By John Sutter
The federal government settled a lawsuit this week over protection status for the black-tailed prairie dog.
Environmental groups had sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, asking the agency to act more quickly. An initial statement on the issue must come by November, and then the agency will have a year to decide whether or not to recommend the black-tailed prairie dog for protection under the Endangered Species Act.
According to WildEarth Guardians, one of the groups that filed the suit, black-tailed prairie dog populations are 1 or 2 percent of what they used to be.
The black-tailed prairie dogs previously were considered for such endangered species protection. WildEarth contends it was removed from consideration because of political pressure.
Sharon Rose, spokesman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said the agency will review the information submitted by environmental groups by November. At that time, the government could rule that not enough information has been provided to warrant formal protection; or it could decide to look into matters further, she said.
I wrote about this issue when the lawsuit was filed back in Feb. 2007. At the time, many farmers considered the black-tailed prairie dog a major pest since they dig holes that livestock will trip in. They also chew up the land so there’s not much left for cattle to graze, a rancher told me.
Environmental groups contend that prairie dogs are a vital part of western ecosystems. They say their habitats are being destroyed, and that the animals are shot for pleasure.
There’s always more than two sides to every story. What do you think about prairie dogs? Cute critters? Essential to ecosystems? Annoying rats? Model city planners? Feel free to comment.