An environmental group is protesting the U.S. Interior Department’s appeal of a court ruling that could lead to greater protection for the Utah prairie dog.

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., sided with WildEarth Guardians in September in ruling that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had not adequately explained why the southwestern Utah rodents are not sufficiently threatened to warrant the most protected status of endangered.

WildEarth Guardians hopes the ruling will lead to further review of its 2003 petition for an endangered listing.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar appealed the court ruling this week, prompting an outcry from the Denver-based group, which already had called for Salazar’s resignation. “We’re stunned that Mr. Salazar seems intent on snatching away protections for endangered species such as the Utah prairie dog at every turn, despite his legal duty to be the nation’s foremost protector of endangered species,” said Nicole Rosmarino, WildEarth Guardians’ wildlife program director.

A spokeswoman for the Interior Department declined to comment because the issue is in litigation.

The Utah prairie dog was listed as endangered until 1984, when the government upgraded its status to a less-restrictive threatened listing. Its protection has led to development conflicts around Cedar City, and the Fish and Wildlife Service is finalizing a new plan for its recovery.

WildEarth Guardians insists that greater protection — including an end to a rule allowing removal of some prairie dogs in conflict areas — is necessary to restore a population that once approached 100,000 but now numbers about 12,000. The group notes that prairie dogs are considered a “keystone” species, important as prey for eagles, hawks and badgers and as burrowers of tunnels used by other animals.

Utah’s Constitutional Defense Council, headed by the Governor’s Office, is pulling in the other direction, seeking to declare the population recovered and remove protections rapidly. Last month the council met for a discussion of possible strategies, including genetic testing of Utah prairie dogs in an effort to prove they are the same as the more-abundant white-tailed prairie dog.

bloomis@sltrib.com