Environmentalists sue to protect prairie dog An environmental group is suing the federal government to gain more protections for the Utah prairie dog. WildEarth Guardians of Sante Fe, N.M., says the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was wrong in deciding last year not to change the classification of the animals from “threatened” to “endangered.” The “endangered” status would provide additional protections along with restrictions on development in prairie dog habitat. The group says it would also end a special rule allowing up to 6,000 prairie dogs to be shot each year. The lawsuit was filed last week in federal court in Washington, D.C. Federal officials on Monday said they couldn’t comment on a pending lawsuit....Of course they can't comment. They have to first huddle with our western hero, Kempthorne, to figure out the best way to cave on the issue.