Our Work
Swift Fox Conservation Team
Colorado Parks and Wildlife is a member of the Swift Fox Conservation Team formed in 1994. The Swift Fox Conservation Team (SFCT) worked cooperatively on swift fox management and conservation by assembling new biological data and implementing monitoring and management programs. This resulted in a better understanding of the species status and a coordinated approach to management. These efforts demonstrated that swift fox were more abundant, widely distributed, and more flexible in habitat requirements than originally thought and led to the removal of swift fox in 2001 for consideration as a candidate for listing under the ESA.
Milestones
1992
The USFWS received a petition to list the swift fox (Vulpes velox) as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
1994
These concerns prompted the ten state wildlife agencies within the historic range of swift fox and interested cooperators to form the Swift Fox Conservation Team (SFCT).
1995
USFWS determined a threatened listing was "warranted but precluded by listing actions of higher priority".
1997
The "Conservation Assessment and Conservation Strategy of Swift Fox in the United States" was developed. It described the planned conservation strategies through 2010.
2001
Removal of swift fox as a candidate for listing under the ESA.
2011
The "Conservation Assessment and Conservation Strategy of Swift Fox in the United States" plan was updated in 2011 to reflect 2011-2020 priorities.
Conserving Swift Fox
Through its partnering agencies and organizations, the SFCT continues to monitor and manage swift fox across their range to maintain the long-term population viability of this iconic prairie species. Efforts include long-term monitoring, research, reintroductions, determining suitable habitat, grassland conservation, promoting public awareness, and information exchange.
In 2021, Colorado Parks and Wildlife contributed 30 foxes to help restore a self-sustaining swift fox population at Fort Belknap in northeastern Montana. Led by the Smithsonian Biology Institute and the Fort Belknap Indian Community, with support from Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the ambitious translocation project involved live-trapping the animals near Lamar, Colorado and transporting them to Montana.
Meet the Swift Fox Conservation Team
The SFCT was formally established in 1994 and consists of representatives from the 10 state wildlife agencies within the historical swift fox range as well as federal, tribal, nongovernmental, and university research partners.
- Colorado: Mark Vieira, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, [email protected]
- Kansas: Matt Peek, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, [email protected]
- Montana: Nate Kluge, Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks; [email protected]
- Nebraska: Sam Wilson, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, [email protected]
- New Mexico: Nick Forman and Jim Stuart, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, [email protected],
[email protected] - North Dakota: Patrick Isakson, North Dakota Game and Fish Department, [email protected]
- Oklahoma: Cheyenne Gonzales, Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, [email protected]
- South Dakota: Eileen Dowd Stukel, South Dakota Dept. of Game, Fish, & Parks, [email protected]
- Texas: Dana Karelus, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, [email protected]
- Wyoming: Heather O’Brien, Wyoming Game and Fish Department, [email protected]
- US Bureau of Land Management: Sarah Bullock, [email protected]
- US National Park Service: Vacant
- US Fish and Wildlife Service: Amity Bass, [email protected]
- US Forest Service: Phil Dobesh, [email protected]
- USDA APHIS, Wildlife Services: Wendy Anderson, [email protected]
- US Geological Survey: Robert Lonsinger, SFCT Research Committee, [email protected]
- Canada Species Lead: Medea Curteanu; Canadian Wildlife Service, [email protected]
- Blackfeet Tribe/Nation: Vacant
- Fort Belknap Indian Community: Tevin Messerly, [email protected]
Fort Peck Tribe: Les Bighorn, [email protected] - Oglala Sioux Tribe: Michael Thompson, [email protected]
- Northern Cheyenne: Adriann Killsnight, [email protected]
- Kristy Bly, World Wildlife Fund, [email protected]
- Ludwig Carbyn, Canadian Wildlife Service (retired), [email protected]
- Hollie David, Swift fox studbook keeper, Pueblo Zoo; [email protected]
- Dana Nelson, Clemson University, [email protected]
- Tracy Rein, Swift fox SSP coordinator, Endangered Wolf Center, [email protected]
- Bill Van Pelt, Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, [email protected]
- Joe Holbrook, University of Wyoming, [email protected]
- Donelle Schwalm, University of Maine-Farmington, [email protected]
- Hila Shamon, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, [email protected]
- Robert Lonsinger, U.S. Geological Survey, [email protected]
Conservation Assessment and Conservation Strategy for Swift Fox in the United States
Reports and Newsletters
These are Swift Fox Conservation Team informal updates with annual highlights and news updates on the program.
