Endangered black-footed ferrets released on Heartland Ranch
Jay Tutchton carrying cage (by Liz Young)
Ferret in cage, closeup (by Liz Young)
Alex Wolf releasing ferret (by Shaye Wolf)
Shaye Wolf viewing ferret (by Doug Bevington)
The Southern Plains Land Trust expanded its Heartland Ranch Nature Preserve to 43,000 acres – nearly 70 square miles – in July 2022. This allows SPLT to advance key rewilding efforts, one of which is to create a reintroduction site for the endangered black-footed ferret. On October 19, the US Fish and Wildlife Service released 30 black-footed ferrets onto Heartland Ranch. These highly specialized small carnivores need large prairie dog populations to survive. They’ll find just that on Heartland Ranch, where all native wildlife is protected.
Click any image to enlarge.
Ferret walking (by Liz Young)
Ferret upright at burrow (by Liz Young)
Black-footed ferret (by Shaye Wolf)
Ferret at burrow (by Liz Young)
Ferret on Heartland landscape (by Liz Young)
Ferret peeking over burrow (by Liz Young)
Did you miss Rewilding Earth Podcast Episode 15: Nicole Rosmarino on Rewilding The American Serengeti? Listen below!
Nicole Rosmarino, Ph.D. helped found the Southern Plains Land Trust and is currently its Executive Director. She served as the caretaker for SPLT-protected land from 1999-2002, during which time she monitored for trespass and to record flora and fauna observed several times per week, while residing in Pritchett, Colorado. She now resides in Centennial, CO. Nicole received her Ph.D. from the University of Colorado at Boulder in May 2002. Her Ph.D. is in policy science/political science, and her academic focus was on biodiversity preservation. She has been actively involved in efforts to protect prairie wildlife since 1994.