Native Wildlife Reintroduction and Augmentation

Vermillion Cliffs--Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

Utah



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Native Wildlife Reintroduction and Augmentation

An important element of the wildlife biology program on Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is working with Utah Division of Wildlife Resources to reestablish or augment populations of native wildlife species to their historic habitats. This vast area of the Colorado Plateau in southern Utah was once home to a number of species that, for a variety of reasons by the early part of the last century, were either extirpated or reduced to limited portions of their original ranges. By working in close partnership with UDWR and other groups and organizations, the Monument has undertaken a successful program in reintroducing three important wildlife species to their historic ranges. These three species are desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsonii), pronghorn antelope (Antilocapra americana ), and river otter (Lontra canadensis). Since the Monument was established in 1996 there have been releases of both desert bighorn sheep and pronghorn antelope in 1999, 2000, and 2004. Efforts to trap river otter from populations on the Green River and relocate them to the Escalante River drainage were initiated in early 2005. Plans are underway to augment existing populations of wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) into additional suitable habitat across the Monument. An important objective of these reintroduction actions is to achieve and maintain native wildlife populations, population dynamics, and population distributions within the Monument.