Ferret's link to prairie dogs underlies opposition

A safe harbor agreement allowing landowners to benefit from fostering the black-footed ferret — claimed by some to be the most endangered mammal in North America — is a model of voluntary wildlife conservation that creates new revenue streams for ranchers, but it is also controversial. In what one Eastern Colorado farmer termed the "circle of life," black-footed ferrets rely on prairie dogs for their prey, and where there is ferret habitat, there will be prairie dogs — lots of prairie dogs. "I don't know of anybody in my area that's in favor of it," said Susan Leach of Arriba, who was attending the mid-summer meeting of the Colorado Farm Bureau. She just recently put away her crutches after stepping into a ground hole on her family's property and injuring her foot. "Prairie dogs will take over 40 acres of grass in nothing," she added. On a summer ranch tour hosted by the Colorado Independent Cattle Growers Association, Jay Jolly, who ranches in the Hugo area, made it clear how he felt about the ferret-harboring plan. "It's ridiculous," he said emphatically. "So much of this is stuff we have no choice about," he added later. "It's scary. It's like we don't actually own anything anymore." "It's just another nightmare for us," concurred Tom Hendrix, a rancher from Wray who recalled being contracted by the government to eradicate prairie dogs back in the early 1970s. In order to ensure survival of the black-footed ferret, "you can't do anything to those prairie dog towns," Hendrix said. "You can't disturb their habitat. And that means you can't control them. When they get old enough, the young ones have to go somewhere. Overnight, you'll have a new town." The CICA organization has official policy opposing the ferret proposal. Harry Thompson, who hosted the group's ranch tour northwest of Sterling, said he was shocked to learn from wildlife officials that 10,000 prairie dogs are required to support one pair of ferrets...more

  "It's scary. It's like we don't actually own anything anymore."

There lies the crux of most of our problems.  The government that was originally established to protect our property is now the biggest threat to property rights.