Swift Fox Conservation Team Annual and Biennial Reports
Efforts to monitor and manage swift fox are highlighted in annual (1995-2008) and biennial (2009 – present) reports. These reports outline the activities and accomplishments achieved on behalf of swift fox conservation by SFCT members and interested parties.
Review Reports
Swift Fox Conservation Team Newsletters
Review NewslettersPublications and Partner/Agency Documents
- Butler, A.R., K.L.S. Bly, H. Harris, R.M. Inman, A. Moehrenschlager, D. Schwalm, and D. S. Jachowski. 2021. Life on the edge: habitat fragmentation limits expansion of a restored carnivore. Animal Conservation 24:108-119.
- Butler, A.R., K.L.S. Bly, H. Harris, R.M. Inman, A. Moehrenschlager, D. Schwalm, and D. S. Jachowski. 2020. Home range size and resource use by swift foxes in northeastern Montana. Journal of Mammology 101:684-696.
- Clark, H. O. 2014. Compilation of kit fox and swift fox literature. Western Wildlife Journal 1:12-27.
- Stratman, M.R. and J.A. Apker. 2014. Using infrared cameras and skunk lure to monitor swift fox (Vulpes vl). The Southwestern Naturalist 59:500-508.
- Sasmal, I., J.A. Jenks, L.P. Waits, M.G. Gonda, G.M. Shroeder, and S. Datta. 2012. Genetic diversity in a reintroduced swift fox population. Conservation Genetics 14:93-102.
- Sovada, M.A., R.O. Woodward, and L.D. Igl. 2009. Historical range, current distribution, and conservation status of the swift fox, Vulpes velox, in North America. The Canadian Field-Naturalist 123:346-367.
- Ausband, D.E. and K.R. Foresman. 2007. Dispersal, survival, and reproduction of wild-born, yearling swift foxes in a reintroduced population. Canadian Journal of Zoology 85:185-189.
- Ausband, D.E. and K.R. Foresman. 2007. Swift fox reintroductions on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, Montana, USA. Biological Conservation 136:423-430.
- Finley, D.J., G.C. White, and J.P. Fitzgerald. 2005. Estimation of swift fox population size and occupancy rates in eastern Colorado. Journal of Wildlife Management 69:861-873.
- Martin, D.J., G.C. White, and F.M. Pusateri. 2007. Occupancy Rates by Swift Foxes (Vulpes Velox) in Eastern Colorado. The Southwestern Naturalist 52:541-551.
Canada and Montana
- Census of Swift Fox (Vulpes velox) in Canada and Northern Montana: 2000-2001
- Population Census of Reintroduced Swift Foxes in Canada and Northern Montana 2005/2006
- Population Survey Reintroduced Swift Foxes (Vulpes velox) in Canada and Northern Montana 2014/2015
- Population Survey Reintroduced Swift Foxes (Vulpes velox) in Canada and Northern Montana 2018
- The Swift Fox: A Canadian Conservation Success Story
Colorado Parks and Wildlife
- Stratman, M., Runge, J., & Vieira, M. 2022. Status of swift fox in eastern Colorado. Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife, Fort Collins. 24 pp.
- Stratman, M. 2017. Status of swift fox in eastern Colorado. Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife, Brush. 23 pp.
- Apker, J., & Navo, K. 2013. Swift fox sighting investigative report- May 2013. Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Denver. 5 pp.
- Stratman, M. 2012. Monitoring swift fox using remote cameras in eastern Colorado. Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Brush. 31 pp.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
- Evans, J. 2016. Wild thing: the other foxes – though less prevalent than reds and grays, swift and kit foxes are found in some areas of Texas. Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine.