Hundreds of Prairie Dogs on the Move
June 29, 2005 -- -- About 300 prairie dogs are on the move from Santa Fe, N.M., to the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, near Socorro.
A city ordinance in Santa Fe requires that prairie dogs be relocated from an area before grading and construction can begin.
A City Council committee opted to pass on proposed changes to the master plan and send the request to yet another committee.
The critters are being moved to make room for rail yard redevelopment. The project is a hunt of a different kind. Hunters flush them out of their holes with soapy water and according to one dog chaser, Dennis Prichard, "the little dogs come right out." "We also have a saline solution that we use to wash the soap out so it doesn't sting their little eyes," he said. "The hunt's going pretty good," said Prichard. "Yesterday, we had a banner day; we got 62 prairie dogs. Some holes we get one big bachelor. Others we get a mom and a dad and six little ones." Apparently the tunnels that they dig and the fertilizing that they do while they're in there actually help grassland. The dogs are what is called a keystone species -- when they're around the Ecosystem is better off. Once the prairie dogs get down to the wildlife refuge, Prichard they've constructed what they call "prairie dog condominiums." They just put the cage there and the guys move right in. The dogs are what's called a keystone species -- when they're around the ecosystem is better off. Santa Fe purchased the downtown land 10 years ago and efforts to revitalize it are moving along. But some residents say the planned development ignores the concept of a so-called "downtown for locals."
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