About Prairie Dogs

“There is an old Navajo warning that if you kill all of the prairie dogs there will be no one to cry for rain… In fact, the burrowing animals, like prairie dogs, open breathing tubes in the earth. The underground acquifers act like the diaphragm in human bodies ; the moon as it passes, raises and lowers the underground water table and the Earth breathes through the many fissures and tubes opened by the burrowing creatures. The exhalation of moisture-laden air, filled with negative ions helps create rain.”

Stephen Harrod Buhner

Prairie Dogs: Coral Reefs of the Prairies

Prairie dogs are the keystone species of the prairies and are the main indicators of a healthy prairie community. More than 200 different species have been associated with prairie dog towns, with over 140 species benefiting directly including buffalo, pocket mice, deer mice, ants, antelope, golden eagles, black widow spiders, badgers, foxes, coyotes, weasels, horned larks, rattlesnakes, ferruginous hawks, burrowing owls and the black-footed ferret whom cannot live without large contiguous prairie dog colonies. Prairie dogs hold the native prairies together: Their disappearance from the grasslands creates a landscape scale loss of various plants, wildlife and climatic conditions necessary for the health of our planet. Prairies of the West are fast disappearing along with the diverse plant and wildlife communities that hold this fragile habitat together. Currently, less than 1% of prairie dogs and their habitats remain in the West.

Interviews with Derrick Jensen About Prairie Dogs and the Grasslands

Derrick Jensen with Gerardo Caballos on Prairie Dogs and Grazing

Derrick Jensen with Con Slobodchikoff on Prairie Dogs, Their Behaviors and Language

Derrick Jensen with Lierre Kieth, Deanna Meyer and Stephany Seay on Grasslands, Prairie Dogs and Bison.

Derrick Jensen with Deanna Meyer Talk About the War on Prairie Dogs by Wildlife Officials

We Can't Live Without Prairie Dogs

I’m a Black-Footed Ferret. I rely on prairie dogs for my food and for their burrows for my home. Because of the decline of prairie dog colonies and appropriate habitat, I am an endangered species!

I’m a burrowing owl. I rely on prairie dogs for their burrows as a place for me to build my nest. Prairie dogs are dissappearing in Colorado and because of that I’m a threatened species!

I am a Ferruginous Hawk. Prairie dogs are one of my favorite foods. I am dependant on prairie grasslands, where I live and hunt. Because of the loss of these grasslands I am a species of concern in Colorado.

Prairie Protection Colorado

Prairie Protection Colorado is a registered 501(c)(4) nonprofit corporation.

Prairie Protection is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation.

Contact Us:

Phone: 720-722-1691

Email: prairieprotectioncolorado@gmail.com

Mailing Address: PO Box 497, Sedalia, Colorado 80135 USA