PUEBLO, Colo. – Threatening weather didn’t deter a team of six Colorado Parks and Wildlife biologists as they fanned out last week across 850 acres of Gary and Georgia Walker’s cattle ranch in Pueblo County to distribute plague vaccine hidden inside peanut butter pellets. Several of the biologists walked miles of transects across active prairie dog colonies where black-footed ferrets have been reintroduced, hand-tossing a pellet every eight yards, while a couple rode ATVs equipped with mechanical pellet shooters. Following precise routes, each biologist dropped about 50 pellets per acre across the colonies on the working cattle ranch that sprawls across U.S. Highway 50 west of Pueblo. The pellets resemble blueberries and are manufactured in a CPW lab in Fort Collins.
The vaccine pellets are meant to be eaten by black-tailed prairie dogs and other small mammals that call the colonies home and will provide them with a resistance to the plague virus.
After two days on the Walker Ranch, the team headed for Holly, in far eastern Colorado, to spread more vaccine across more sprawling prairie dog colonies. This is in addition to the other vaccine deployment locations across the state, all sharing the aim of protecting and preserving prairie dogs in Colorado. Why go to such extremes? Because prairie dogs are incredibly important to the ecosystem. Prairie dogs create habitat for other species, such as endangered black-footed ferrets and burrowing owls. And they are critical to the diets of many animals, including the ferrets, raptors, coyotes, bobcats and rattlesnakes. 

Healthy prairie dog populations are essential to the persistence of black-footed ferrets, whose primary prey is the prairie dog,” said Ed Schmal, CPW wildlife biologist who was overseeing the Walker Ranch plague vaccine work. “When prairie dog populations crash, like when plague hits a dog town, ferrets take the hit too. If you want to reintroduce ferrets, it is essential to do plague management in those areas.

But the work would not have been possible without the cooperation of conservation-minded citizens like the Walkers, who were the first ranchers in Colorado to choose to allow the reintroduction of black-footed ferrets – the rarest mammals in North America – on their land.

We need 2,000 acres of black-tailed prairie dog colonies to consider a property as an appropriate place to reintroduce black-footed ferrets and Walker Ranch was ready for the challenge, Schmal said. We’re lucky to have partners like Gary and Georgia Walker to help us protect these endangered species, this work cannot happen without ranchers like the Walkers.

SPREAD THE NEWS

COMMENT, Like, Follow & SHARE  @I70Scout

CURRENT EDITION

WEATHER & TRAFFIC    PUZZLES    RECENT NEWS    ADVERTISE WITH US

Cargill Meat Solutions Recalls Ground Beef Products due to Possible E. coli O157:H7 Contamination
Class I Recall 069-2018
Health Risk: High Aug 23, 2018
Congressional and Public Affairs
Felicia Thompson
(202) 720-9113

WASHINGTON, Aug. 23, 2018–Cargill Meat Solutions, a Fort Morgan, Colo. establishment, is recalling approximately 25,288 pounds of ground beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

The ground beef items were produced on Aug. 16, 2018. The following products are subject to recall: [View Labels (PDF Only)]

10-lb. chubs of “EXCEL 93/7 FINE GRIND GROUND BEEF” with “Use/Frz. By Sep 05” on the chub label and a “PACK DATE 08/16/2018” on the box label.
The products subject to recall bear establishment number “EST. 86R” inside the USDA mark of inspection. These items were shipped to warehouses in California and Colorado.

The problem was discovered on Aug. 22 by the establishment when they reviewed their records and determined that the product may be associated with product that was presumptive positive for E. coli O157:H7. The company then notified FSIS. There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products.

Anyone concerned about an illness should contact a healthcare provider. E. coli O157:H7 is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause dehydration, bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps 2–8 days (3–4 days, on average) after exposure the organism. While most people recover within a week, some develop a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). This condition can occur among persons of any age but is most common in children under 5-years old and older adults. It is marked by easy bruising, pallor, and decreased urine output. Persons who experience these symptoms should seek emergency medical care immediately.

FSIS is concerned that some product may be frozen and in consumers’ refrigerators or freezers. Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.

FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify their customers of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers. When available, the retail distribution list will be posted on the FSIS website at www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls.

FSIS advises all consumers to safely prepare their raw meat products, including fresh and frozen, and only consume ground beef that has been cooked to a temperature of 160°F. The only way to confirm that ground beef is cooked to a temperature high enough to kill harmful bacteria is to use a food thermometer that measures internal temperature, http://1.usa.gov/1cDxcDQ.

Consumers with questions about the recall can call 1-844-419-1574. Members of the media with questions about the recall can contact Michael Martin, Cargill’s Director of Communications, at (316) 291-2126.