Given the recent brutal poisoning of a vibrant and healthy prairie dog colony in Longmont, we feel it important to share why prairie dogs matter. Prairie dogs are an essential part of our prairies — among the most endangered ecosystems in the world. Nine species of wildlife are directly affected by the decline of the prairie dog population. Many of these animals are beloved, like hawks and eagles.

Black-tailed prairie dogs that are native to Colorado are one of five prairie dog species in North America, the only place on the planet where these animals exist. Prairie dogs have been eliminated from up to 99 percent of their historic range in the last 150 years.

Approximately 150 species of plants and animals benefit from prairie dogs and the habitat they create. Prairie dog burrows provide homes for numerous animals including burrowing owls, mountain plovers, rabbits and reptiles. Prairie dogs are also an important food source for a wide variety of species including hawks, eagles, coyotes, foxes, badgers and the black-footed ferret, now an endangered species because they’re only food is the prairie dog.

Prairie dogs live in tightly-knit family groups — aunts, uncles, cousins, mothers and fathers – within larger prairie dog towns. Just like us, they have close relationships and can be seen demonstrating affection for one another. Also, prairie dogs must diversify their genetics, which is why we see the carnage on our roads each spring as the young males must leave their immediate family to seek a new community where they can find a mate and raise a family. Perhaps next spring, when you see a small prairie dog trying to cross the road, you’ll stop and allow him to pass safely. Another mind-blowing fact about prairie dogs is the females are only fertile one day a year! So the notion that they can easily recover from our aggression is false.

A primary reason to defend these animals’ long-term survival is they have a special place in nature as a key species for so much other wildlife, including songbirds, owls, foxes, badgers, and more. They are key contributors to healthy prairie grasslands. People appreciate that key role, which is why we’ve seen growing support for providing strong protections for prairie dogs and their habitat, so much of which has been lost to development.

A little known fact that may surprise many is that prairie dogs have the most complex language of any land animal studied. They can describe you and me as different people, even the color of our shirts or if we’re tall or thin as well as identify the difference between abstract objects such as circles and triangles. Dr. Con Slobodchikoff, a professor emeritus at North Arizona University has been studying prairie dog language for 30 years. “Prairie dogs are able to describe the color of clothes the humans are wearing, they’re able to describe the size and shape of humans, even, amazingly, whether a human once appeared with a gun,” Slobodchikoff said. Now that is amazing.

So why do we feel it is acceptable to cram horrible poisons into these animals’ homes, bury them alive and not feel mortified by the cruelty? Why do we think that this is appropriate to do to another living being, particularly one as gentle and important as the humble prairie dog? It is time for we humans, who claim to love the wildness of the western United States to decide if we actually want to preserve it for ourselves and those who come after us.

We who are crafting this message to you, our community, think we are long overdue a change in our attitudes and actions toward this keystone species. If we agree that we love to see the bald eagles return each November to nest, and our grasslands flourish, we must defend the prairie dog. You and I can go to the grocery. How silly we are to not consider how the wild things around us are fed and sheltered.

We hope this has expanded your understanding of this true underdog. We encourage you to observe them yipping and jumping as they talk to each other. Watch how they interact and you’ll become a fan, like us and join the effort to protect these adorable and important little critters for future generations. Learn more at www.prairiedogcoaltion.org or http://www.wildearthguardians.org/

Seleyn DeYarus and JoAnne Petersen are next-door neighbors who live in Longmont.