Save the prairie dogs

Jane Darnell (the supervisor of the Nebraska National Forest) controls most national grasslands in Nebraska and South Dakota. The U.S. Forest Service has been poisoning prairie dogs here since 1960. In July 2008, supervisor Darnell finalized a decision to expand the poisoning. Why?

Supervisor Darnell is reacting to the demands of corporate ranchers and local politicians in the local area.

The black-tailed prairie dog is a native species to North America. Over the last century, the black-tailed prairie dog has disappeared on 99 percent of its historic range, primarily due to Forest Service poisoning.

Wildlife groups recently petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the prairie dog under the Endangered Species Act. On Dec. 2, 2008, the USFWL determined that the black-tailed prairie dog may warrant federal protection under the Endangered Species Act, however a more thorough review is needed.

In spite of this knowledge, supervisor Darnell proposes to speed up extinction by significantly expanding the acres that will be poisoned on the national grasslands owned by 306 million Americans.

Please ask your member of Congress to intervene, and/or contact supervisor Darnell directly at jdarnell@fs.fed.us to demand a stop to all poisoning immediately.

Dick Artley

Grangeville, Idaho