SPRING AROUSALS ARE GOING...a bit slow this year. John reports that of all the species he's studied (black-tailed, Gunnison's, Utah, and white-tailed), Gunnison's prairie dogs are the worst in bad weather; and here at the Valles Caldera National Preserve, we've had a bit of winter weather coming through, which may explain the slow wakeups. Regardless, we're seeing more prairie dogs every day, though we're still waiting for those females! The 51 marked males (see PURPOSE & METHODS for more on marking) we have seen so far are also eagerly awaiting the females, and some are already disputing over territories. Once the females pop up, mating season will follow shortly after. It's our most anticipated time of the year!