in a hostile
Western Kansas
environment where
they are hunted by
man and predator,
one man has
emerged as the
prairie dog's best friend
Forget everything you know, or think you know, about prairie dogs.
Opponents of prairie dogs - and that would seemingly include most everyone who farms or ranches on the High Plains - loathe the critters for their ability to lay waste to hundreds or thousands of acres of productive ranch land. Their burrows, claim cattlemen, are a mine field for broken legs.
And, landowners claim, the presence of prairie dogs - even on adjoining property - destroy land values.
If there’s an argument to be made against prairie dogs, Larry Haverfield has heard it. He doesn’t dismiss the concerns of Western Kansas ranchers. But neither does he accept the long-held belief by many that complete and total extermination is the solution.
In fact, it’s the Logan County rancher’s resistance to that mindset which has put him at the heart of an ongoing controversy and legal battle with neighboring ranchers and county commissioners. His neighbors in the Russell Springs area want to see the prairie dog population eradicated and commissioners have obliged - as much as legally possible - even to the point of entering Haverfield’s land and applying the chemical poison Rozol.
The ongoing legal battle between Haverfield and the county has been further complicated by the introduction of 24 highly-endangered black-footed ferrets by Kansas Fish and Wildlife Service in December of 2007. That decision only added fuel to the prairie dog controversy.
Haverfield isn’t under the illusion that just because he sees value in having prairie dogs that others will buy into the same thinking.
“We’ve been killing prairie dogs since 1902,” points out the 73-year-old rancher. “People think that’s the way it’s supposed to be.”
An Environmentalist
Haverfield couldn’t have found a more unlikely critter to ally himself with. While he is cursed by some in the same breath as environmentalists and animal rights activists, it hasn’t always been that way.
Although he doesn’t shun the label of environmentalist, Haverfield says it’s a cause that has evolved over time.
“Somewhere we need to preserve the prairie and this is a little bit of a start right here,” he says from the front porch of his simple, wood-framed home.
Taking a stand on behalf of prairie dogs hasn’t been easy. After all, Haverfield has been acquainted with many of these same ranchers, or their families, for half a century.
A native of Scott City and a 1954 graduate of Scott Community High School, his father had ranching operations in Scott County before purchasing additional land south of Russell Springs. However, the Haverfields and many other landowners in the Russell Springs area were hit hard by drought in the mid-1950s.
As part of a deal worked out with the banker, Larry agreed to take over ranching operations in Logan County.
“We’ve never regretted that decision,” he said, referring to himself and his wife, Betty.
Protecting an Ecosystem
Prairie dogs are such a part of life for the Haverfields that the small critters have even become next door neighbors - literally.
A drive behind their home, nestled in a low-lying area less than half a mile from Lone Butte, reveals the newest prairie dog town and their habitants scurrying to the nearest burrow upon hearing an approaching vehicle.
“We pretty much have prairie dogs wall-to-wall,” Haverfield says with a laugh.
Haverfield views this as more than a debate about prairie dogs. He sees a much bigger picture in which prairie dogs are interwoven into a delicate ecosystem.
For centuries, prairie dogs have been a part of the High Plains environment. And much to the chagrin of his neighboring landowners, Haverfield has recreated his own ecosystem in which virtually all types of plant and animal life don’t just co-exist, but thrive.
The rancher began taking a different view on wildlife interaction after attending a grazing school in about 1986.
“I came away from that with the feeling that being pro-wildlife was the way to go. And if you’re going to be pro-wildlife then you’d better be pro-prairie dog,” he says.
“There are some pretty fundamental processes that drive our ecosystem - energy flow, water cycle, mineral cycle and succession. Prairie dogs contribute to all of them. When you take all that into consideration, it’s pretty easy to think that prairie dogs are good.”
It wasn’t until 2002, however, that he really got serious about creating an ideal environment for prairie dogs with assistance from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. At the time, USFWS had initiated efforts with 11 states to adopt plans to protect prairie dogs.
Kansas, according to Haverfield, was one of those states that developed a plan, but never followed through with actual implementation. Other states never went so far as to develop plans and the initiative fell through.
Haverfield, however, realized that his ranch would fit the ideal 5,000 to 6,000 acre environment where prairie dogs and ferrets could co-exist. At the time he had only about 200 acres of prairie dogs and “I didn’t want to do anything to them.”
The environment was further enhanced by Haverfield’s decision to adopt an intense grazing program.
“Since this place hadn’t had prairie dogs for about 30 years, once the habitat was right for prairie dogs we began having them big time,” he says.
Prairie Dog Oasis
The result has been a sprawling 10,000 acres of ranch land which immediately dispels the image one has of prairie dog towns. Many ranchers can point to areas on their land which have been overrun by prairie dogs that have virtually destroyed all surrounding plant life and are living amidst an apparent wasteland.
But don’t put the blame entirely on prairie dogs, explains Haverfield. That’s also a result of grazing practices.
Years ago, Haverfield adopted an intense rotation grazing program which involves moving cattle from one grazing “cell” to another on a daily basis. Only on rare occasions will cattle remain in the same cell for two or even three days. This has accomplished two major objectives.
First of all, it has allowed for the healthy growth of a variety of plant life and a mixture of grasses which have been good for beef production. And it’s prevented large swaths of land to be grazed - or over-grazed - to the point where prairie dogs and prairie rattlers are the only creatures that will survive.
