Joel Sartoreのインスタグラム(joelsartore) - 7月13日 22時22分

Plowed Under |

In the heart of US farm country there once was a thriving prairie dog town.
Though just 50-acres, this site was famous among conservationists. It was likely the easternmost colony of black-tailed prairie dogs in the country, and represented one of the last vestiges of what the prairie ecosystem looked like in eastern Nebraska before European settlement.
In May, it became just another soybean field.
So how did this come to be?
Nearly 20 years ago, this special place was given to Doane University. However, at the time of the donation, the land was not permanently protected from the plow with a conservation easement.
Then this past spring, Doane’s management decided to sell it to local farmers, who plowed it immediately.
We understand proceeds from the sale will go towards scholarship funding. And of course, farmers have bills to pay.
But it should have never come to this.
Saving the Earth takes effort. It takes thought, and then, it takes real commitment. And yes, sometimes it even costs money.
The good news is the farm family permitted wildlife rescue groups to trap and relocate many of the surviving prairie dogs before the rest were killed. Doane helped fund this trapping effort. These things were heartening at least.
Still, it boggles the mind that a place this significant took so little time to erase; the little prairie dog town that we all failed to appreciate in time.
Today, in the silence of a soybean field, we can all share a lesson. There are surely other pockets of virgin soil out there, somewhere. Will we steward those at least? |

To see my full opinion posted in the Lincoln Journal Star today, visit the link in my bio.

#nebraska #prariedog #lincolnjournalstar #conservation

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