Westward Expansion

Westward Expansion. . , "I steered my course through the wide and level plains which have somewhat the appearance of an ocean, not a tree nor a shrub to be seen," wrote Meriwether Lewis in 1806., Crossing these westward prairies, the explorer met "a little animal" whose number he described as "infinite.", Two hundred years later, that little animal, the black-tailed prairie dog, is barely clinging its foothold on the American West. Its population has declined by a staggering 98%., Little Animal, Big Impact , If black-tailed prairie dogs disappear from North America, will it matter?, Yes, it will matter to the swift fox, the black-footed ferret, the burrowing owl, and many other species of plant and animal native to short-grass prairies., The black-tailed prairie dog is a little animal with a huge ecological impact. Its existence matters in ways that we know, and in ways that we are only just beginning to understand and appreciate., Saving the Black-Tailed Prairie Dog , Conservation is all about balance: balancing the quest for human progress with the pulse of the natural world, and making room for both. The black-tailed prairie dog is resilient and will survive, given half a chance. How do we strike the right balance and give it that chance?