Areal Extent (hectares) of black-tailed prairie dog colonies in the Park monitored through colony perimeter mapping every 2 years. This is actively managed to increase prairie dog population through a combination of plague mitigation (i.e. dusting and sylvatic plague vaccine baits) and habitat enhancement/colony expansion (i.e. mowing edges, fire and grazing regimes) and upon feasibility and risk assessment, population expansion (i.e. translocations to abandoned colonies and establish new colonies on disturbed sites).