Gunnison's Prairie Dog Restoration Experiment (GPDREx): Vegetation Cover Data from the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (2011-2016)

Prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.) are burrowing rodents considered to be
ecosystem engineers and keystone species of the central grasslands
of North America. Yet, prairie dog populations have declined by an
estimated 98% throughout their historic range. This dramatic decline
has resulted in the widespread loss of their important ecological
role throughout this grassland system. The 92,060 ha Sevilleta NWR
in central New Mexico includes more than 54,000 ha of native
grassland. Gunnison's prairie dogs (C. gunnisoni) were reported to
occupy ~15,000 ha of what is now the SNWR during the 1960's, prior
to their systematic eradication. In 2010, we collaborated with local
agencies and conservation organizations to restore the functional
role of prairie dogs to the grassland system. Gunnison's prairie
dogs were reintroduced to a site that was occupied by prairie dogs
40 years ago. This work is part of a larger, long-term study where
we are studying the ecological effects of prairie dogs as they
re-colonize the grassland ecosystem.