GUARDIANS OF THE GRASSLAND

Prairie rats.” “A nuisance to farmers, ranchers, developers.” “Overpopulated.” Do prairie dogs really deserve this reputation?

These fluffy, charismatic animals play a complex and important role in the prairie ecosystem by providing food and creating unique habitat in the Great Plains of North America. Prairie dogs are a “keystone” species—one that’s essential to the structure and function of an ecosystem. Without it, the ecosystem would most likely fail. Due to agriculture, ranching and urban expansion, about 98 percent of the prairie dog’s habitat, which stretches from Canada to Mexico, has been destroyed.

I moved west from Cleveland, Ohio, to Fort Collins, Colorado, to study ecosystem science and sustainability at Colorado