Date of Award

1-1-2010

Document Type

Masters Thesis

Degree Name

M.A.

Organizational Unit

Geography and the Environment

First Advisor

Rebecca L. Powell, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Paul Sutton

Third Advisor

Donald Sullivan

Keywords

Attitudes, Denver, Prairie dogs, Urban wildlife

Abstract

The conservation of prairie dogs is highly contested due to the embedded view that they are pests. This research addressed the ecological and social viability of prairie dog colonies in Denver, Colorado. Remote sensing analysis was applied to identify potentially viable areas for urban prairie dog colonies. In order to assess the social viability of urban colonies, knowledge and attitudinal surveys were distributed to residents near existing colonies and residents near potential colonies. Statistical analysis of responses provided insight into relationships between proximity to colonies, ecological knowledge, attitudes towards prairie dogs, demographics, and the presence of educational literature. Results indicated that women are consistently more favorable towards prairie dogs; knowledge was strongly associated with favorability towards prairie dogs; and residents living near colonies were more favorable towards local prairie dogs than residents living near potential colonies. While additional education and outreach is necessary in order to improve residents' attitudes towards prairie dogs, this species has the potential to be viable in Denver.

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Rights Holder

Lauren K. Morse

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Format

application/pdf

Language

en

File Size

111 p.

Discipline

Geography, Wildlife Conservation, Wildlife Management

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