cables.  SPLT is looking to purchase property closer to Lamar to establish a safe haven for them, since that area more closely resembles their habitat in Kansas.  It is estimated that only about 100 of these birds are left in Colorado presently.  They need open grassland with grass 10-18 inches high for roosting and nesting. Even with the cold winters in the areas in which they exist, they don’t migrate, but dig into the snow creating horizontal tunnels to insulate them.  They change their diet in the winter to become strictly herbivores, but the rest of the year eat seeds, grains, insects and other invertebrates.

SPLT is a member of the Land Trust Alliance and certified by the State of Colorado to hold conservation easements.  It is a non-profit, tax-exempt charitable organization and all donations are tax-deductible. Please visit their website at www.southernplains.org and their Facebook and Instagram pages for more information about their work and for information about how the various ways to donate as well as how to volunteer. The group is particularly interested in getting local schools involved by providing field trips and other educational opportunities for their students – students who will someday become the scientists, biologists and caretakers for our planet – hoping to instill the love of nature and the inspiration to learn more about the animals we share our earth with.

I would like to sincerely thank Henry and Judith for spending so much time with me and answering my endless questions and also to Karen Voepel for not only sharing her beautiful photos, but for introducing me to SPLT and its directors (plus she and her trusty Jeep made the muddy trip possible).  Thank you!

By Barbara Crimond