Black-tailed prairie dogs, including North Dakota's estimated population of 200,000, no longer are candidates for listing under the Endangered Species Act.

Citing updated census numbers, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service made the announcement Thursday.

"I think overall, it's a pretty good thing," said Steve Dyke, conservation supervisor for the state Game and Fish Department. "The process led us down a trail that made 11 states go out and survey (prairie dogs), and the census and work showed the prairie dog is in OK shape."

Prairie dogs occupy an estimated 1,842,000 acres in the United States, the USFWS said in a statement. In 2000, its best available information indicated 676,000 acres of occupied habitat.

North Dakota has 20,000 acres of prairie dog towns, Dyke said, with an estimated average of 10 dogs per acre, according to the census it completed last year.

Although some states toughened rules on recreational shooting, North Dakota kept the status quo, Dyke said.

Black-tailed prairie dogs are small ground squirrels that are 14 to 17 inches long and weigh 1 to 3 pounds. They are diurnal, burrowing animals that live in colonies. Numerous other species are dependent on the prairie dog, including the black-footed ferret, swift fox, mountain plover, ferruginous hawk and burrowing owl.

The National Wildlife Federation, which sought the prairie dog's listing in 1998, could not be reached for comment. Its offices in Reston, Va., were closed for the day.

Mike Donahue, a lobbyist for the NWF's state affiliate, said the North Dakota Wildlife Federation opposed the national group's efforts get the prairie dog listed.

"So we support the decision, I suppose," he said.

(Reach reporter Richard Hinton at 250-8256 or outdoors@bismarcktribune.net.)