critical balance to the ecosystem, at least that’s what letter writer Virginia Mir believes. Here are some choice excerpts from her letter to the editor in the Boulder Daily Camera…
The burrowing of prairie dogs decreases soil compaction, increases water intake, aerates the soil and promotes soil formation. Prairie dogs are natural fertilizers that increase the protein content and digestibility of rangeland grasses. In areas with prairie dogs, there is higher diversity and concentration of birds and mammals.
From what I can see, there aren’t any rangeland grasses left where PD’s are grazing. This may be due to overpopulation, but unless PD lovers are willing to do population control, it will happen every time. I’ll post a picture of the damage PD’s do once springtime really hits and everything isn’t so brown.
Prairie dogs are major food sources for predators including: snakes, ferrets, badgers, coyotes, ravens, eagles, owls, bobcats, weasels and hawks. Prairie dog burrows serve as homes for owls, cottontail rabbits, rattlesnakes and other animals.
Obviously there aren’t enough preditors. Doesn’t it seem like she’s working from a list of “talking points”? I wonder if she has any PD’s in her yard, or if she just wants them to use all the available open space?
