Media invited to attend release of endangered black-footed ferrets in southeast Colorado on Nov. 14

11/13/24

Travis Duncan
Public Information Supervisor
720-595-8294 / [email protected]

LAMAR, Colo. – On Nov. 14, media are invited to attend as Colorado Parks and Wildlife releases into the wild one of the most endangered mammals in North America: the black-footed ferret (BFF).

The release will occur on Parks and Wildlife Commission Chair Dallas May’s Ranch in Lamar. CPW and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will complete the release of 15 “kits” (young animals) on the ranch following the Commission meeting.

Colorado is one of eight states and over 50 partner agencies involved with the recovery of the species through reintroduction.

Ferrets were first reintroduced to Colorado in 2001 at Wolf Creek, north of Rangely. After dozens were released over several years, that site succumbed to a plague outbreak and collapsed by 2010.

An Eastern Plains reintroduction strategy began in 2013 with the release of 300 ferrets to six Colorado sites over a period of years.

Black-footed ferret recovery efforts began on the May Ranch in 2021, when CPW and May began the process of mapping the 20,000-acre ranch to see if it had enough acres of prairie dogs to qualify for the program. Now, three years later, there has been evidence of successful reproduction on the property.

Details
This year’s BFF release at the May Ranch will occur between noon and 5 p.m. in Lamar. If you are a member of the media interested in attending the release, an RSVP is required. Please contact [email protected] by 5 p.m. on Nov. 13 for more information on covering this event.