Recent Releases and News

Top Ten Reasons the Prairie Dog is the New Batman!

1. Prairie Dogs carry the weight of the entire prairie ecosystem and thus, are incredibly strong!

2. Prairie Dogs are cute, but if you are an evildoer and come face-to-face with one in a dark alley, just give up. They have sharp claws and teeth!

3. Prairie dogs have one of the most sophisticated communication systems of any mammal known to man. They may know what you are going to do before you even think it!

4. Prairie dogs may be seen by some as evil, but in reality, they are true ecosystem superheroes!

5. The prairie dog is not only a hero, but a role model in its own right. They look after their neighbors, and help protect their town from predators.

6. Prairie dogs do good for others on the prairie by providing their neighbors with food and shelter. Without the prairie dog, almost nine other species that call the prairie their home would disappear.

7. Prairie Dogs get blamed when things start going south!

8. Prairie dogs warn their friends when there is trouble around.

9. Prairie Dogs keep harmful exotic plant species at bay by clipping back noxious weeds.

10. The Prairie dog is unable to fight its oppressors on its own. It needs the help of people to educate their community about their importance to our native prairie ecosystem.

Please support the Prairie Dog Coalition’s efforts to help protect the prairie dog!
www.prairiedogcoalition.org

Media Alert: Photo Op and Live Interviews for Prairie Dog Day

MEDIA ALERT! LIVE INTERVIEWS & PHOTO OPPORTUNITY
Contact: Lindsey Sterling Krank: (720) 938-0788
Cell: (720) 938-7855
Lauren McCain: (720) 563-9306

MEDIA ALERT

Celebrate Prairie Dog Day! The Prairie Dog Coalition, WildEarth Guardians and Denver Zoo invite you to conduct a personal interview with Dr. Con Slobodchikoff in honor of Prairie Dog Day. Prairie Dog Day is February 2nd and is Groundhog Day for the West. Dr. Slobodchikoff is a prairie dog expert and has found that prairie dog communication borders on language. We can arrange interviews at either a Denver or Boulder prairie dog colony on Saturday, January 31 or Monday, February 2. Or, we would be happy to arrange an interview at your studio.

PHOTO OPPORTUNITY:

WHAT: Get footage and pictures of Lowry Elementary students celebrating Prairie Dog Day with a wagon ride to observe a local prairie dog colony. Live prairie dog from the Denver Zoo and costumed prairie dog will be on hand.

WHEN: Friday, Jan. 30th
10:00am - Media meets at front gate
10:15 - Wagon ride out to prairie dog colony
11:30 - Students observe live prairie dog from the Denver Zoo

WHERE: Events will take place at Plains Conservation Center- 21901 E. Hampden Ave- Aurora, CO 80018. (303) 693-3621

WHY: To Celebrate Prairie Dog Day- Groundhog Day for the West

Can Prairie Dogs Really Talk?

Dr. Con Slobodchikoff’s research reveals prairie dog communication system borders on language

Denver, CO (January 28, 2009) – Con Slobodchikoff, a Professor of Biology at Northern Arizona University, is best known for his research studying the prairie dog’s communication system. Prairie dogs have a complex system of alarm calls that borders on language. This alarm call system represents the most sophisticated language-like system that has been described in animals, suggesting that animals might have more complex communication systems than previously believed.

Additionally, Slobodchikoff and his two colleagues release their new book, Communication and Community in an Animal Society on Prairie Dog Day. The book discusses the biology, ecology, behavior, economics, and conservation of the five prairie dog species found in the United States and Mexico. Seen as vermin that spoiled valuable rangeland, prairie dogs were long the subject of eradication campaigns and are now threatened by habitat loss and the loss of genetic diversity, with their numbers dropping down to about 1 percent of what they were 100 years ago. The authors hope their research will help to pull the prairie dog back from the brink of extinction, as well as foster an appreciation of larger conservation challenges. By examining the complex factors behind prairie dog decline, we can begin to understand the larger conservation problems inherent in our adversarial relationship with the natural world. Understanding these interactions is the first step toward a more sustainable future

The above organizations would be happy to arrange a time to schedule an interview with Con as he is our guest in town to celebrate the Prairie Dog Day at the Denver Zoo on Sunday, Feb. 1st.

For more on Dr. Con Slobodchikoff, you can visit http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/printDS/110058

For more on the Denver Zoo’s Prairie Dog Day celebration visit: http://denverzoo.org/visitors/pdog_day.asp#guest

For more on our organizations: The Prairie Dog Coalition or Wild Earth Guardians visit www.prairiedogcoalition.org or www.wildearthguardians.org

If you would like to go ahead and schedule an interview, please reply with an email and the preferred time of day for Saturday. Otherwise, I will follow up with you via phone to see if you are interested in scheduling something.

History of Prairie Dog Day:

About 8 years ago, renowned author and environmental activist Terry Tempest Williams made the wise suggestion that prairie dog advocates use Groundhog Day to bring attention to the plight of prairie dogs. Since then groups such as WildEarth Guardians, Center for Native Ecosystems, Biodiversity Conservation Alliance, the Prairie Dog Coalition, Denver Zoo and others have planned some of our prairie dog conservation efforts to coincide with Groundhog Day. This has attracted greater media attention to our work. Each year, we have expanded our Prairie Dog Day campaigns and have added outreach and educational goals and fun new events.

