Attitudes of Fort Collins, Colorado, residents toward prairie dogs

Officials in Fort Collins, Colorado, have encountered public disagreement o ver prairie dog (Cynomys spp.) management in the city but have lacked objec tive information about conflict with prairie dogs, as well as the knowledge levels and attitudes of the public. Using a survey of Fort Collins residen ts (n=87) living near prairie dog colonies and a random sample (n=559) of t he city's general population, we assessed conflict with prairie dogs, compa red attitudes toward prairie dogs and management preferences between reside nts near colonies and the general population, and tested for association be tween knowledge levels and attitudes toward prairie dogs and management pre ferences. Seventy percent of the respondents living adjacent to prairie dog s reported having problems with them; respondents with natural grassland or pasture land on their property were most likely to report problems. Compar ed to the general population, respondents living near colonies were more li kely to express negative attitudes toward prairie dogs (P<0.01), more likel y to prefer poisoning prairie dogs over capturing and relocating (P<0.01), and more knowledgeable about prairie dogs (P<0.001). A management approach combining preservation and control was advocated by 84% of respondents livi ng near prairie dogs and 68% of the general population. Among the general p opulation, respondents with greater knowledge about prairie dogs were more likely to agree (P<0.05) that the rodents keep hawks and eagles nearby and that destroying prairie dogs lowers the risk of disease for pets and the ri sk of injury to horses. Respondents with greater knowledge also were more l ike ly to agree with using poisons to remove prairie dogs from an area (P<0 .001) and less likely to agree with using capture and relocation (P<0.001). However, knowledge was not associated (P>0.05) with attitudes toward prair ie dogs or with acceptance of a management approach combining preservation and control.