COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- Once again El Paso County finds itself at the center of the Endangered Species Act debate.

Several groups, including Wild Earth Guardians and the Prairie Dog Coalition, have filed a national petition to add the black-tailed prairie dog to the endangered species list.

El Paso County Commissioners have filed a counter-petition to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife, claiming they are strictly against this and their studies show there is no threat to the species.

County officials agree that the financial burden of this addition would have serious ecomonic impacts on El Paso county land owners.

"We do not need to put this on the endangered species list so that property owners can no longer use their own property, so that builders can not build, so that roads can not go through. These are the kinds of things that would happen," claims County Commissioner Amy Lathen.

That's the reality EPCO commissioners bring to this debate, but eco-friendly advocates believe something else.

"Prairies dogs get a bad wrap that's mostly undeserved, because prairie dogs are really the engineers of the grasslands," says Lauren McCain of Wild Earth Guardians.

If on the endangered species list, the risk of business growth, county projects, and private land use could be put in jeopardy. "There's a lot of ways that we can work together. And from an economic standpoint, it's often more economically feasible to co-exist with the prairie dog," boasts Prairie Dog Coalition Director, Lindsey Sterling-Krank.

"We have conservation trust land in EPCO that is not private property that animals flourish and will never be bothered," continues Lathen.

The health factor -- also a major part of this discussion. "And remember that these animals carry disease...the threat to humans, and livestock, and domesticated animals," says Lathen.

"There's very little risk from getting plague from prairie dogs. They're actually not carriers of plague, and that's a big misconception," adds McCain.

This back and forth could go for ever, so final thoughts?

"I think that a prairie dog would be very happy that there are people that want to protect them and their habitat," laughs McCain.

Commissioner?

"It makes about as much sense to list the Black Tailed Prairie Dog as it does the Colorado Mosquito," Lathen finalized.

Ultimately, it's up to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to make a decision. Colorado State Wildlife officials say that so far their research has found data in support of the El Paso County Commissioners.

Click on the camera icon to view the segment as it aired on FOX21 News.