What's it worth?

Some of you are not aware of how crucial prairie dogs are to the grassland ecosystems. In fact, some of you see prairie dogs as a pest species because of the perceived health and landscape threats you associate them with.  Threats like carrier of the bubonic plague and how prairie dog colonies tend to expose more ground cover, especially within hiking or biking paths can bias your perception; but did you know, prairie dogs and their burrows provide ecosystem services like better filtration of ground water, increasing insect and reptilian species, and provide homes to other vertebrate species? Relocating prairie dogs along with reintroduction of the black-footed ferrets to undisturbed areas of prairie grassland or along the steppes can help communities identify with a flagship species and bring the robustness of prairie grasslands and the therapeutic services of living close to nature.