Dear HCN,
I was astounded to read
Bob Hartley’s letter, which seems to declare that the issue of
prairie dogs is not “of true significance to citizens of the U.S.
West” (HCN, 9/13/99). Where has he been living?
I
greatly appreciated your article, as many communities which I have
lived in over the past couple of years have been involved in raging
debates around the prairie dog. You put forth one of the most
objective articles I have seen to date on the
issue.
In response to Mr. Hartley, I would like
to point out that the prairie dog is the spotted owl of the Plains
regions in the West. Many people, as well as many other species,
are affected, both economically and otherwise, by what happens to
the prairie dog. Many isolated towns survive mostly on the influx
of visitors associated with prairie dog shooters and many ranchers
believe their livestock threatened by competition with prairie
dogs. Yet many biologists believe that the loss of prairie dogs, or
even a further reduction, will result in the loss of habitat that
ranchers need for their livestock and that the wildlife depends on.
What is happening to prairie dogs is anything but moot to citizens
of the West.
Miranda
Terwilliger
Arcata,
California
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline The prairie dog deserves its day.
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