About Denver Zoo:

Denver Zoo is home to more than 3,500 animals representing more than 650 species and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). AZA is a leader in global wildlife conservation and accreditation by AZA assures that an institution is meeting the highest standards of animal care. Between 1996 and 2006 Denver Zoo has been involved in 390 field conservation and research projects in 47 countries. Denver Zoo is open every day. Parking is free. For information on Colorado free days, meeting and party space rental or special events, call (303) 376-4800. Visit the Denver Zoo web site at www.denverzoo.org.

About WildEarth Guardians:

WildEarth Guardians is a non-profit, environmental advocacy organization whose mission is to protect and restore the wildlife, wild rivers, and wild places of the American West. Born in January 2008, WildEarth Guardians represents the joining of Sinapu and Forest Guardians into one of the most powerful forces for nature in the American West. Both predecessor organizations were founded in 1989 and have a long history of conservation successes protecting carnivores, ancient forests, rivers and other threatened landscapes and wildlife. The organization currently operates four major programs: Wildlife, Wild places, Wild rivers, and Climate & Energy. We have approximately 10,000 members and e-activists, the majority of who live in the 11 western states. We have offices in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Denver, Colorado and Phoenix, Arizona. We rely on a potent combination of litigation, education, scientific analysis, and public advocacy on behalf of the West’s threatened wildlife and wild places. Our staff includes lawyers, policy experts, scientists, ecosystem restoration experts, community organizers and fundraisers.

About the Prairie Dog Coalition:

For the benefit of treasured wildlife, the Prairie Dog Coalition is dedicated to the protection of imperiled prairie dogs and restoration of their ecosystems. To accomplish this mission, we provide information and advocacy training, facilitate communication and planning, and promote conservation projects. We are an alliance of non-profit organizations, concerned citizens, and scientists dedicated to the protection of prairie dogs and restoration of prairie dog ecosystems. Survival of the prairie dog is critical to the continued existence of the prairie ecosystem—one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world.

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For Immediate Release Contact Lindsey Sterling Krank (720) 938-0788

July 17, 2006

INSPIRING FILM FESTIVAL COMES TO BOULDER
Films to help communities find environmental solutions & celebrate the environment!

Boulder, Colo. The largest environmental film festival in North America is coming to Boulder, Colo. Join the Prairie Dog Coalition (PDC) when they host the Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival Tour at Neptune Mountaineering on Thursday and Friday, October 23 & 24 at 8pm.

The Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival Tour brings together award-winning environmental films in a spirit of inspiration and education. The films leave people feeling inspired and motivated to go out and make a difference in their community and around the world. Whether it is the struggle for environmental justice, information on renewable energy or an educational tale about an endangered species, the films bring awareness to the natural world around us and our role in that delicate balance.

The film festival was started in 2003 by The South Yuba Rivers Citizens League (SYRCL), one of the nation’s most successful grassroots activist groups. It began as a fundraiser and community mobilizer for the advocacy of its local watershed, the Yuba River in Nevada County, CA. The home film festival is a three day event each January in Nevada City, CA and has grown to receive local, regional, and national applause for celebrating the spirit of environmental activism. After five years, it features 110 films with 60 guest speakers and over 3000 attendees.

"After five extremely successful festivals in California, we knew that we wanted to take the tour on the road to share these incredible films with a larger audience. Our mission is to inspire those in attendance to take action on behalf of the environment," says Susie Sutphin, festival tour manager.

The Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival On Tour partners with environmental groups nationwide to host tour venues who use the festival as a community outreach tool and a way to raise awareness for both local and global issues. Featured at the event in Boulder are films that span the issues of one man’s touching story of living with grizzly bears in the wilderness of Southern Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia, how to green your ski bum lifestyle to making more sustainable energy choices in your home or office. The event will also include an outdoor gear auction which many local reps. have generously donated to and $2 microbrews from Boulder Beer. More about the films can be viewed at www.prairiedogcoalition.org.

The festival is a natural extension of the PDC’s work to inspire people to act on behalf of our native wildlife- the prairie dog and the ecosystem they support. This event is a benefit for the Prairie Dog Coalition. PDC is the only group working exclusively to enhance prairie dog and prairie dog ecosystem protection throughout their range in the west. PDC got its start five years ago when a small group of wildlife activists joined together to do more for the massive prairie dog exterminations taking place all over the western region. Prairie dogs have been poisoned, bull-dozed, shot and paved over for more than a century, resulting in a 98% decline of the species. Since our inception in 2001, we've emerged as a leader in efforts to protect prairie dogs throughout their indigenous range.

EVENT DETAILS:

WHEN: Thursday and Friday, October 23 & 24, 8:00pm
WHERE: Neptune Mountaineering, 633 S. Broadway in Table Mesa Shopping Center, Boulder, Colo. 80305
HOW MUCH: $5 Tickets can be purchased at the door
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Prairie Dog Coalition 720-938-0788 or Neptune Mountaineering 303-499-8866
First 25 people in the door each night receive free Lole enviro totes!