Prairie dog plan draws ire

Ranchers and environmentalists are at odds over a plan for managing black-tailed prairie dogs on the Thunder Basin National Grassland in northeast Wyoming. Environmentalists don't like how the plan would allow prairie dogs to be killed with poison in places where they're not wanted. Ranchers counter that poisoning must be an option to keep prairie dogs from spreading and damaging ranchland by eating away the grass that grows around their colonies. "They're very damaging," said Rosanne Driskill, a rancher near Devils Tower. "They'll kill a large acreage if they get a chance." The purpose of the plan is to establish prairie dogs in large enough numbers to support a reintroduced population of black-footed ferrets. Prairie dogs are the only prey of black-footed ferrets. The first ferrets could be reintroduced to the Thunder Basin National Grassland around this time next year, said Misty Hays, deputy district ranger for the Forest Service in Douglas...read more