A report, Conserving Prairie Dog Ecosystems on the
Northern Plains, defends one of nature’s best dinners. Published by
the Predator Project in Bozeman, Mont., the 30-page booklet
explains how prairie dogs create a unique environment that provides
food and shelter to at least 158 other species, including the
endangered black-footed ferret and the swift fox. Get rid of the
prairie dog and the entire ecosystem of the West is disrupted (HCN,
11/11/96). To preserve the declining rodent and its shrinking
habitat, the group suggests more ranchers raise bison instead of
cattle since bison are less prone to tripping over the rodents’
dens. The report seems accurate and unbiased, except for one
detail. A photo on page 18, captioned “recreational prairie dog
shooting,” shows an all-terrain vehicle replete with gun and
prairie dog pelts. In reality, the rodents were killed two decades
ago by a wildlife biologist conducting
research.
For a free copy, contact the Predator
Project, P.O. Box 6733, Bozeman, MT 59771 (406/587-3389) or by
e-mail at predproj@avicom. et.
* Mark
Matthews
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline The importance of prairie dogs.
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