“In my mind, to be competitive in the grazing world, you have to be an intensive grazer, with or without prairie dogs,” says Haverfield. “When you rest grassland for 60 days that’s going to be a detriment to prairie dogs. That provides containment.”
Even though prairie dogs can be found on between 6,000 and 6,500 acres of the Haverfield ranch, what one won’t find is barren landscape surrounding those towns.
The result isn’t just an ideal environment for prairie dogs but, as Haverfield proudly explains, all types of wildlife.
While driving over the rugged landscape that is typical of western Logan County, Haverfield will point to a burrowing owl that has landed near a prairie dog mound, or he’ll show evidence of a badger that has invaded a prairie dog home. Golden eagles, hawks, swift foxes, coyotes, bobcats and black-footed ferrets feed on the prairie dogs.
Which is all the more reason why he is fighting efforts to kill prairie dogs.
Rozol not only kills prairie dogs, but will also kill their predators.
Co-existence with prairie dogs is also more cost-effective for ranchers.
US Fish and Wildlife, through APHIS, has spent thousands of dollars poisoning the border area surrounding the Haverfield ranch. Treating 6,000 acres of land would cost about $150,000.
“People are spending a tremendous amount of money to poison them and you’re not going to kill them,” Haverfield says. “You’re going to have to do it again the next year and the next. And, in the process, you’re killing your predators.”
Haverfield says he has no idea why other ranchers aren’t willing to find ways to co-exist with prairie dogs and, in the process, save themselves thousands of dollars every year.
“It’s a mindset they’ve grown up with. I know most people in Western Kansas want to kill them off,” he says. “But it’s hard to imagine, in this day and age, that we would want to kill off an entire species, especially a species that’s so important to all other wildlife.”
And should those opposed to prairie dogs have their way, Haverfield says the result is predictable.
“It would be a big mistake,” he warns. “We’ve been through this in the past. When prairie dogs are in decline and man tries to kill them off, it also kills off their predators to a dangerously low number. When prairie dogs make their comeback - and they always do - they’re way out in front of their natural predators.
“To maintain a proper balance in nature you need to have prairie dogs all the time.”
Containing Prairie Dogs
It’s not as though Haverfield hasn’t initiated efforts to contain prairie dogs - and black-footed ferrets - on his land.
A 30-yard “buffer” surrounds the Haverfield ranch. That means sacrificing 10 acres every mile - or about 250 acres - as one means of containing the critters.
This buffer, which is also fenced off from grazing, allows for taller growth of native grasses which serve as cover for predators. Prairie dogs who attempt to establish a burrow in this buffer soon discover a hostile environment without the use of deadly chemicals.
The absence of prairie dog homes in this buffer is a testament to their effectiveness, says Haverfield.
However, that hasn’t been enough to convince disgruntled neighbors. To appease them, Haverfield has also installed an additional barrier constructed of 18-inch tall electrified chicken wire. The fence has been erected in those areas where neighbors are seemingly most concerned about migrating prairie dogs.
“I feel the grass barrier has been effective, but (the barrier fence) seems to make them feel a little better,” he says, referring to his neighbors.
Black-Footed Ferrets
As if the opposition to prairie dogs wasn’t great enough already, the introduction of endangered black-footed ferrets only brought more attention to the issue. Haverfield quickly dispels the notion that ferrets are part of an eradication program.
“They have to co-exist,” he emphasizes. “You can’t have black-footed ferrets without prairie dogs. If (prairie dogs) are eliminated completely, then you’ve eliminated dinner for the ferrets.”
Haverfield was an eager participant in the USFWS program to introduce black-footed ferrets into the wild. He’s been excited with early surveys that show the ferrets are more than holding their own.
“I see a time when they are doing so well here they will be taking ferrets away for introduction into other places where there are prairie dogs,” he predicts.
While the on-going legal battles and confrontation with county officials since the fall of 2005, have been somewhat of an emotional drain on Haverfield, he has no doubt he’s doing the right thing. The only other adjoining landowner to share that philosophy - and in the legal costs - has been Gordon Barnhardt who lives in Bucklin.
The Logan County rancher could have chosen the easy way out.
“I could have done like some people and made a token effort. I could buy 10 buckets (of Rozol) a year, kill a few prairie dogs and say, ‘Well, at least I’m trying.’ But I wouldn’t have felt like it was the right thing to do.”
According to Haverfield, one good thing to come out of the publicity surrounding the prairie dogs and black-footed ferrets has been the awareness it has created beyond the borders of Logan County.
“As more people actually come out here and see what’s going on they come away with a clearer picture of what we’re doing,” Haverfield says. “Even my neighbors might come away with a different feeling if they could drive around here and see what’s happening.”
It’s unlikely, however, that neighbors and county commissioners will ever be satisfied with any program that doesn’t call for complete eradication of the prairie dogs.
“The commissioners are pretty dead set about not having prairie dogs or ferrets,” Haverfield admits.
However, he’s equally as committed to his cause.
“If you think you’re doing the right thing you keep fighting them,” he adds. “So far, we’ve prevailed. We still have prairie dogs and ferrets.”
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"If you think you’re doing the right thing you keep fighting them. So far, we’ve prevailed. We still have prairie dogs and ferrets."
Larry Haverfield
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