The sun was barely creeping over the crest of the Los Pinos Mountains, lighting up the early morning sky, that within minutes went from a dull gray to a brilliant shade of blue.

It's fitting that this was the first day of summer.

It's also fitting that on this day, 98 Gunnison prairie dogs were re-introduced to their new home on the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge.

This group of native prairie dogs are the first of 600 to be released over the next month on the refuge and Refuge Manager Kathy Granillo explained that prairie dogs used to be native to the area prior to the property becoming a refuge, in 1973. The property then was a large ranch, and during that time most of the prairie dogs were eradicated.

"Ninety-nine percent of them were gone," Granillo said.

Although prairie dogs and ranchers haven't always been the best of friends, Granillo said studies show cows do better with prairie dogs around and research doesn't support that they take grass away from cows.

"We want them back because they build burrows, or homes, for other creatures such as owls, snakes and lizards," Granillo said, naming a few species the burrows will benefit.

This group of prairie dogs are the second batch to arrive on the refuge. The first re-introduction of prairie dogs began five years ago, with approximately 500 dogs released northwest of the new site.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Wildlife Biologist Jon Erz explained that prior to the arrival of the Gunnison prairie dogs, artificial burrows were built to house the furry creatures so they can adapt to their new surroundings with relative ease.

"We'll have food and bedding for them, and a cage over them for a few days to acclimate them," Erz said. "They have a lot of predators to contend with."

Some predators Erz is talking about are coyotes, foxes, badgers, hawks and Golden Eagles.

Disease is another thing that can affect prairie dogs.

So where did all these prairie dogs come from?

Ed Urbanski, of Albuquerque Prairie Dog Pals, has been rescuing prairie dogs since 2002. Many prairie dogs are losing their colonies due to development, so Urbanski has made it his mission to rescue and find new habitats for them.

"Prairie Dog Pals are really good at making sure there are no disease or health issues," Erz said of their new and expected arrivals.

In addition to Erz, volunteers Ethel Chiang and Glen Freimuth were on hand to help with the relocation.

Terri Koontz, a University of New Mexico scientist, said the artificial burrows were made in a "bull's-eye pattern" and the whole point is to bring them closer to the center of the plot.

"This bull's-eye pattern has never been done before," Koontz said.

All the prairie dogs have been tagged, sexed and their origins accounted for to help the biologists and scientists monitor their population over time.

"We'll track newly migrated (prairie dogs) or those birthed (from the colony)," Koontz explained.

Brandon Ferguson, a senior at Eastern New Mexico University, is spending his summer at Sevilleta and has been instrumental in checking and servicing cameras set up around water drinking facilities that capture the wildlife in the area. He is also analyzing all the data from the information collected and doing some mapping.

"I love it," Ferguson said. "It's a great experience."

The large transport crates the Gunnison prairie dogs arrived in were filled with hay and there was little activity in the crates upon arrival at the relocation site — that is until the crates were carried out to the open range — where, with each step, little by little, barks and yips began flowing freely between the crates.

Every now and then a little pair of eyes would peak out through the hay and there was an excitement in the air.

Prairie dogs are known for their intricate communication system and Granillo said they have specific calls to alert the other dogs to what predator may be in the area.

"Their calls tell what the predator is — if it is walking or flying and what to look out for," Granillo said.

The calls coming from the crates Monday morning were varied but clearly there was some communication going on.

Erz said the prairie dogs that were released Monday came from different areas such as Albuquerque and Bosque Farms. Each crate was labeled with names of where the dogs came from, and as the prairie dogs were introduced to their new burrow, both crate and burrow were identified so that the prairie dogs can be tracked.

Food consisting of apples, carrots and black oil sunflower seeds, along with hay were placed inside the cages where a black tube was buried down to the artificial burrow. The cages will be removed after a few days so the prairie dogs can come out and build their own burrows in time.

Some of the prairie dogs went easily down the tubes while a few renegades put up a little fight coming out of the crates, and latched on to the gloved hands that were removing them from the crate. Not wanting to stress them out, Erz took his time in handling the animals, and made sure their transition went smoothly.

"They're very social animals," Freimuth said. "They form families."

The next batch of Gunnisons will arrive in about a week, where 200 will be joining the first 98 — in separate burrows.

Contact Jackie Schlotfeldt