It appears Cedar City golfers and the Utah prairie dog will be teeing off in federal court due to a lawsuit filed Tuesday by a coalition of environmental groups.

Members of the Forest Guardians, Utah Environmental Congress and others filed their suit in U.S. District Court against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The suit seeks to put a stop to the federally approved program of trapping and relocating Utah prairie dogs from the Cedar City Municipal Golf Course, which spans 503 acres, and 48 acres of adjacent land that belongs to the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah.

The Utah prairie dog has been listed on the threatened and endangered species list since 1973 and is one of five species of prairie dog. Currently this species is listed as "threatened."

According to the suit, Iron County contains about 65 percent of the total remaining population of Utah prairie dogs, and about 86 percent of Utah prairie dogs in Iron County are located on non-federal land. Specifically, the Utah prairie dog colony at the golf course is considered among the four largest colonies in existence, the suit states.

In January 2007, fish and wildlife officials approved the permanent trapping and removal of prairie dogs from the golf course and tribal lands and relocation to a 303-acre habitat called Wild Pea Hollow, which is surrounded by BLM lands.

But wildlife activists argue the land is not currently viable to be used as habitat and will require years of rehabilitation. They also argue that "translocation" has only resulted in a 10 percent survival rate.

The groups are asking a federal judge to find that fish and wildlife officials violated the federal Endangered Species Act and Administrative Procedures Act.

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E-mail: gfattah@desnews.com