The Washington Post talks about prairie dogs today

The Washington Post is talking talks about the South Dakota prairie dog controversy today, and the plight of ranchers versus environmentalists:
For years, South Dakota politicians from both parties have championed the ranchers' cause, questioning why prairie dogs should be allowed to prosper at the expense of private landowners who hold federal grazing permits. As recently as April 26, Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) asked Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne to guarantee financial compensation to people whose livelihoods are affected by the reintroduction of the black-footed ferret to Wind Cave National Park.

The U.S. Forest Service, which manages federal grasslands, approved a management plan in 2002 that made black-footed ferrets and prairie dogs a priority. Two years later, as the drought deepened and prairie dog populations expanded, the agency permitted poisoning to stop them from burrowing onto private land.

"We were trying to be good neighbors," said Don Bright, the agency's Nebraska-based regional director.

A group of environmental groups sued. A settlement created a buffer zone where U.S. authorities deposit poisoned oats. Yet few were satisfied. Bright said a continuing study led to the current environmental impact report.

The report is expected to say that prairie dog colonies can be further restricted on federal land without posing a new threat to the ferrets, then lays out five alternatives, including one designed by the South Dakota and Nebraska governments and one by local officials, Bright said Friday in a telephone interview. He described them as a spectrum of options, from doing nothing new to poisoning a relatively large number of acres in the grasslands' interior.

Read it all here.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Senator Thune is the reason the introduction of the ferrets into Wind Cave has been delayed. He is the reason there is control of the prairie dogs in buffer zones on the National Grasslands near private lands. And he is the reason that control in the interiors of the National Grasslands is currently being considered. That is a far cry from the Clinton Administration's plan NOT to control prairie dogs on the Grasslands.

If landowners had to rely on state government, there would currently be no control. Local governments and landowners have relied on exclusively on John Thune for these accomplishments.

Thank you Senator Thune!
Douglas said…
Years ago, I read a column in the Wall St. Journal. It indicated that only male prairie dogs moved out of colonies. I wonder how they ever guessed new colonies would get started. Tornadoes or floods picking up pregnant females and moving them around I guess.

Had the nasty little rodents been named "Prairie Rats" control of them might not cause such an uproar. Ferrets just aren't doing enough work these days.
Anonymous said…
"Had the nasty little rodents been named "Prairie Rats" control of them might not cause such an uproar."

Very interesting point.
Anonymous said…
Anonymous said...

"Had the nasty little rodents been named "Prairie Rats" control of them might not cause such an uproar."

Very interesting point.
----------------------------

No. Very, very interesting point.
Anonymous said…
Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...

"Had the nasty little rodents been named "Prairie Rats" control of them might not cause such an uproar."

Very interesting point.
----------------------------

No. Very, very interesting point.
-----------------------------------
Au contraire. VERY, very very interesting point.
Anonymous said…
Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...

"Had the nasty little rodents been named "Prairie Rats" control of them might not cause such an uproar."

Very interesting point.
----------------------------

No. Very, very interesting point.
-----------------------------------
Au contraire. VERY, very very interesting point.

----------------------------

You guys are morons. Anyone knows it's a very, very, very, very, very interesting point.
Anonymous said…
For many years, the Farm Bureau - the insurance company that often dresses as a farm/ranch advocacy group - had changing the common name "prarie dog" to "prarie rat" as part of their legislative agenda.
Anonymous said…
Farm Bureau is a joke....they represent a lot of insurance policies......
Anonymous said…
Did the Indians have a prairie dog program?
You ranchers are a bunch of prairie dog candy asses. No wonder we can't defend ourselves against terrorists. You plugbutts can't even work your way through a varmit problem where the "bad guys" are 100 times stupider than you are. What a bunch of whimps. No wonder the world is laughing at you.
Anonymous said…
I notice 5:38 is posting anonymously. Possibly because he knows someone would find him, and completely kick his silly butt.

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