Black-footed Ferret release

On Wednesday, October 30, 2013, thirty endangered black-footed ferrets were released onto cattle rancher Gary Walker's land, west of Pueblo, Colorado. The release launched a potentially new way of preserving endangered species and was accomplished by way of a Safe Harbor Agreement (SHA). This SHA provides opportunities for private and Tribal landowners to volunteer their lands for reintroductions of this endangered species without affecting their land-use activities beyond mutually agreed-upon measures. It also extends these assurances to surrounding non-participating lands and other landowner interests. This SHA will be an important step in promoting the recovery of this iconic species.