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? Farmers and ranchers hate them. Scientists learn from them. Families enjoy watching them. Whatever their viewpoint, most people living on the prairie have a strongly-held opinion on prairie dogs. Prairie dogs are members of the rodent family, the largest grou ....

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.... Current policies on National Grasslands and other federal lands typically limit prairie dogs to small percentages of available potential habitat. Prairie dogs are essential to our prairie ecosystem. Many species dependent on prairie dogs for prey and habitat are diminishing in direct relation to the decreasing number of prairie dogs. Unlike other species, which have declined because of habitat loss due to human activities, the loss of prairie dog populations is a direct result of governmental and private landowner efforts to eradicate them. Prairie dogs and their environment must be protected by law to preserve our native prairie ecosystem. T ....