Prairie dog plan raises concern in Campbell County

Some people in Campbell County are expressing concern about a plan to transplant prairie dogs in northeast Wyoming. U.S. Forest Service officials propose to move prairie dogs away from homes in Weston and Converse counties. They say prairie dogs carry plague and they want to move the rodents to reduce the possibility of transmitting the disease. They propose moving the prairie dogs to a different area of the Thunder Basin National Grassland near the border of Campbell County. Ranchers and county commissioners say prairie dogs take up too much land as it is and damage the range. If approval is received from the Wyoming Fish and Game Department, the plan eventually could enable the reintroduction of endangered black-footed ferrets. Ferrets eat prairie dogs.