The United States Forest Service is planning to poison an estimated 16,000 prairie dogs who reside in Thunder Basin National Grassland, a 547,000-acre protected area in northeastern Wyoming.
Not only are prairie dogs vital to the environment, it is my strong belief that humans do not have the right to choose what lives or dies. I will vehemently vote against any politician and policies that would dare condone the poisoning of any creature. There are other means to solve this problem, such as humane relocation. Remember, it is the farmers and ranchers who encroached on the land and homes of these precious creatures, not the other way around. The LEAST we should do is relocate them.
Tom Whitford, the district manager at Thunder Grass National Grassland can be emailed at twhitford@fs.fed.us. Better yet, contact Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead at 307-777-7434.
US Forest Service
1400 Independence Ave., SW
Washington, D.C.
20250-0003
To whom it may concern:
I strongly urge you to reconsider your stance on poisoning the prairie dogs in Thunder Basin.
Prairie dogs are a vital part of the environment and at the very least, should be relocated, not slaughtered. The benefits they bring to the environment greatly outweight any negative impacts farmers and ranchers claim they bring. Many of these negative "old wives tales" that farmers and ranchers speak of have been disproven by several experts.
Therefore, I urge you, before you act with haste, please consider relocating or preserving these creatures in their natural habital instead of slaughtering them. As taxpayers, we should all be heard, not just the ranchers and the farmers.
Thank you.
